Archives

With the world shut down by the Coronavirus and travel simply a fond recollection from the past, it is an ideal time to let your imagination run wild and virtually visit some of the most beautiful regions of the world by way of a wine glass. Wine not? Wine is produced all over the world and a bottle of finely made wine is meant to reflect the soil from which it sprang.

A well made wine will enable a skilled taster to identify innumerable factors about it, including the hemisphere in which the grapes were grown, the climate of the region, the soil type, the plants that grew nearby, and in some cases, the name of the actual vineyard itself. Magic? No, just years of tasting a lot of wine. As they say, the nose knows, and the palate reveals.

Now to be clear, no wine professional will have anything of value to say about a cheap, mass-produced wine.  I have friends who will often present me with a glass of mystery wine and eagerly await me to wax poetic about its many virtues.  They are usually disappointed when I fail to dredge up more than just a few positive notes about its eminent quaffability and value for money. This is a good reason to go out on a limb and buy a bottle that costs more than $10.  

A wine that is made with care will reflect that care in every mouthful. True winemakers are artists. As a painter might, winemakers have an idea in their minds of what they want to create before they even begin. Choosing the grapes is crucial, like selecting the colors with which to paint. Nothing can save a painting created with cheap pigments just as nothing can save a wine created with cheap grapes.

It is said in the wine world that bad wine can be made with good grapes but good wine cannot be made with bad grapes. Everything comes down to the quality of the grapes. Areas like Napa, for instance, sell grapes to independent wine producers for sky-high prices.  You may wonder why anyone would buy such expensive grapes when cheaper ones can be bought just down the road. The secret is in the soil.

They say there’s nothing like Napa’s “Rutherford dust” and indeed the grapes grown on that vaunted soil produce some of the finest wines in the world. The price of the fruit is high for a reason. The grapes come with a pedigree. The winemaker knows he or she must do precious little to produce a wine of stellar quality.

Often wine making is a question of manipulation. It is widely agreed that the less done to a wine, the better. Crush the grapes, ferment the juice, put it in good oak barrels, and let time do the heavy lifting. When the grapes are good, there is little else that needs doing. When the grapes are not so good, the challenges begin.

Many winemakers without the cash to buy pricey grapes buy cheaply grown, low quality grapes and try to create something of value. More often than not, they fail, but they really should be given credit for ingenuity. So much can be done to try to reproduce the flavor of a quality wine!

To achieve an oaky flavor without purchasing new oak barrels, inventive winemakers will add oak staves or oak chips to their wine. To add a vanilla flavor to the wine, winemakers may actually add vanilla essence or flavoring. To raise the alcohol content, winemakers will add sugar. So much can be done with artificial flavors and colors to manipulate a wine into…something it is not.

In the end, such efforts are truly in vain.  Wine professionals are rarely if ever fooled by such tricks and it’s all that an enterprising winemaker can do to bottle their wine inventively with a clever label and try to sell it off as quickly as possible. You, as the consumer, must simply be wise enough not to buy it.

I can offer you a few tips to avoid disappointment. Don’t buy a wine for the label. Cute labels are a dime a dozen and usually mask a cheap wine. Seek out wines from specific vineyards or celebrated wine-producing areas of the world. Look for names of grapes and regions you can’t pronounce. Be brave! Think of this as a wine adventure.

If the label talks about a family history of wine making, you are on the right track. If the label talks about a specific winemaker and his or her goals, all is well in the world! No one is going to put their name on a bottle of cheap swill.

 You can spend hundreds of dollars on your purchase or very little indeed. Truly, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good bottle of wine. Excellent wine from around the world can be had for less than $20. You just have to do a little sleuthing to seek out the good ones.

 Happy hunting! And cheers!

Long ago in days of old, and very much so today, there has always been, and still is, one gift given between indigenous souls—a gift that stands highest amongst all others. It is a gift of love, a gift of life, a gift of much appreciation for the recipient’s mere existence. The gift that I speak of is a gift that is meant to endure as well as protect—it is the gift of, the “native blanket.”

