Heres and Theres

Wednesday, early afternoon. We've just sent the septic tank cleaning guy away with a $165 check and learned that we've got a crack in the pipe that runs into the tank. So I'm paying Italo--who is doing his college work and soccer but has no job at the moment--to dig it up and let's find out what's what. So he'll make money, I'll save no a plumber, have the fun of going to buy and then install a new pipe. So I guess everybody's happy.
But I'll tell you, I'm getting tired of these plumbing problems: I paid to have every pipe in the house but that one changed out in December, along with a septic cleaning and here we're doing it again. But with all water in the house turned off, it's still coming into the tank--which means a tree root or large gopher cracked a hole in it and with the rain we've had, a lot lot lot of rain, well, I guess it's too much for our little tank to deal with. I'll be happy when it's done.
Last years pipe leaks, the ones that pushed me to get a new hot water heater and change all the pipes, were so bad they shifted the cinderblocks under the house and sort of make the floor tilt a bit on either side of the upheaval. Ah well, it's only a house and not meant to be perfect.
Then lately, because some people who owe me can't pay me, I took a gamble in the stock market, something I've only done once before at the urging of a friend who promptly lost me nearly all of my small investment. That was 7 years ago. This time I decided to go with Ford and bought it at $2.12 then sold it at $4.35. I looked into Pier One, a store I buy Christmas gifts from, and then bought that for $0.45 cents a share and sold it at $2.12. So I got lucky and earned a very quick $4 grand and shouldn't have sold when I did (I would be up another $2gs if I held on another week, till today, but needed the mortgage and couldn't risk losing anything.
Now I've got 20,000 shares of stock in a company that makes industrial strength cleaning products that are environmentally positive and quickly biodegradable. At least that's what they tout. I paid $0.0045 each, so the 20,000 only cost $90. If it goes up one penny I make $200 and I'm hoping it takes off and goes to a buck a share. That would be completely unfair of me to make that much money but the fantasy has that $20grand going to a fine expedition in Peru. And I've got two auto parts makers (guys who do those interior lights and switches that last for years) that cost six and 17 cents a share. I mean, having taken out the two stocks I actually bet the mortgage on, I'm not selling these babies that cost a total of less than $300.
So I got very lucky. Thank you, universe. I appreciate it a lot.
And you know what else? I finally know what those guys who buy and sell stocks do. I mean, I've spent a lot of time since I bought the Ford and Pier One stocks three weeks ago looking at how this is done and realize that for people who play the market, a lot is based on hunch and then a lot is based on being willing to watch the stock go up and down and picking a spot on either side that you're going to quit at. Like I bought the ford for $2.12. I said I'd sell it if it went below $2 and wouldn't sell it till it hit $5. Of course I panicked when it went over $4 and then sold it, but still more than doubled my investment.
Anyway, it's been one heck of a learning experience and hopefully has broadened my understanding of economics, at least on that level. But now that the bills are paid it's time to get back to a couple of writing contracts, so I don't think I'll do this anymore. Except for those penny stocks....wouldn't that be nice to watch a 1/2 cent investment in an environmentally positive product zoom to a buck or two...20,000 times.
Now, back to the backed up (pardon me) shit hole we call a septic system.