fritz

That's about the way I got it figured, Jim. But as to the drought, it is bad here. And that is what the reporter was trying to convey. Too bad he could not tell the difference between a buyer and a seller. Oh well, it did make news to those in the wetter climes. They should count their blessings they ain't got a bunch of cows to feed right now. I did sell a calf for $653 last week, and there may be a lot more soon. But no cows for now. As that article said, no cows--no calves next year. As to that $653 calf---that's almost double what they brought 5 years ago. BUT, gas has doubled, feed has doubled, fertilizer has doubled, county taxes have doubled. It's all relative. fritz

I have not used the Miller "Lift-Arc", but here is what they say about it--- "With Lift-Arc, operators simply touch the tungsten to the workpiece, lift and the arc starts automatically. Since there is no scratching involved," he says, "there is no tungsten inclusion in the bead. This lets the operator precisely direct the arc when starting, thus helping avoid arc marks. Mechanical contractors have been looking for an ultra-lightweight inverter with features such as Lift-Arc and Auto-Link for years." It sounds like it is not the old scratch-start, and would be better than the adapted tig setup for a DC machine like I have. fritz

Yeah, but I'm the first one to hit the second shot usually. And, I have a curve that would make Roger Clements drool. There ain't a tree that I can't hit around, given enough area to the left of it. I'm a slicer. Herb

Let me just say this---I would never buy a scratch-start DC TIG welder if I could get the high frequency AC ability for a few hundred more. It all depends on how often you will use it. But I will add this---you won't use a DC non-high frequency machine near as much as you would use the AC TIG machine. There is just so much more you can do, and easier too (I guess that is my reasoning for suggesting it to newbies) with the more expensive machine. The foot pedal is nice, all the industrial machines use it, but I guess you could get by without if. As long as you don't gotta scratch to start, it works on most thickness of gun work. The foot pedal is nice for controlling the heat on thin sections. In aircraft welding, it was essential. But then we were using water cooled torches also for continuous work. I have a cheap adaption TIG with argon for my DC Miller machine. I think I paid around $400 for the adapter including an argon cylinder, but I should have spent that on a high frequency machine. The ability to easily weld aluminum may be important to you in the future. fritz

There wasn't a damned thing wrong with the SKSs that were selling for around $85 retail at a local shop (cheaper to those of us with a license). This was in the 80's to early 90's. The ones selling now are the Yugos, and they are in worse shape (for the money) than the old Russian and Chinese ones. Yeah, at one time you could buy a Russian laminated stock SKS (the elite of the lot) for around $90 with a C&R. No more, and I have had my fill of the worn-out Yugos. If you have never had one of the older SKSs, you don't know what you missed. fritz

Jim, I really wished I was there, not just for the free drinks, but also to see all that rain. I'm glad you have a respite from the heat, I had forgot how that can devastate a poultry business. And while it may be too late for some of your crop, at least there is a better day now, Let it rain (our only hope is a tropical depression way out there). If it enters the Gulf, we may get rain. But at least a week away. I'm going to put out some hay tomorrow and then drive up to Austin to see my grandaughter. Maybe that will take my mind off the weather for awhile. fritz

I agree with Jason, Vo-Ag (FFA) was my favorite class, and I also was a pretty good typist. I could keep up with the girls in the class (typing that is). Our Ag teacher taught us everything from planting grain to shop skills like welding. I later used this start to go to a two-year welding school after high school. While I never enjoyed math classes, I did pick up enough to be very good at drafting and blueprint reading. But the most important thing that my Vo-Ag teacher taught us was to be a good person. He was the devil himself if he caught you picking on another kid. He trusted us with the use of his pickup truck to go into town for supplies, etc. and we had many field trips after school--dove stews, etc. The best thing was that in my senior year he was promoted to principal. There never was a problem, no need for a note from my dad, when I missed a day of school because he knew that I was out in the field planting corn for my dad. Do those kind of teachers still exist? Maybe they do, but the damned State of Texas now restricts them from those kind of bonding things we enjoyed. "All my shop teachers figured it correctly - the dippin' and smoking was just little phase and 90% of us grew out of it...)" Yes, and you know what, most did outgrow it. These were farm boys, and you have to remember that. On the other hand, if heavy handed tactics were used on them a lot more would have rebeled and do it just to spite the teacher. Take me back to Mayberry! fritz

