Tuesday, February 28, 2017

庭院填土2017/莊峻華

庭院填土2017/莊峻華

每年春秋兩季,,愛美喜歡花圃填木削沃土,阻擋野草陽光,
今年從朋友推薦,購買四立方碼表層沃土,四立方碼木削沃土
有卡車兩次兩日送來,囑我監工,三位工人,分散沃土於是於
前後院花圃,道理是雨水將沖散木削沃土,所以以表層土墊高
底部。

土壤店老闆,親自開大卡車來,三位店員另開一小卡車尾隨,
沃土放在車庫道上,一人鏟土,一人推鏟土車,一人分散沃土
於花圃上,周而復始。冬殘日休市氣候溫和,三位工人,緩緩
而行,和一般契約工人稍異,並非疾疾而行,都是美國本土人
,也無甚野心,四立方碼沃土,分兩次分散,三人工作約兩小
時半完成,三年前我自己散土十二立方碼,大概超過一週時間
,所以我非常滿意。沃土不足,所以再購買四立方碼,翌日送
來,工人和老闆都不計較時間。

監工時間,我就興趣修剪果樹玫瑰枯枝,同時也修葺樹欉高度
,也清除屋簷漏水管枯葉,務使雨水暢通無阻。休市春天,玫
瑰花,杜鵑花,山茶花等怒放,冰凍枯枝樹頭,冒出綠牙,沃
土正好派上用場。我在德國城市,參觀一些美麗花園社區,休
市也有如此環境,愛美一直努力以赴。

我說此為個人主義之興盛,在美國,住家可以盡量發揮個人興
趣嗜好,清晨散步,偶爾遇見這些雅致屋主,然後就是學習談

話,園藝心得,甚麼生活如此悠閒?

Monday, February 27, 2017

修理浴室水龍頭/莊峻華

修理浴室水龍頭/莊峻華

樓下浴室水台,經常莫名其妙積水,原來是水台熱水龍頭矢
靈,開熱水冷水開關,冒出乾淨自來水,若關閉水盆蓄水蓋
,翌晨昏積水滿盆,雖然節約用水,水費仍高,四年來如一
日,最近讓愛美發現,立刻到大五金百貨店,購買三套零件
,加上一廚房新電炒圈板,請位墨西哥師傅來裝修,這位師
傅曾經來過幫忙,工資合理,愛美將現金準備好,叮嚀如何
付小費。

師傅約是從教堂禮拜後前來,未攜帶工具,琳兒幫忙找出其
寄放工具箱,內有幾隻工具可用,於是我當其助手,卸下生
鏽之老舊水龍頭,生鏽是必然,蓋漏水和潮濕故也。師傅開
始裝置新套水龍頭,雖說相同品牌,但是水管一端,無法吻
合,他解釋老水管是展開式,新水管是緊縮式,我了解後奉
命前往購買適用接頭,於是我攜帶舊管,以便解釋給五金行
店員,住家附近一小五金行,已經關閉,只好回原來大店,
師傅同時下樓,改裝第二套水龍頭,交待有問題,手機連絡

我稍指手畫腳,門口店員,立刻了解曰,十四號排底,找3/8
吋接頭,我果然找到一種,然後走到服務站,尋求肯定,店員
曰不對,找專人前來幫忙,我知道甚難找到人,依描述回十四
行再找,再去肯定,服務站人,只好放棄崗位,同我回十四行
尋找,我誤會找水管接頭部,店員認為是改牆上水源接頭,於
是我手機接上家裡師傅,讓他倆溝通,店內並無水管適用接頭
,店員直接試找水源適用接頭,不久他找到解決裝置,就是在
水源接頭,陰陽交錯,把出口從展開式,改成緊縮式,於是新
水管之緊縮式出口,可以接上,如此裝置,使用四只接頭。

我承認水電無知,店員微笑安慰道,水電問題令人困惑,此大
店聘請有知識經驗之店員,幫忙客戶購買,非常有效率,我有
多年購買經驗,非常滿意,難怪是美國第一大店,總部在亞特

