The Ant and the Grasshopper

Partly Cloudy, Dust Storms - Hi 62 Lo 50 for Baghdad, Iraq
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Windy - Hi 34 Lo 13 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Money for Nothing, Dire Straits (performed by Mark Knopfler, Sting, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and co.



Do you remember when this song hit MTV? It now has a whole new meaning, huh?

Ramble:

Have you seen Clara's Depression Era Cooking on YouTube? This gal is 93 years old. I just discovered her... and I love her - There is going to be a DVD released soon. The best part is that her grandson has taken this opportunity to record his family's history. I wish I had paid more attention to the stories that were told when I was a kid... Here is Clara's website and here is her blog. It isn't just the recipes, it's the quick little tidbits and how to's-- turning off the heat to save gas and money... We are so spoiled.

So, I was at work this week and a co-worker told me that her husband had been laid off from his job. She was quite upset, which is understandable. The part that annoyed me was that she said it was completely unexpected... WHHAAAATTTT? She went on to say that they were going to have to cut some corners, consolidate bills, not eat out as much, bundle their cell phones, and my favorite? She is going to look into this "whole thing of getting her mortgage paid." She had heard that if you stop paying your mortgage, the government will step in and offer assistance... She was able to calmly rationalize that she and her husband had worked hard enough and had paid into the system and were entitled.... So, "this mortgage thing" appears to be viewed as a benefit... like unemployment? Yah.... good times... good effing times...

Then this weekend I go visit my Mom. She has been utterly depressed and can not shake this funk she is in. She has worked long hard hours her entire life. We lived in abject poverty and never took a handout. As you have read here before, through sheer willpower and muscle, my mom overcame all obstacles and now leads a more than comfortable life, but in an instant, her investments - the fruits of her labor gone. Oh and according to President Obama... she is rich!

Once there lived an ant and a grasshopper in a grassy meadow.

All day long the ant would work hard, collecting grains of wheat from the farmer's field far away. She would hurry to the field every morning, as soon as it was light enough to see by, and toil back with a heavy grain of wheat balanced on her head. She would put the grain of wheat carefully away in her larder, and then hurry back to the field for another one. All day long she would work, without stop or rest, scurrying back and forth from the field, collecting the grains of wheat and storing them carefully in her larder.

The grasshopper would look at her and laugh. 'Why do you work so hard, dear ant?' he would say. 'Come, rest awhile, listen to my song. Summer is here, the days are long and bright. Why waste the sunshine in labour and toil?'

The ant would ignore him, and head bent, would just hurry to the field a little faster. This would make the grasshopper laugh even louder. 'What a silly little ant you are!' he would call after her. 'Come, come and dance with me! Forget about work! Enjoy the summer! Live a little!' And the grasshopper would hop away across the meadow, singing and dancing merrily.

Summer faded into autumn, and autumn turned into winter. The sun was hardly seen, and the days were short and grey, the nights long and dark. It became freezing cold, and snow began to fall.

The grasshopper didn't feel like singing any more. He was cold and hungry. He had nowhere to shelter from the snow, and nothing to eat. The meadow and the farmer's field were covered in snow, and there was no food to be had. 'Oh what shall I do? Where shall I go?' wailed the grasshopper. Suddenly he remembered the ant. 'Ah - I shall go to the ant and ask her for food and shelter!' declared the grasshopper, perking up. So off he went to the ant's house and knocked at her door. 'Hello ant!' he cried cheerfully. 'Here I am, to sing for you, as I warm myself by your fire, while you get me some food from that larder of yours!'

The ant looked at the grasshopper and said, 'All summer long I worked hard while you made fun of me, and sang and danced. You should have thought of winter then! Find somewhere else to sing, grasshopper! There is no warmth or food for you here!' And the ant shut the door in the grasshopper's face.

It is wise to worry about tomorrow today.

That was then... Today even if the ant has done everything right, I.E. saved money, invested appropriately, never living beyond her means but the ant makes more than $250,000.00 she is required to bear the burden of feeding all the lazy @ss grasshoppers...

Aesop's Fable reprinted from Long Long Time Ago

Get your money for nothin get your chicks for free....

Have a great week everyone!