This most prominent gift, is usually given to one at birth. It is meant to bring one’s soul and spirit closer, not only to the creator, Father Sky, but most importantly, Mother Earth. Ideally the native blanket is handmade. It provides warmth, comfort, love and, shade—shade from any bad mojo or spirits who are angry and not easily swayed.

The native blanket has special meaning amongst all of the 573 registered tribes of America today. It is has had a special meaning for many moons and many suns ago, from way “back in the day.” Being a Native American from the Great American Southwest, I know and have seen firsthand, the look of joy and endearment on one’s face when given a handmade native blanket as a gift later in life.

And whether by design or not, the native blanket provides warmth on cold winter nights in the desert, and adds comfort as bedding when it is hot.

Oh, what a gift the native blanket is, not just for the newborn, but anytime in one’s life. If for nothing else, it is a symbolic message of love, faith and family.

What a precious gift, the Native Blanket truly is!

Serious money should be seriously invested.  Having a set of factors to consider when investing in stocks is part of the serious endeavor of investing.  A rules-based investment approach will help you remain invested in volatile markets, control your emotions and reduce your chances of large losses.  In this month’s Investor’s Edge column, I want to share with you a list of factors you should consider when evaluating stock investments.

It all starts with knowing your risk tolerance.  There is no investment without risk.  With frequent wide swings in stock prices, stock investments are certainly not without risk.  So, consider your ability and willingness to live with the ups and downs of stocks.  One way is to quantify risk.  I recommend doing this by asking yourself what number you are on a risk scale of 0 to 10.  With this risk scale in mind, assign a 6 to the S&P 500 – a major U.S. stock market index.  Are you willing to take more risk than the “market basket”, or less?  You may be a 7 or greater.  You may be a 5 or less.  There is no right or wrong number. 

Consider time.  What is your investment time horizon?  Long-term? Short-term?  One proven axiom is “It is time in the market, not market timing that makes successful investors.”  Time is essential to recover from prolonged down markets.  For example, after the Nasdaq index peaked in March of 2000, it began a long, steep fall that didn’t bottom until October of 2002.  It did not climb back to its’ 2000 high until March of 2015 – a long time to wait just to get back to even. 

It is also important to know your investment objectives.  Consider your “why” for investing in stocks.  It may be for current investment income or future financial needs such as your kid’s college or your retirement.  This consideration should help you determine which stocks are most suitable for you (and which are not).  You may seek high dividend stocks, or growth stocks that offer great appreciation potential and do not pay dividends.

Now, let’s talk about how to evaluate stocks you may want to invest in and what to consider before selling them.  Just buy low and sell high, right?  It’s not that easy.  The two main schools of thought on buying and selling stocks are FUNDAMENTAL analysis and TECHNICAL analysis.  While volumes have been written about these two methodologies, and I have spent decades studying them, I will try to sum them up here.  First, technical analysis.  Think of this stock selection technique as the study of the supply and demand for a stock.  This is accomplished through the analysis of a stock chart.  This picture of a stock gives you valuable insight of price and volume behavior for a stock.  From analyzing the historical price and volume trends and patterns, you are able to derive a sense of the future price direction of a stock.  As your “chart reading” skills improve, technical analysis will give you reliable indicators as to when to buy or sell a stock you are evaluating.  Famous technician, William O’Neil once said, “The whole secret to winning and losing in the stock market is to lose the least amount possible when you’re not right.”  Technical analysis helped him do that.  On the other hand, there is fundamental analysis.  This method of evaluating stocks takes into consideration a broad view of the financial health of a company.  It is a study of financial statements such as balance sheets and income statements for the purpose of determining key ratios and metrics.  The most common is the price-to-earnings ratio (P/E).  I also recommend focusing on sales (revenues), return on equity and profit margins.  Debt ratios should be considered.  Cash flow and book value are two more fundamental criteria to consider.  Earnings and dividend stability should be evaluated.  The macro nature of fundamental analysis includes knowing a company’s management and awareness of competition for its product or service market share.  This stock analysis approach follows the way of Warren Buffet, which is to “buy stocks at bargain-basement prices and hold them patiently.”  These time-tested, proven stock selection methods have sparked many a debate as to which is better.  I think the winner is both.  You will find it invaluable to have a sense of supply and demand for a stock as well as to know if it is financially sound or not.  You get both when blending technical and fundamental analysis when analyzing stocks.  Together they will help you make prudent and timely decisions, whether you are buying or selling stocks.

