Clay Curtis

The home building market took a huge hit over the last several years. As home prices dropped and left many people underwater, the market tanked and left thousands of home builders out of a job. For a brief time, the new home buyer tax credit offered by the Obama administration steadied the market, but that has run out and home sales are down again.

The housing market is slipping all across the U.S. many major cities report that home sales are down and prices are falling. Many homeowners who were hoping to sell and move are now reconsidering their options. All in all, things look bleak for the near future.

I have great plans to watch the fireworks tonight. I love to see the show every year and the kids enjoy it as well. One goal that I have is to take this opportunity top explain to the kids why our country is so great and how it came to be. Many people sacrificed themselves for the freedom we enjoy today and we should all be thankful for that.

One thing I would like to start working on this year is doing a better job of saving money. It seems that when I get a check, it’s gone before you know it. My bank account isn’t growing any and I am living from week to week. I was hoping to find a few ways to save money and build a cushion in case times get really hard.

One area where I spend a lot on is food. I eat out a lot and thought that if I could eat at home more often I would spend less on my food. I have also been living high on the hog recently and spending a lot on home repair. I may want to take a little break from that and save some of my money instead. What would be really nice is to make more money in the first place. That would be the best!

Scientists are calling the blown-out well the worst spill in U.S. history. The well in the Gulf of Mexico has spilled an estimated 20 to 40 million gallons of oil into the gulf. So far, all attempts to stop the oil flow have failed, including the latest attempt called the top kill method. BP is planning another way to stop the leak.

Since the well is more than 5,000 feet under the sea, new technologies need to be tried. Undersea robots are difficult to work with and this has made matters difficult. The spill has been ongoing since April when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded. I really hope they can find a way to stop the leak soon!

As I grew up during the great age of rock & roll music, I was saddened to hear that one of the greats has passed away. Ronnie James Dio died on Sunday. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer last November and was 67 years old. All the great rockers and thousands of fans will miss his voice.

Dio is known for replacing Ozzy Osborne as lead singer for the band Black Sabbath. After a long stint with the band he went out on his own and had the mega-hit “Holy Diver”. He went on to tour with his former Black Sabbath band mates as the band “Heaven and Hell”. We will all miss you Ronnie!!