We’re going to leave this for a bit and let Eddie meditate on the advantages of new aprons and hedgeclippers. But without giving away the balance of the storyline (to be resumed in the spring), a few small thoughts about money…

Yep. money is great, no two ways about it. It’s certainly far better to have it than to not, and yet the question sometimes looms: when is enough enough? I read stories about these mega-millionaire celebrities and politicians and their 85-room houses and oversized yachts that destroy coral reefs simply by existing… and I wonder: is all that cash really giving these people any satisfaction whatsoever?

I”m kinda guessing not, given the sometimes lunatic way they spend it. A gold plated Mazeratti sounds great in concept, but how many times do you drive it before you realize that maybe it wasnt quite as cool as you thought it would be?

Thornton Wilder has a great line about this in his play, “The Matchmaker”: “Money — if you’ll pardon the expression — is like manure. It’s not worth a damn unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow.” And of course it’s true/ It has nothing to do with “the redistribution of wealth” or any of that other nonsense… just that when you have more of something than you can possibly use, what’s the point of hoarding more?

So my suggestion to all twelve of you reading this: go out today and buy something for someone. Doesnt have to have a reason, doesnt have to be a big lavish expense… just something that reaffirms that you value that person as a friend or a co-worker or just a fellow human being. You’ll feel better about doing so, and they’ll feel better about themselves in the process for knowing you. Win/win all around.

OK, some lighter fare over the next few days, then…. well, we’ll see………