I always liked Andy Rooney--- Andy Rooney on Women over 40 - from "60 Minutes" -- As I grow in age, I value women who are over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why: --A woman over 40 will not lie next to you in bed and ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think. --If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And it's usually something more interesting. --Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it. --Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. They always know. --A woman over 40 looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women or drag queens. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. --Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one! You don't ever have to worry where you stand with her. --Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of 40+, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year-old waitress. Ladies, I apologize. --For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free." Here's an update for you: Nowadays, 80% of women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage. Andy Rooney - "60 Minutes" fritz

Subject: Trip to the Lone Star State Ah yes-- Sex with a Cowboy Prior to her trip to Texas, Buffy (a New Yorker) confided to her co-workers she had three goals for her trip to the Lone Star State: 1. She wanted to taste some real Texas Bar-B-Que. 2. She wanted to take in a bona fide rodeo. And.. 3. She wanted to have sex with a real cowboy. Upon her return, the girls were curious as to how she fared. "Let me tell you, they have a tree down there called a Mesquite and when they slow cook that brisket over that Mesquite, it's ooooh so good. The taste is unbelievable! "And I went to a real rodeo.Talk about athletes...those guys wrestle bulls! They ride horses at a full gallop, then jump off the horses and grab the bull by the horns and throw them to the ground! It is just incredible!" They then asked, "Well tell us, did you have sex with a real cowboy?" "Are you kidding? When I saw the outline of the condom they carry in the back pocket of their jeans, I changed my mind!" fritz

Karl, Karl If you read my post about a new Texan's diary he kept, you would see that everything here in Texas is bigger. If you don't live either here or in Death Valley (which we Texans can understand), you ain't seen nothin' yet. There is an old Texas story about the devil trying to say that Hell has everything better than Texas. He showed all kinds of wonderful scenes, but the old Texan kept coming up with a better scene in Texas. Finally the devil showed a picture of his burning inferno, and asked, "Do you have anything like that in Texas?" The old Texan leaned back and told the devil "no, but we got a fellow over in Houston that can put that thing out for you". He meant, of course, Red Adair. Have you read the book--Red Adair, an American Hero"? BTW, we seem to have an awful lot of blowouts in the area lately. I attribute it to oil companies getting greedy at the present high price of oil and gas. They are rushing wells, and sometimes it backfires. fritz

ChasMike, I feel your pain (as our former prez used to say). But it weren't on my butt, it was on my hands. I was welding on some pipe the other day and picked up, or tried to pick up, a piece of pipe to carry to where I was welding. I could not hold on to it, it was so hot. Of course I should have been wearing gloves, but those things are so hard to get the feel of things. Have you considered padding the old metal chair? Hell, when it's that hot I ain't shooting. Now, early in the morning it's not bad. That dew on the grass sure feels good, and before long your shoes are as soaked as your shirt, and all you want to do is take a shower. Ahhh, Texas. fritz