蘭大市。

Saturday, February 25, 2017

申報聯邦所得稅2017/莊峻華

申報聯邦所得稅2017/莊峻華

昨日和陳博士有約,到其府上,借用去年度報稅軟體,回家
後馬上替元兒申報,結束後,又將我自己申報完畢,一年一
度之稅務責任,告一段落。美國是一法治自豪之國度,每年
底,地方政府稅單就來,一定時間內,需要繳清,然後就是
四月十五日截止之,聯邦所得稅申報,我們約是在一月底,
就可以收到年收入報表,然後開始申報,我在美國自己申報
所得稅,發現申報越來越容易,電腦軟體,幾乎設想完全週
到,簡單者早就有免費軟體,稍複雜者,今年我之銀行,和
股票公司,已經開始和一報稅軟體公司合作,免費提供網路
軟體使用。

元兒收入簡單,只要將資料輸入,軟體即可計算完成,印妥
文件簽名後寄出可也,現在聯邦政府,鼓勵青年儲蓄退休金
,低收入者尚有兩百元,現金補助,美國政府大有為,許多
聰明者,幫忙設計,鼓勵儲蓄,然後等待退休後算帳,我的
稅率目前,高於年輕時代,這種退休金儲蓄稅率優待,可以
協助老人年老生活獨居生活。

國稅局很會算,好比說社會福利金,我領一萬八一年,其中
之一萬五,需要再併入當年收入,我年老後,無甚賺錢所得
,但是有退休年金收入,有投資基金股利收入,這些收入,
一筆一筆,清清楚楚,列在年度收入1099表,所以美國富
有,時間一到,全民需依法報稅繳稅,然後聯邦政府,可以
分配使用,當然,地方政府在年初,稅捐全部到位,一般公
司主計處,每週每月,都自動申請繳交員工所得稅,無許稅
務警察,攜槍上門索取,非常有效率。

申報結束後,再等候一年,依而復始,稅務和儲蓄,需要有
計劃,我以前因此工作謀生,非常有趣,無論在全球各處,
年輕人必須工作,必須儲蓄,儲蓄可以避免金錢拮据,有儲
蓄我也樂於申報所得稅,感謝美國政府,聯邦和地方,提供

良好公共安全環境。

Sunday, February 19, 2017

拜訪布拉格老街/莊峻華

拜訪布拉格老街/莊峻華

我在旅店櫃台,買到三日公車票,翌晨馬上搭乘巴士,拜訪布拉格
老街,我對此城此國,十分陌生,一般人均甚好奇,如何跑到此地
?其實此城此國,非常有趣,而且美麗,有位美麗小姐,好心帶我
上車,說是她也往老街方向,可以提醒我下車,原來她剛從科州丹
佛市,六月居留回國,英文流利,沿途介紹我,城市建築特色,我
詢問何以此市,如此眾多人口?是何工業,提供如此就業機會?她
說大概是資訊技術,後來回美國,閱讀資料,原來布拉格是座古老
又翻新之歷史古都,現今人口一百二十六萬,大布拉格區,人口高
達兩百二十萬,每年有六百萬遊客湧入。

她在查理斯橋附近,提醒我下車,然後叮嚀我隨眾行,過橋後就是
老布拉格。果然查理斯橋,已經佈滿人群,此橋是位有為國王所興
建,查理斯四世,波西米亞國王,兼神聖羅馬帝國大帝,把老街和
布拉格城堡連在一起,橋上諸多天主教諸聖賢,橋上許多街頭藝人
,也有許多小商攤販,橋下就是佛塔巴河,此河將布拉格一分為二,
書上曰此市開始從北之布拉格宮,過河到南之倍斯赫拉特,經過三
千年歷史。

我在橋墩前,聽到熟悉語言,原來是三位台南來之小姐,於是我打
招呼,在他鄉遇同鄉,非常親切,尤其這位朱小姐,是我台師大化
學晚期系友,她們約是剛從小丘上城堡宮殿下來,需要趕上旅遊團
,於是我們匆匆忙忙,拍照留念,並留下通訊住址。過橋後,我還
是隨波逐流,布拉格老街,非常美麗,古色古香,橋下河流,開始
有遊艇活動,來到老街廣場,當時並未注意到,廣場老鐘,布拉格
天文台老鐘之顯赫赫有名,後來我幾乎每日逛老街,均來報到。

布拉格老街,是中古歐洲之政治商業中心,我形容是兵家必爭之地
,先是英倫三島之塞爾特族,蘇格蘭人,愛爾蘭人,和威爾斯人等
進駐,後來日爾曼人東移入侵,波西米亞王國,奧匈帝國等,帶來
許多經商之猶太人,日耳曼人和猶太人,曾經是主要居民,因為各
種戰爭,甚至包括十字軍東征,這些有商業動機之軍隊,也經過布
拉格,留下痕跡,後來斯拉夫族,捷克人,漸漸增加,有一解釋,
捷克和斯拉夫,在1993年和平分裂為二,還有1968年之布拉格之
春,其中主角之一,亞歷山大˙杜布西克,是斯拉伐克人,我希望

