Columns/Opinions

   I know I’ve got a lot of opinions on the weather and I’m sure you’ve heard them all.
   However, I’m really annoyed at the sheer number of people that got snow last Sunday.
   My sister sent dozens of photos and video clips to use of how “cute” everything looked in Bryan with pristine snowfall on the ground.
   My brother David said that none of it stuck to the ground In the Dallas area, so, at least he knows some semblance of my annoyance.
   Though, to be fair, I’d have preferred to at least see snow falling rather than wading through puddles of chilling rain water before heading out to run errands and work.
   Granted that it’s also just really the start of our “winter” season, I’m certainly holding out hope to get snow in our area before it’s all over with.
   That means I’m keeping my fingers crossed as much as possible!
   I suppose in the end, so long as our heater is still working, I’ll be grateful regardless.

   The year began with a bang setting new record highs for the averages and indexes. 
   I would say that I see more good news on the horizon. 
   After presidential elections there often is a rise in the stock market as optimism is high. 
   I would think this trend certainly could happen this time, but I have a problem with the longer term horizon. 
   There will be more spending to assist those economically distressed due to the pandemic. We have spent trillions of dollars to date and will spend more. 
   We will raise taxes to pay for these expenditures, but I doubt the national debt will be reduced. There also is a building opinion the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates that will increase the cost of repaying the debt. 
   At least if interest rates go up they will still be historically low. 
   My concern is whether raising rates will put the brakes on the economy.

   If you’re getting close to retirement, you’ll have several financial issues to consider.
   But you’ll want to pay special attention to one of the most important of these: health-care costs.
   What should you do to prepare yourself for these expenses?
   Here’s one key move: Don’t overestimate the amount that Medicare will pay for your various medical expenses, as Medicare doesn’t cover everything.
   Between copays, deductibles and coinsurance, you’ll face out-of-pocket costs.
   Plus, you may need to add a supplemental policy, known as Medigap.
   Ultimately, you may need to budget between $4,500 to $6,500 per year for traditional medical expenses in retirement.
   But you should also be aware that Medicare typically pays very little of what may be the largest health care expense - long-term care.
   A private room in a nursing home can cost more than $100,000 per year, according to Genworth, an insurance company.

   This “Sherri” story began in 2018. I shared her proactive journey to beat cancer in my column back then. 
   A local friend, with family history of breast cancer, was touched by Sherri’s brave move and sought her own genetic testing. 
   She is moving forward, thanks to Sherri. 
   For Sherri, I wish it was over; however, her battle has not yet been won. Please pray for her. 
   I begin this week’s column by recapping her brave step of prevention from 2018. 
   My friend Sherri sent me a picture of her new haircut. She is 55. 
   We met at Spice Village last year in Waco because she needed to talk. I needed to shop. 
   She lives in Horseshoe Bay. Her mother beat breast cancer. Sherri was brave, like many women I know, and voluntarily endured the BRCA2 tests. 

   Do you have to make a New Year’s Resolution before New Year’s? Perhaps that is true, but I believe this is still important to make a goal even if it is January already. 
   By the end of this column I would like you to write three goals. These can be goals you want to do this year. I believe it is not too late to start a New Year’s goal. 
   John Maxwell said, “A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” What are you passionate about? 
   Whenever we see a need for something, we should see opportunity. This can be God using us.
   Say this aloud, under your breath, I want a vision from God. 
   When we seek God, we will find Him. When you seek the Lord, He will guide you. You may say that you aren’t sure what God wants you to do this year. 

   It’s slim pickings at the theater again and I did a little research on the movies offered locally and settled on “Shadow in the Cloud.”
   Now, the storyline is pretty weak and seems entirely too weak to matter, but, I’m here for any flick with a monster based in military superstition.
   Though, I’ll also admit that my knowledge of “gremlins” depends largely on a series of the same name and an antique Looney Tunes cartoon.
   Outside of that, it’s just a quick Google search and I’m gotten a grasp on the history of gremlins that started in the 1920s during World War I and were reoccurring in WWII. 
   Gremlins are basically known as mischievous and destructive creatures that sabotage aircraft.
   Shadow in the Cloud is a fantasy adventure action film directed by Roseanne Liang, from a screenplay by Liang and Max Landis. 
   It stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Taylor John Smith, Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale, Benedict Wall, and Callan Mulvey. 

   Happy New Year! I hope you all were able to enjoy the holidays, get some rest, and (safely) spend time with family & friends. 
   It’s a new year filled with the promise of new opportunities, and I am excited to get started. 
   As we all get back into the swing of things, let’s take a look at some of things I am hoping to accomplish and do in Matagorda County this year.
   Last year, I was lucky enough to team up with a friend and colleague in Texas Parks & Wildlife and help further the research done on black gill in shrimp. 
   For 2021, the goal is to continue to further support this research and provide education regarding the parasite. 
   Speaking of shrimp, I got to eat plenty of it in 2020 and I don’t plan to stop now! 
   Maybe you were able to catch the short cooking videos I posted on the Matagorda County - Coastal & Marine Resources Facebook page and Instagram account (@matagordacountycmr). 

   I was out of the house on my daily walk around our six acres before I realized my mistake.
   I truly was at the farthest point of our property from the house when I felt the first mosquito bite or puncture, as the case may be.
   During the summer I usually have cans of mosquito spray at the ready.
   But it was a beautiful, pleasant day in the high 60s - just perfect for the insect to make its appearance.
   Earlier that day, I had a friend describe the snow fall in Kerrville, which was on the eastern edge of the massive system that recently covered West Texas.
   They got snow and we got loads of rain out of the same system.
   Our front yard still has pools of water from last week and there’s low points where the water is right below the surface.
   When I stepped on a rain-sodden ground that sent my shoes halfway into the earth that caught me by surprise, I felt the familiar stab.

   I know it’s a tradition to make a list of resolutions for each New Year, but I can’t recall being able to get past maybe four items and then forgetting about them by the second week in January. 
   Friends of mine have shared some of theirs on Facebook for the past week and they seem pretty easy this year. 
   No one is giving outrageous goals a try this year and I completely understand why. 
   After all, we had big dreams and plans for 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic just ruined a lot of that. 
   This year, it seems more like people are turning to the little things like personal growth at a manageable level or working on things that are within reach. 
   The virus still holds so much sway over our lives that it should give most people pause to think critically and thoroughly before making life-altering commitments. 

   We made it into 2021 and guess what?
It is not different this time. 
   Right off the bat, the various indexes and averages gave back ground. 
   Crypto currencies did the same thing. What appears to be happening is much similar to what happened in 2000. 
   You have a whole host of new players that did nothing but make money this year in the market after last March. 
   You literally could throw money at FANG stocks and doubled your money or more. 
   People were treating the equities market as a another form of gambling where you only win and with interest rates at zero it would go on forever. 
   We haven’t been here before with this type of stimulus from the Fed. 
   It will continue to until the Fed raises rates. The theory that the Fed is trapped and can’t raise rates is seriously silly.