I'd like to share this with my friends here--- The Sandpiper >>>by Robert Peterson >>> >>> >>>She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I >>>live. >>>I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the >>>world begins to close in on me. She was building a sand castle or >>>something and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea. >>> >>>"Hello," she said. >>> >>>I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small >>>child. >>> >>>"I'm building," she said. >>> >>>"I see that. What is it?" I asked, not really caring. >>> >>>"Oh, I don't know, I just like the feel of sand." >>> >>>That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes. >>> >>>A sandpiper glided by. >>> >>>"That's a joy," the child said. >>> >>>"It's a what?" >>> >>>"It's a joy. My mama >>>says sandpipers come to bring us joy." >>> >>>The bird went gliding down the beach. Good-bye joy, I muttered to >>>myself, >>>hello pain, and turned to walk on. I was depressed, my life seemed >>>completely out of balance. >>> >>>"What's your name?" She wouldn't give up. >>> >>>"Robert," I answered. "I'm Robert Peterson." >>> >>>"Mine's Wendy... I'm six." >>> >>>"Hi, Wendy." >>> >>>She giggled. "You're funny," she said. >>> >>>In spite of my gloom, I laughed too and walked on. Her musical giggle >>>followed me. >>> >>>"Come again, Mr. P," she called. "We'll have another happy day." >>> >>>The next few days consisted of a group of unruly Boy Scouts, PTA >>>meetings, and an ailing mother. The sun was shining one morning as I took >>>my >>>hands out of the dishwater. I need a sandpiper, I said to myself, >>>gathering up my coat. >>> >>>The ever-changing balm of the seashore awaited me. The breeze was >>>chilly >>>but I strode along, trying to recapture the serenity I needed. >>> >>>"Hell o, Mr. P," she said. "Do you want to play?" >>> >>>"What did you have in mind?" I asked, with a twinge of annoyance. >>> >>>"I don't know. You say." >>> >>>"How about charades?" I asked sarcastically. >>> >>>The tinkling laughter burst forth again. "I don't know what that is." >>> >>>"Then let's just walk." >>> >>>Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her face. "Where do >>>you >>>live?" I asked. >>> >>>"Over there." She pointed toward a row of summer cottages. >>> >>>Strange, I thought, in >>>winter. >>> >>>"Where do you go to school?" >>> >>>"I don't go to school. Mommy says we're on vacation." >>> >>>She chattered little girl talk as we strolled up the beach, but my >>>mind >>>was on other things. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a happy >>>day. Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed. >>> >>>Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I >>>was in >>>no >>>mood to even greet Wendy. I thought I saw her mother on the porch and >>>felt > >>>like demanding she keep her child at home. >>> >>>"Look, if you don't mind," I said crossly when Wendy caught up with >>>me, >>>"I'd rather be alone today." She seemed unusually pale and out of breath. >>> >>>"Why?" she asked. >>> >>>I turned to her and shouted, "Because my mother died!" and thought, My >>>God, why was I saying this to a little child? >>> >>>"Oh," she said quietly, >>>"then this is a bad day." >>> >>>"Yes," I said, "and yesterday and the day before and -- oh, go away!" >>> >>>"Did it hurt?" she inquired. >>> >>>"Did what hurt?" I was exasperated with her, with myself. >>> >>>"When she died?" >>> >>>"Of course it hurt!" I snapped, misunderstanding, wrapped up in >>>myself. I >>>strode off. >>> >>>A month or so after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn't >>>there. >>>Feeling guilty, ashamed, and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up >>>to the cottage after my walk and knocked at the door. A drawn looking >>>young woman with honey-colored hair opened the door. >>> >>>"Hello," I said, "I'm Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today >>>and >>>wondered where she was." >>> >>>"Oh yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in. Wendy spoke of you so much. I'm >>>afraid I allowed her to bother you. If she was a nuisance, please, accept >>>my >>>apologies." >>> >>>"Not at all -- she's a delightful child." I said, suddenly realizing >>>that >>>I meant what I had just said. >>> >>>"Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukemia. Maybe she >>>didn't >>>tell you." >>> >>>Struck dumb, I groped for a chair. I had to catch my breath. >>> >>>"She loved this beach, so when she asked to come, we couldn't say no. >>>She >>>seemed so much better here and had a lot of what she called happy days. >>>But the last few weeks, she declined rapidly..." Her voice faltered, "She >>>left something for you, if only I can find it. Could you wait a moment >>>while I look?" >>> >>>I nodded stupidly, my mind racing for something to say to this lovely >>>young woman. She handed me a smeared envelope with "MR. P" printed in >>>bold > >>>childish letters. Inside was a drawing in bright crayon hues -- a yellow >>>beach, >>>a blue sea, and a brown bird. Underneath was carefully printed: >>> >>> >>> >>>A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY. >>> >>> >>> >>>Tears welled up in my eyes, and a heart that had almost forgotten to >>>love >>>opened wide. I took Wendy's mother in my arms. "I'm so sorry, I'm so >>>sorry, >>>I'm so sorry," I uttered over and over, and we wept together. The >>>precious > >>>little picture is framed now and hangs in my study. Six words -- one for >>>each year of her life -- that speak to me of harmony, courage, and >>>undemanding love. >>> >>> >>>A gift from a child with sea blue eyes and hair the color of sand -- >>>who >>>taught me the gift of love. >>> >>> >>> >>> _____ >>> >>> >>>NOTE: This is a true story sent out by Robert >>>Peterson. It happened over 20 years ago and the incident changed his >>>life >>>forever. It serves as a reminder to all of us that we need to take time >>>to > >>>enjoy living and life and each other. The price of hating other human >>>beings is loving oneself less. >>> >>>Life is so complicated, the hustle and bustle of everyday traumas can >>>make >>>us lose focus about what is truly important or what is only a momentary >>>setback or crisis. >>> >>>This week, be sure to give your loved ones an extra hug, and by all >>>means, >>>take a moment... even if it is only ten seconds, to stop and smell the >>>roses. >>> >>>This comes from someone's heart, and is read with many and now I share >>>it >>>with you... >>> >>>May God Bless everyone who receives this! There are NO coincidences! >>> >>>Everything that happens to us happens for a reason. Never brush aside >>>anyone as insignificant. Who knows what they can teach us? >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>I wish for you, a sandpiper. >>> >>> >>> fritz