有機會介紹這位歷史人物。

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Visiting Prague, Czech Republic/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Prague, Czech Republic/Carlos Pueblo

The next city to visit after Copenhagen, Denmark is Prague, Czech
Republic. In the original planning in Houston, I should go to Krako,
Poland then Prague for three days each; however, incident occurred
that I ran out of cash, pick pocketing and invalid debt card, I had to
cancel Krako, Zagreb, Croatia, and Venice, Italy. Prague was the only
one I couldn’t cancel on internet and I was glad that I made the visit
of this capital of the old Kingdom of Bohemia. As previously, I took the
same route back to Hamburg, Germany and this time was very smoothly
pass the straight off and on the train. Changing another train in Hamburg
with an international cities express to Prague passing through the plain of
north Germany mostly the previous East Germany. It was dark after Dresden
, Germany so I could not see the scenery route highlighted on the DB Bahn
map. After entering Czech territory, the train conductor asked me to pay
the fare of 23 Euros to cover the expanse toward Prague because my pass
was only good in Germany. It was late and I had argued with him in vain and
I managed to get the cash to pay him or, I had to get off the train on
the next station to see if I could pay credit card at the station and took the
next train after one hour. An Australian young man was very sympathetic
with my awkward situation and gave a 5 Euro bill in case of future emergency.

A night police dressed camouflage kindly walked me across a street to point
out the direction toward the hostel. I was struggle again at the darkness of
the traffic highway and a nice young lady came to rescue me. She checked on
her i-phone map and advised me take a city bus one stop pass the train station.
Cash to pay for the bus was not a problem she said because the driver could not
take the fare which I had to purchase at a store and it was late for me to find an
open business that late of the night. It’s a 5 minutes ride yet 25 minute walk if
I so selected.

Czechs are very polite and friendly toward tourists that I feel. These were the first
two impression which I ran into at arrival. Czech Republic is an EU member yet like
Denmark and the England uses her own currency. I managed to get by without
currency exchange for my weekly stay in Plague.



Friday, February 17, 2017

捷克布拉格市行/莊峻華

捷克布拉格市行/莊峻華

結束丹麥哥本哈根市旅行,原擬搭車前往波蘭克拉寇市,因無
現金,一切從簡,取消三國三城市旅行,就是波蘭克拉寇市,
克洛艾西亞首都薩克瑞市,和義大利威尼斯市,因為時間和交
通上,也不許可,所以提前前往,無法網路取消旅店之布拉格
市,拜訪這古波西米亞王國首都。也是按原路線,火車經過海
峽輪渡,這次沒有意外,快車經過魯貝克,抵達漢堡,然後換
車,經柏林直奔布拉格格,這是北德國平原,一些區域,原屬
東德,邊界德瑞斯登站,已是黃昏,艾爾貝河風景區,無法欣
賞,過境後仍有一小時路程,有件困難發生。

我誤會德鐵城市間快車,包括在我購買派司內,詳細看圖,原
來派司可以從柏林站,搭德鐵巴士,另繳五歐元,到布拉格,
這班列車長,進入捷克境內,開始查票,因為我是德鐵票,過
境後就無效,他要我補票,只接受歐元外幣,否則需要在此下
站下車補票,再等一小時下班車,經過思考後,我只得屈服,
使用最後一張二十歐元和三元零錢,補上一張票,鄰座一位澳
洲青年,如獲釋重,連忙贈我一張五歐元紙鈔曰,至少他可幫
一點忙,他在網路訂火車票,柏林到布拉格是37歐元,而後我
在網路購買票,從布拉格到德瑞斯登站,是17歐元,所以我覺
得德鐵派司,省錢有限。

列車夜晚抵達布拉格本站,有位警察在車站,帶我過街馬路,指
一方向曰,幾分鐘即達旅店,我在夜晚徬徨些時,內心緊張,幸
好有位小姐路過,幫忙在手機上找路,她說在過街巴士站搭車,
過一站下車,再詢問路人即可,她判斷夜間公車票難購,上車後
應無查票可能,記住過一站就下車,旅店就在附近。果然,不久
就找到旅館,捷克人和藹有禮貌,樂於助人,我非常感激。

