How "The Other Half" Lives

If you want to be wealthy, take a look at what wealthy people do to stay wealthy.









The Family Wealth book profiled in the One Percent documentary can be found here.

US History: Are We There Yet?

We are still feeling the effects of the housing collapse in 2007-2008.  While a lot of new housing is going up, it's targeted towards those who have the means to afford the higher prices - whether it's a house or an apartment.

A Great Reminder For The Rest of Us

World History - King George VI

Family History During The Depression

I came from blue collar roots, and still consider myself to be blue collar now.

My Mother was born in 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio during the depression.

My Father was born on a tobacco farm in Jonesboro Tennessee in 1932.

Neither had money, but worked and sacrificed in order to provide a good home for us kids.

We didn't do home movies, but the family sure did pictures.  Here are just a few.

Henry Earl Robinson - Mother's Father, with Frances Isabelle Kersey - Mother's Mother.  He died his hair black to make him look younger, but he was old enough to be her father.  Grandma left behind a home with the means to survive the depression (her father buried money in pickle jars in the back yard because he didn't trust the banks) to marry a man she felt sorry for - and lived with a dress and a full slip to switch out.  That was it.  In her previous life, she had a closet full of clothes.

Mom was born in a rough shack of a house in Cincinnati.  This was while my grandparents were newly married and he still provided for the kids.  By the time the youngest, Eddie, came along, he had left Grandma to provide for herself and four children during the depression.

My Father, Charles Sells, as a kid in Tennessee.  They were blessed with farm land to plant and grow their own food.  My Mother faced starvation in the city.

The only way for my Father (and for many men during that time) was to go into the military to get away from the farm and learn a new skill.

The way for my Mother to get away from the rat trap housing projects forced on the family by welfare was to marry young.  Mom was about to start her senior year of high school when she and Dad married.

They were a team and life partners to the end.  Here they are at my ASU graduation in December, 1999.

Breakfast For Dinner

I won't go into the kind of month I've had, but I will say thank you to Cracker Barrel for the great food, great service and a place to get away from the craziness that has become my life right now.  They have the best French Toast I've found anywhere.

Moving Forward After Loss

Personality In Home Decor