Sorry, I don't know much about Cimmaron Arms. Just what I have seen of their products in magazines. They look to be nicely done. fritz

Update on the county dog pound-- The other 3 commissioners (there are 4 precincts) voted to keep supporting the animal control center with a measly $2500 this year. While that won't buy much food for the cats and dogs awaiting adoption, it is better than what my precinct commissioner wanted, which was no help for them. I still plan to round up a bunch of strays and turn them loose in his yard. And I plan to tell him to his face that other people are going to do this also if he gets his $10,000 raise (while only giving $2500 to the animals). The raises will be discussed at budget hearings open to the public, and I feel that they will not get them. But he's still going to get my cats! fritz

That second pic (of the ATV) gave me an idea on what I need to do with my JD Gator to go after the feral piggies. I wonder what the range is on those guns. I guess my neighbors might have a problem with me driving around close to their place with that rig, but I bet it would do the job. Remember the gun guy in the Tremors movies (Bert)? He used a rig with twin 50's to destroy the big worms in one of the last episodes. That and the single shot (was it a 50 cal?) that he used on one of them mutes were real "fire power", his favorite words! My favorite character in those series. fritz

Well, fellows (especially Jerry who lives up there) and Shooter Tom who moved there---we know all about this don't we? NEW TEXAN'S DIARY May 30th: Just moved to Dallas, Texas. Now this is a city that knows how to live!! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! I watched the sunset from a park lying on a blanket. It was beautiful. I've finally found my home. I love it here. June 14th: Really heating up. Got to 100 today Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshiper. June 30th: Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing the lawn for me. Another scorcher today, but I love it here. July 10th: The temperature hasn't been below 100 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least it's kind of windy though. But getting used to the heat and humidity is taking longer that I expected. July 15th: Fell asleep by the pool. (Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body). Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this. July 20th: I missed Morgan (our cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning. By the time I got to the hot car for lunch, Morgan had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stank up the $2,000 leather upholstery. I told the kids that she ran away The car now smells like Kibbles and shits. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat. July 25th: The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!! And it's hot as hell. The home air-conditioner is not working and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts. July 30th: Been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. $1,500 in damn house payments and we can't even go inside. Why did I ever come here? Aug. 4th: It's 115 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today. It cost $500 and gets the temperature down to 85, but this freaking humidity makes the house feel like it's about 95. Stupid repairman. I hate this stupid city. Aug. 8th: If another wise ass asks, "Hot enough for you today?" I'm going to strangle him. Damn heat. By the time I get to work the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!! Aug. 9th: Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts, and sat on the black leather seats in the ol' car. I thought my ass was on fire. I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and ass. Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried ass, and baked cat. Aug. 10th: The weather report might as well be a damn recording. Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny. It's been too hot to do ###### for 2 damn months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it ever rain in this damn desert? Water rationing now, so my $1700 worth of cactus just dried up and blew into the damn pool. Even the cactus can't live in this damn heat. Aug. 14th: Welcome to HELL!!! Temperature got to 115 today. Forgot to crack the window and blew the damn windshield out of the car. The installer came to fix it and said, "Hot enough for you today?" My wife had to spend the $1500 house payment to bail me out of jail. Freaking Texas. What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here.. fritz

