T&T: $100 + a barrel!

[Randy Pickelmann]

A good friend with a classic Hatt sportfish reminded me one day that fuel
costs are but a small part of the overall cost of boating.  Maybe, at the end
of the year, one of the smaller expenses!  Nevertheless, right now I'm awfully
proud of my little Manatee that burns 1.5 gallons and hour!

Who remembers when, to borrow from Jimmy Buffett, "a full tank was only a
fin"?  We all nearly had a stroke when the price hit a buck a gallon but
people adjusted and got used to it and life went on.  I remember buying diesel
for our compressors for not much more than a quarter a gallon.  Now we are
paying over three bucks and headed to four.  We still fill our compressors and
go out to gunite our jobs.  We have adjusted our pricing accordingly.  Yep,
this might cause an inflationary spiral and yep, there will probably be a
downturn in business.  But we've seen it before and been through it before.
The strong survive and the weak sisters fall by the wayside.  What doesn't
kill us will make us stronger.

A friend, who is a very astute businessman, quipped back in the '80's,
"Recession?  Hell, I don't believe in it and I refuse to participate!"

Attitude is everything!

Regards,
Randy Pickelmann
hard aground in Clearwater
MORNING STAR
lying in Marathon, FL
www.morningstar.talkspot.com