I hope this helps.  While the stock market offers attractive investment return potential, it is not for everyone.  Know yourself.  If stocks are right for you, be disciplined.  Your rules-based approach will reduce the emotional swings that market moves like the current coronavirus stock market cycle can cause.

Rarely,  in the 20^th century, was there a self-taught, virtuoso pianist, who became a creative composer of popular songs, Broadway shows, composer of serious symphonic music, and a black folk opera that blended jazz seamlessly into the fabric of his classical style concert hall music.  That man was George Gershwin!

Gershwin was born in 1898, into a poor Russian-Jewish family in the lower east side of New York City. His Father, Morris, a skilled leather worker, had quite a few questionable business ventures. His Mother, Rose (Bruskin), was considered a real beauty; described by her son George as nervous, ambitious, and purposeful.

Rose was not supportive of her son’s interest in music and was quick to criticize her children when they disappointed her. Rose and Morris fell in love in Russia but had to wait until they emigrated to America to be married in 1895.  A year later they had their first child, Israel. He became known as, Isadore or Izzy, and finally Ira. 

            Gershwin was not scholarly like his brother Ira but was rather hyperactive and mischievous. His interest in music was peaked when the family acquired a piano. He could pick out tunes readily and soon became quite adept at the keyboard He taught himself to play music he heard in his local, environment.

Schooling was not for Gershwin, like it was for Ira. He apparently ran wild on the streets of New Your City. Even so, he continued his self-taught regimen and even took a few lessons in piano technique and music theory.

His mother arranged for her young son to have a regular, respected teacher. Eventually Charles Hambitzer became, his music teacher and he was a great influence on young Gershwin’s life. He called Gershwin a genius and said he would become “a very special” musician and composer. He gave him a firm foundation in the classics before venturing into more modern music. 

In 1913 he got his first real job in music in the Catskills Mountains, or the “Borscht Belt,” as a relief pianist. He made $5 a week.  At this point, because he could make money, Gershwin’s father allowed him to eventually quit school and become a musician.

In 1914, Gershwin left the High School of Commerce in New York, and never went back. His life now was all music. He went to work at Romick’s, purveyor of sheet music, in Tin Pan Alley, for $15 a week. The pianist played and sung the songs sold by the publisher. Gershwin often embellished the songs that put him in disfavor with his employer. He wanted to use his own songs and was told not to do it.

Around 1915 he started to write many of his own songs. He also moonlighted in New Jersey playing music that was produced into piano rolls. He eventually disagreed with Remick’s so much, he quit.

By 1916 he had his first published song, sold his first instrumental piece, and had his first musical theater experience.  At the young age of 17 he was definitely on his way to eventual fame and fortune.

In the era of the middle teens (1914-1920) Gershwin was a contemporary with composers Jerome Kern (1885-1945) and Irving Berlin (1888-1989). Both men were around 10 years Gershwin senior. Established composers would often need extra songs to “fill in the gaps.” This was a unique opportunity for young composers, like Gershwin, to have one of their songs inserted in a Broadway show. This, of course, drew attention to them and they also gained valuable experience in the Broadway Musical milieu.

During the rest of the teens Gershwin found work and continued studying the piano and music theory. He worked in Vaudeville and was a vocal coach and pianist on a new show called, “Miss 1917.” The music was by Victor Herbert and Jerome Kern. The producer of the show was Florenz Ziegfeld. The show was not successful, but the people Gershwin met, and with whom he worked, were an important element in his future theatrical experiences. Kern said,” He would help (Gershwin) whenever he was ready to write his own show,” wrote Ruth Leon, in her book, Gershwin.