I agree with the above post, but I fear we have become too "civilized" to be allowed to do anything that makes sense anymore. I had an old friend, a retired CPO who put in 10 more in civil service, who used to have a pellet gun handy for the strays that got in his yard. He became known as the "mean old man" in the neighborhood (Corpus Christi). He was brought up in a rural area, and was a very dedicated serviceman for 30 years before he retired. He never could serve on a district court jury, simply because of his past experience with military justice. And he died the way he lived, he never changed his ways to satisfy the PC people. I miss him dearly. Sadly, there ain't many like him left out there. fritz

724wd That video is the one! Thanks for posting it. I think it fits this situation just right! And I too have noticed a lack of cats and dogs in the border towns of Mexico. That is why I doubt if I will ever eat in Mexico agan. Hell, you can't drink the water without getting sick, so why trust the "entree"? fritz

If I may, I'd like to mention something here that has just come out in our weekly paper. The county commissioners court has been supporting our local animal control program (dog pound). It was only a token sum that they put in the budget each year for the support of this much needed program. The local pound has some very dedicated people working there, and they have twice come up with solicitations from donars to help pay for a spay and neuter program, along with a local vet's cutting the price. I had a spayed there in the last one, but I also put some money in the pot. Now, the commissioners have allocated in the budget a $10,000 per commissioner raise. And to add insult to that injury, my precinct commissioner (the one who I had the squabble with over the culverts on my road) suggested that the county no longer fund the animal control center. It seems he feels that the people in his precinct can solve the problem of strays without county money! Well, mrs fritz just came up with the answer to his suggestion---let's all round up all the strays and turn them loose in HIS yard! I have no doubt that before long (and that is his name) he will be asking the county for funds. After all, we are now watching him every minute. That's why we need a complete house cleaning in our county the next election--and I ain't talking cats. Yeah maybe in a way, but fat cat county commissioners who will now be making $50,000 a year for a part-time job. Every single one of them has another line of work. No money for the cats, but money for them! It's the schitts. And it will be the feline and canine kind if they have their way. fritz

Jason, I just saw on the nightly news of a cat problem in Grapevine. Ain't that near you? Seems there were about a hundred cats in an old house, in the walls and everywhere. The "rescuers" had to use breathing apparatus to go in there. More to follow. fritz

I wish I had not deleted the video funny that Tony posted here a couple years ago. It was about a "cat in the kettle at a Chinese restaurant". I remember some of the lines, but not all. While I never ate at a Chinese restaurant, I have sometimes wondered about some of those Mexican joints I used to eat at! I think it was a dead giveaway when you never saw a dog or a cat in the vicinity. fritz

Well, I'm not too good at giving advise (other than the three "S"), but it would seem that as deep a schitt you have gotten into over someone else's failure to obey the animal control rules (that seem to be behind this mess), you must now sue the original owner, or person responsibe, for your loss of money in trying to correct HIS problem. lawyer fritz office hours 24/7

"Many (not all) insurance agents have the morals of a used car salesman and will say or do what ever it takes to make a sale. " I think we can add a few more names to that list, namely military recruiters and real estate agents! And many of the real estate agents double dip as insurance agents. Hell, why not. It's a schitty business. I have a feeling some of you must have been screwed by one of the "rogues list" nominees listed above. fritz

