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Gas this morning is averaging $2.846 across Michigan. Here in southwest Michigan I filled up for $2.68 over the weekend. I have seen prices anywhere from $2.67 to $2.78. The average price of regular unleaded in Michigan one year ago was $2.269.
Gas prices courtesy of AAA's Fuel Gauge Report
I just read an interesting article from the Dowagiac Daily News about the recent population boom of raccoons here in southwest Michigan. I have seen the increase firsthand this year with our garden constantly being attacked and damaged by raccoons either searching for grubs or just bent on destruction. They broke one of our tomato plants, ripped up a row of green beans, and devoured or smashed our first wave of strawberries. We have always had problems from time to time with raccoons, but this summer is different. They just seem to have greatly increased numbers this year and not enough of them are getting hit in the road.
The problem with raccoons when they become too numerous (in addition to being a nuisance to gardeners) is the transmittal of disease. Most notably is distemper which can be passed to pets. The nastiest threat is raccoon roundworm which can be passed to pets, birds, and even humans. It is transmitted through the worm eggs which are found in the raccoon feces.
If you see raccoon feces anywhere in your yard or where kids are known to play you must get rid of it to prevent the transmission of disease. I found a pile of coon poo in our yard and just dug up the grass underneath the pile to make sure that everything was as clean as possible.
Raccoons are disease carrying garbage pickers and should never be kept as pets. The only good thing about raccoons becoming overpopulated is that they tend to die off in large numbers as various diseases rage throughout their population. It is just part of the circle of life and the checks and balances necessary for a healthy environment.
This morning's Detroit News has an in-depth article about the man behind the campaign for Michigan's next Governor, Dick DeVos. The article lets readers get to know about DeVos from his early childhood to the present. It is nice to get some background information on him, but if you want to know what his campaign is about you should check out his Michigan Turnaround Plan. The plan is in PDF format and is about just under 10 MB. I haven't had the time to read and digest it just yet. It is 39 pages long, so I guess I will read it over the weekend and post my thoughts this Monday.
My favorite quote from the Detroit News article is this one -
Asked for the bedrock principal that explains why he's running for governor, the former Boy Scout and Scout leader said: "I believe the Boy Scout idea that you leave the campsite better than you found it."
I wrote something similar in the comments of another post earlier this week in response to saying that Dick DeVos was not qualified to be Governor of Michigan. My comment was this -
"Well, whomever is elected Governor in November will be in charge of a state that is not really any better off than when John Engler left us in this mess four years ago. We still need someone with innovative and unconventional methods to shake Michigan out of its economic doldrums."
Saturday's Detroit News will feature "a closer look at DeVos' experience at Alticor, formerly Amway, and his family's wealth."
Fred Rydholm is a local historian up in Marquette. He has written a few Michigan-related books in the past, but his newest one will contradict what most of us have been taught about history. His new book is entitled "Michigan Copper - The Untold Story.†As a boy he saw the ancient copper mines on Isle Royal and wondered where the 10 - 15 million pounds of copper went that was mined in ancient times. Rydholm thoroughly researched this question until he came to the conclusion that Europeans were here before Columbus' "discovery" and had mined the copper for trade.
Fred Rydholm has come across numerous unexplainable findings across Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Some of which were dolmens located atop Mount Huron and other mountains along Lake Superior that follow ancient canoe routes. Stone tablets with strange characters and writing on them were found in Newberry and in the Escanaba river. Such findings led Rydholm to dig deeper into the copper mystery and arrive at his conclusions.
Rydholm's other book is “Superior Heartland — a backwoods history†which is an Upper Peninsula history that took two volumes to tell. I would very much like to find those books in addition to his current one, "Michigan Copper - The Untold Story." All of the Michigan history books I have read really don't tell much about the history of our Upper Peninsula (which is a shame) so my knowledge has been limited.
You can read all about Fred Rydholm's newest book at The Mining Journal.
Today, June 21, marks the first day of summer (officially). This is the longest day of the year (as far as daylight hours go) so you better get out there and enjoy it :). Looking for something to do? Head on over to the Travel Michigan website for lists upon lists of things to do and see. Look under the Events tab and search by month to see what might be going on in your area today and this weekend.
Contrary to what a lot of small town citizens might think, Wal-Mart does not crush thriving local businesses. Wal-Mart and other Big Box retailers carry the stigma of being small business killers in every town they set up shop. Wal-Mart merely exposes fatal flaws in the businesses that go under when the "big boys" come to town. Any small business that is going to thrive under any circumstances must serve a niche and offer knowledgeable service that the mega-retailers never will. Recently a Home Cheapo (or Depot if you prefer) came to Three Rivers. I rarely go in there and can even more rarely find what I need or a salesperson that can help me.
Case in point, a couple of weeks ago my brother-in-law had a plumbing emergency and I suggested he go to the local hardware store in White Pigeon instead of Home Cheapo. My reasoning came from my personal experience of always receiving helpful and knowledgeable service at the local White Pigeon hardware store. Well, he went to Home Cheapo and wasted his time trying to get all of the fittings he needed and having a clueless salesperson that was no help whatsoever.
He then went to the White Pigeon hardware store and received knowledgeable and friendly service as soon as he walked in the door. They might not have the cheapest prices (actually, their prices are quite competitive considering the gas you waste driving to bigger stores), but they find what you need quick and even offer tips and suggestions on installation.
On a side note, every man knows that barber shops and hardware stores are the best places to stay up-to-date on the local community news and happenings. I suggest that whenever you are new to a town you should stop by the local hardware store or barber shop to find out what a town is all about.
Now, back to my opinions. The other thing that small businesses offer (I'll keep using the hardware store example, but this really translates across the board to all kinds of businesses) is a smaller selection. What, a smaller selection is a good thing? Well, yes it is.
The White Pigeon hardware store carries less products, but the key is that they carry the essential products without all the extras that Home Cheapo carries like lawn mowers, grills, patio furniture, etc. They have a far larger selection of plumbing, electric, and hardware supplies than Home Cheapo because that is their niche. They don't try to have a little bit of everything like the big box store.
Does anyone like having to go up and down every isle of a huge store trying to find one little product? I sure don't.
So, now we have the keys to beating Wal-Mart and the other chain retailers. Product selection, service, and serving a niche. If your small business does those three things you will never have to worry about Wal-Mart putting you out of business.
Just my $.02 for today :)