Max Dreyfus became a lifelong colleague and publisher for almost all of Gershwin’s musical output. It is reported that together, Dreyfus and Gershwin made millions from the published works and other musical endeavors. After Gershwin’s death, Dreyfus noted “A man with Gershwin’s talent did not need anybody to push him ahead – his talent did all the pushing.”

One particular song Swanee, had a meteoric following and achieved worldwide acclaim in 1919.Gershwin was only 21 years old when he wrote it. Al Jolson heard the song and took an immediate liking to it. Jolson sang Swanee in The Jazz Singer, the first “Talkie” Movie ever made. This increased Gershwin’s fame and popularity.  Jolson included it in his show and recorded the song that increased exposure to it and became one of his biggest hits.

Dreyfus said that Jolson was,” The most successful of all singers and the song was the hit of hits.” The recording and the sheet music sold in the millions. Gershwin would never be poor or destitute again.

Gershwin’s musical output was truly phenomenal, considering his tragically short life. He wrote, Strike Up The Band and 27 other Broadway shows, The Scandals of 1921, 22,and 23, four musicals, one opera, Porgy & Bess, 20 works for concert halls, including the most famous one – Rhapsody In Blue in 1924. He wrote Concerto in F, in 1925, An American In Paris in 1928, and almost 400 popular and endearing songs that are still in vogue today.

The story of Rhapsody in Blue and how it came about, is intriguing but not too well known. In 1924. Band leader, Paul Whiteman, (1891-1967) an aficionado of symphonic jazz, wanted to have a concert called Experiment in American Music. He commissioned Gershwin to write a piece for the concert.  He, and other composers who submitted selections, were judged by a panel of luminaries in the music world.

Gershwin decided the piece would not be a concerto, but a rhapsody. A rhapsody is a free style composition usually in one movement. Whitman wanted Gershwin to be the piano soloist. Leon describes the rhapsody as, “A composition of sheer joy, full of juice, fun and sexual hi-jinxs.” Remarkably, it was written in three weeks and orchestrated by Ferde Grofe, Whiteman’s arranger.

Gershwin had little experience arranging for orchestral instruments. After the piece was played the tumultuous roar of the crowd was ear splitting as they expressed their genuine approval. Gershwin had become an icon and a star. It was considered an artistic endeavor to be remembered.

A year later a second concert piece was premiered. the Concerto in F. Again, with Gershwin playing the piano part. This concerto used jazz techniques with traditional forms. It has fast and slow movements, and a fast finale. Ethan Mordden, in his book, A Guide to Orchestral Music, describes the concerto, “It’s rude freshness, it’s urchin’s energy, it’s happy neglect of technique and it’s novelty – make it, not a failed classical concerto, but a classical concerto.” Gershwin successfully de-classified, “it’s its own master.”

The concerto composition involved more rigorous challenges for the orchestra than it did for the rhapsody. Some of the rhythms are more complex and some have unusual harmonies.

On a trip to Paris, Gershwin wanted to find a teacher for a few composition lessons. He approached Maurice Ravel, who turned him down claiming, “it would probably cause him to write bad Ravel.”

Gershwin talked with Stravinsky and the great composer asked him how much he earned last year? Gershwin said, $100,000. Stravinsky replied, “then perhaps I ought to study with you!”

Gershwin wanted to study for awhile with the great French teacher, Nadia Boulanger. She taught many American composers, including Aaron Copland. However, she also turned Gershwin down as she felt there was little she could teach him.

Two outstanding examples of his creative genius are, An American In Paris in 1928 and the opera, Porgy and Bess in 1933 to 1935. In Gershwin’s own words, “My purpose is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris. He strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere.”  He looked for and found a Paris taxi horn to help portray the individual character to his new piece.