Well, it made the stock market go up for those who own shares in this shitty business-- GULFPORT, Miss. - A federal judge ruled Tuesday that an insurance company’s policies do not cover damage from flood waters or storm surge in a decision that could affect hundreds of upcoming cases related to property damage from Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr. ruled that a Mississippi Gulf Coast couple cannot collect damages from storm surge caused by Katrina because Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.’s policies do not cover wind-driven water damage. Senter Jr. said Paul and Julie Leonard of Pascagoula could be compensated for damage that they could prove was caused by high winds, however. Story continues below ↓ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Almost all the damage to the Leonard residence is attributable to the incursion of water,” Senter wrote in the 13-page decision. Senter’s ruling could set a precedent for hundreds of other court challenges to the insurance industry for denying billions of dollars in claims after the Aug. 29 hurricane ravaged the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Although Senter ruled that Nationwide’s policies do not cover damage from storm surge, the judge also concluded a key policy provision the company has used to deny coverage is ambiguous. Nationwide and other insurers say their homeowners policies cover damage from a hurricane’s wind, but not in cases where it resulted from a combination of wind and water. Click for related content Before the deluge: Why to buy flood insurance Full Coverage: Hurricane Watch Special Report: Rising from ruin “This reading of the policy would mean that an insured whose dwelling lost its roof in high winds and at the same time suffered an incursion of even an inch of water could recover nothing under his Nationwide policy,” he wrote. “From our perspective, it lifts a very large cloud of uncertainty that has been hanging over the insurance market of the Gulf Coast,” Joseph Annotti, spokesman for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, said in reaction to the ruling. “A healthy insurance market is absolutely key to a rejuvenated economy down there.” Shares of most property and casualty insurers rose following the ruling, amid a generally surging stock market. “It’s a favorable first decision for the industry,” said Fox-Pitt Kelton analyst Gary Ransom. “I never really had much doubt that this was the way it was going to work out. There’s a lot of precedent for this. It’s not like we’re interpreting these contracts for the first time.” The Leonards had estimated the total damage to their home at $130,253. They said $47,365 in damage was caused by wind. Nationwide paid only $1,661, blaming the remainder on the storm surge. The couple’s attorneys had asked for more than $158,000 for the damage to the house and its contents, plus interest and attorneys’ fees and expenses. Senter, however, ruled that Nationwide only owed the Leonards about $1,228 more than what the company already has paid them for wind damage. Both sides claimed victory in the wake of Senter’s ruling. “The Leonards did not win as much money as I hoped they would have, but they won this case,” said one of their attorneys, Richard “Dickie” Scruggs. “It’s always great to get a win in the first game of the season, whether it’s by one point or 30 points.” Paul Leonard, a police lieutenant, acknowledged that an extra $1,228 only covers a fraction of the repair costs for his home, but he also considered Senter’s ruling a victory. “I believe anybody in a civil trial asks for the moon and is able to live with what they get,” he said. The Leonards claimed a Nationwide agent, Jay Fletcher, told them they didn’t need flood insurance. Senter rejected the Leonards’ claim that the agent’s alleged assurances make Nationwide liable for damage from both wind and water. Paul Leonard mistakenly inferred that his policy covered water damage, the judge ruled. “Fletcher did not materially misrepresent the terms of the Nationwide homeowners policy to the Leonards, and Fletcher did not make any statements which could be reasonably understood to alter the terms of the Nationwide policy,” Senter wrote. The couple’s lawsuit was the first among hundreds of Katrina insurance cases to be tried since the storm slammed into the Gulf Coast nearly a year ago, demolishing tens of thousands of homes. Senter presided over an eight-day trial without a jury last month. He is hearing virtually all the Katrina insurance cases in Mississippi, so his ruling will be scrutinized by thousands of Gulf Coast homeowners as well as the nation’s top insurers. fritz

"Taking them water skiing adds more fun to the situation." Never took a cat water skiing, but I had a seagull pull the tow rope once when I was water skiing. The poor fowl ran out of steam and I was drowning in the middle of the lake. But my trusty Labrador swam out to me and saved me. He was a good dog, and I miss him dearly. BTW, this was in a dream---ever have one of them? I could write a book on all the weird dreams I have had, but who would buy it? fritz