November 1

Welcome to November. Our first frost came at the same time as our first snow. I think we did get the forecast 2-3 inches. Looking out over the "winter wonderland" (but it is still fall, I protest) and a line from the Gordon Lightfoot song "The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald": the witch of November comes stealin'. I have watched the small birds gorging themselves at our feeder and wondered how the winter will go. I just filled the feeder--again.

So--they are calling it "pharmageddon" as pharmacy workers at Walgreens and CVS have gone on strike walk-outs. The issue isn't pay as it was with the UAW strikes. It's working conditions: too few people and too much work for the people scheduled. The morning commentators went on for a long time about their experiences and those of people they know waiting at the pharmacy counters for long times and often having to return because an expected prescription hadn't yet been filled. We went to put in a request for a refill of one of Mom's medications. We didn't have to wait long for the pharmacy clerk to take in the order and check it the particulars. However, the clerk hesitated when Mom asked how long we would have to wait for it to be filled, suggesting that it would take a couple of hours. Since we had another stop on our errands round, one where we liked to gossip a bit, we told her we would stop by on our way home. It was well passed the two hours when we got back. The prescription had been filled but not yet filed. The talking heads noted something I have mentioned: the over-riding concern of any corporation is profit and they are all squeezing every hundredth of a penny out of every aspect of their business, especially from labor.

 A story yesterday noted that a new minimum wage law for fast food workers in California will provide a more livable wage for some low wage workers and the various fast food companies said they were going to have to raise prices by a whopping amount to remain profitable. People often say we have a win-lose economy. I wonder if we actually have a lose-slowly vs lose(just more slowly) economy. The first group gain a bit immediately but lose as inflation eats away at their gains (they lose slowly). The second can raise prices for a while but only so long as their customers can pay the higher prices but each time the price goes up they lose more customers (they lose more slowly that employees do).

I found this just a bit ago. I didn't know about the "witch storms" but evidently Lightfoot was referring to a recognized, defined weather phenomenon.