Porgy & Bess, described as a ‘Black folk opera,’ was a smashing success. The setting is around Charleston, South Carolina. The songs and speech of the local black community were prominently present in the production. Memorable songs from the opera are: Summertime and I Got Plenty of Nuttin, among many others.

His brother, Ira, was the inspired writer of the lyrics of almost all Gershwin songs from 1924. His contributions to the success and popularity of their music is legendary.

For years to come, The Gershwin Brothers, will be remembered for the unbelievable treasure of songs they left for the world to enjoy. The Broadway shows and hit songs will undoubtedly be remembered as being their finest and most popular contributions to 20^th century music. There was no one like them!

Q. My roses are doing reasonably well, but some of the stems are very long and leggy. I prefer that the plants be bushier. Am I pruning them wrong? 

A. I wouldn’t say you’re pruning them wrong. You need to prune the bushes a bit more aggressively after each flush of flowers. But first, you need to identify whether or not the long canes are part of the desired variety or rogue or sucker growth. Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora, and Floribunda varieties are budded onto a second variety called the rootstock. It’s typical for roses to produce rogue or sucker growth. These are shoots that develop below the bud union or off the surface roots. The bud union is the knot-like structure found at the base of the bush. These are vigorous shoots that grow rapidly into long, leggy branches. Another characteristic of this growth is that they produce small, cherry red flowers. This growth is eliminated while the other shoots are pruned back.

Many rose pruning books will instruct you to prune back to the second set of five leaves. I tend to ignore this point and prune to shape the bushes, especially the sides, so the plants don’t merge into one another. We do tend to plant our roses a bit to close too one another. The top is then lowered to control and prevent them from growing too tall. This should be a standard practice throughout the growing season when you remove the spent flowers. Also, you want to make your cut where there is an outside bud. All the buds are located in the area where the leaf blade attaches to the stem. At this time of the year, don’t want to leave the plant void of leaves, as the green stems will burn in the afternoon sun.

It would be best if you continued to feed your plants with Dr. Earth Rose Food or similar fertilizer right through the fall. They should be watered the day before fertilizing and immediately afterward to prevent fertilizer burn. It’s not too late to mulch your plants to conserve moisture, as there are plenty more warm days ahead. A two-inch layer of mulch should be spread a foot beyond the drip line of each plant. This extra attention will reward you with two or more flushes for flowers between now and the New Year. 

Q. My backyard lawn has patches of Crabgrass. Which ‘Weed and Feed’ should I be using to control it? I haven’t been successful with the ones I’ve tried. 

A. Bayer Advanced ‘All in One Weed and Feed’ is a granular product that fertilizes the lawn, kills broadleaf weeds along with Crabgrass and other undesirable grasses. This is the first year it has been available. ‘All in One Weed and Feed’ uses the same active ingredient that you would find the liquid Crabgrass control. The liquid Crabgrass killer comes in a ‘Ready to Spray’ container that you attached to your hose. There are several brands available. So far, I’ve found these products to be disappointing in controlling the actively growing Crabgrass. They’re very slow-acting, taking weeks for the results to show up. Crabgrass goes dormant in the winter and reappears around the 4th Of July. It thrives until November when it goes to seed and dies out. The best most effective method of controlling Crabgrass is to kill the dormant seeds. Pre-emergent Crabgrass turf products are applied in January and February. That being said, I’m going to try ‘All In One Weed and Feed’ to see if it’s more effective than the liquid.

Q. I need to move an established Bougainvillea so we can enlarge our family room. Can it be transplanted at this time of the year? I really would like it to survive. 

A. Bougainvilleas are successfully transplanted from containers. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with established plants. They have a very fine root system that doesn’t knit tightly to form a solid rootball. When they’re moved, the root ball breaks apart, reducing the survival rate. This is not an ideal time to move it with the warm days and nights. You’d be better off if you waited until October, but that may not be an option. So, here is how I’d go about moving it now. I’d look to do this during the early morning or evening, avoiding the heat of the day. The first thing to do is prune the canopy back severely. This reduces the demand on the roots. 

I’d first dig around the plant to form the root ball and support it by lining it with cardboard secured with ties. I’d use several bungee cord ties available at any home improvement store and secure it tightly. Next carefully, tip the root ball over cutting the roots as you go. The rootball is then picked up or slid it carefully to a new location and upright in the new hole. As the backfill is added, you remove the ties but not the cardboard. It will decompose naturally. You would cut off any cardboard that extends above the soil. Proper planting techniques are employed by amending the backfill with soil amendments and be sure not to bury the root ball to seep. Finally, please take a few digital pictures of it for the refrigerator before you start. In this way, you avoid the last memory of your favorite plant, collapsing, turning brown, and then dying. 

Not everything gets better with change.  I know I may sound like a stick in the mud, but I love DVDs!  I just learned that Netflix has officially stopped distributing them. The company business model is 100% streaming.  Now, I do see the business perspective of this.  Nothing to handle, nothing to return damaged, much more cost effective, plus hardly anyone has a DVD player anymore.  I have a little secret.  If I have a DVD in my hand, I watch the film and then I watch the rest of the story.  I watch all the Bonus cuts after the movie.  The “Special Features,” the Director’s explanation of the film, literally frame by frame, and more.  I suppose the world may have to pry my DVDs out of my hands but I’m sure the time will come. 

The Pursuit of Happiness is the inspiring true-life story of Chris Gardner.  Chris, played brilliantly by Will Smith, is a man struggling to make ends meet in the 1980s in San Francisco. One day, by chance and perseverance, Chris ends up in a cab with a stockbroker. Trying to convince the man to take a chance on him during a short cab ride, the man is distracted by a Rubik’s Cube he is trying to solve and Chris challenges him by saying if he can do it by the time he gets to his destination will he talk to him again.  The man “knowing” Chris won’t be able to accomplish something even he can’t do, agrees. This chance encounter changes Chris and his son’s life. 

Chris talks his way into a six-month internship at a highly competitive stockbrokerage firm, just to find out that the six months is unpaid with long hours. His wife buckles under the pressure and walks out.  Chris and his son soon find themselves homeless.  They spend their nights sleeping in shelters, buses, and Bart station restrooms.  They even spend many nights at the iconic Glide Memorial Church (with cameos of Reverend Cecil Williams). Through it all, the relationship between father and son is strengthened, sweetened, and even in the middle of dire circumstances, full of love and trust. 

Chris Gardner wanted a better life for himself but even more so, for his son.  He was willing to do whatever it took for as long as it took.  At one point in the movie he tells his son, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you, you can’t do something, not even me.” 

It seems like hope is in short supply today.  I’m not sure exactly why.  I do know that we still live in the best country in the world, the United States of America.  There are still people, everyday who rise above their poverty to beat the odds, like Chris Gardner.  Am I saying it’s easy?  Absolutely not!  When you look at someone else, you may automatically assume that what they have or what they have accomplished was easy.  There is one thing I have learned in life and that is, everyone has a story to tell; everyone has something they had to rise above.  They may have stopped talking about it as they managed to change their circumstances, but it doesn’t mean they have never struggled. A friend of mine used to say, “We all put our pants on the same way, one leg at a time.”  Next time you’re tempted to think someone had it better than you, think again.  You might even want to get to know them.  Hear their story.  With an open heart and an open mind, you might be surprised.

There is a happy ending to The Pursuit of Happyness.  Since I had the DVD, I was able to see an interview with the real Chris Gardner and Will Smith.  And you may have guessed, Chris became a very successful stockbroker, eventually starting his own brokerage.   Years later, he sold a part of his company for a very large amount of money and retired.  He then met Nelson Mandela, starting yet another passionate and impactful phase of his life. 

At the end of the movie, Chris (Will Smith) and his son, Christopher (Jaden Smith, Will’s actual son) can be seen walking down a street in San Francisco just talking back and forth.  Christopher is telling his father yet another silly joke and walking by is a well-dressed businessman—the real Wall Street legend, Chris Gardner.