我是提早四天到達,一共在布拉格市,住上一週,身上只有信用
卡,還有180元美元,第二天清晨,立即出門,找銀行提現金,
三家銀行都拒絕,很奇怪,約是五月前,我在巴黎領現金,均無

困難。

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Purchasing another house/Carlos Pueblo

Purchasing another house/Carlos Pueblo

Our daughter Michelle wants to purchase another house in Austin, Texas;
therefore, we are summoned to go with her quite often lately. Austin is
about 150 miles away from Houston and is about 2 ½ hours mostly freeway
driving. She saves enough money and loves real estate investment and we
are glad that she asks for our opinion. The house is in the central area of
Austin with a good school district 1800 square  feet built in 1959 and asking
for half of a million. She is a successful business professional and has owned
two small houses in Austin already so I keep my opinion to myself. Luckily
the deal didn’t go through because she loses one of her tenant for a rental
property while she intends to move back. We again accompany her back to
Austin for some cleanup for the house.

I always agree to the idea of purchasing a house is one of the important financial
planning in addition to purchasing the securities. In order to keep the national
economic going, the federal government keeps on printing U.S. dollars to keep
the currency available all the time in a way to diminish the value and all the rest
of the world powerful nations follow this American way. In some parts of Houston,
housing price inflated 4 times during the past 35 years don’t mention the other
hot areas in the nation such as San Jose, California and Boston, Massachusetts.
Any of a house costs more than two millions is very real and reasonable.

Back to another summon we went to Austin again for a house cleaning. I helped to
do the lawn mowing and think of a long term of rebuilding the garden. We talked
about the addition of brick laying to avoid further driveway corrosion, clean the
weeds and junk trees on the yard. I don’t believe the exaggerated house value
without a pretty garden like those of in Berlin and Frankfurt, Germany. Plus, gardening
is my fantasy of old cocooning.

She took us to an outlet center at San Marcos, Texas for furniture shopping. Austin and
San Marcos almost link together as suburban metropolitan area. She purchased 9 items
and managed to find a mover to deliver the merchandises in the same afternoon while
we were waiting on the back side of the furniture store. She knows how to purchase an
inexpensive furniture and sell them when no longer needed. Her mother asks her to
move her belonging stored at our garage to her Austin house, she says that she doesn’t

have the time.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

置產/莊峻華

置產/莊峻華

我從夏威夷旅行歸來,就為琳兒調到奧斯汀,協助處理出租
房屋,老屋出狀況,野生動物入侵,請專家來捕捉,然後是
置產,她的房產代理,找到一房屋,價錢合理,已經簽約,
藉口父母來看,和估計整修價格,是日開車超速公路遇車禍
,公路堵塞,耗時甚久,又當日往返,和旬日作息迥異,非
常辛苦,翌日有信歐洲來曰,房客決定毀約,立即遷出,於
是我們安慰她,決定幫忙處理空屋內外,以免其憂慮,雖說
自找麻煩,但確是有意義之老年生活。

奧斯汀新興,房價高漲,約是八年前,她在奧斯汀上班,買
下兩棟小屋,翻修自居和出租,一直順利,是一有收入之置
產投資,她又認真工作,和父母住一起,節約儲蓄,省下來
之錢,準備再置產再投資,像其直接上司一般,有二十棟出
租房屋,其中一棟在邁阿密海邊,多年前五十萬買下,如今
是四百萬價格,令人羨慕,我學好沉默不語,我有二十餘年,
置產不賺錢之經驗,年老後乖乖的躲在家裡當員外,像是冬
蠶吐絲作繭。

租屋庭院,野株野草叢生,我就自願打掃整理,艾美就先在
屋內打掃,好在房客是專科學生,僅住幾個月,折損不大,內
部仍舊嶄新,論城中地段,是有高價,惟庭園需要照顧,照顧
到柏林圍牆下之社區花園環境,則有價值,於是艾美答應每月
一次北上幫忙,我也無異議。

第二天,琳兒開車,帶我們到附近參瑪可斯市,購買傢俱,大
賣店專門賣退貨,和過時產品,我就到鞋店買兩雙球鞋,她們
母女詳細研究,於是買下九件傢具,然後臨時叫車接送貨物,
這調車功夫,也是學問,美國人租貨櫃車送貨,在路上開始接
單生意,毫無麻呼之處,我們在店後取貨處候車,當日德州氣
溫華氏八十五度,冬日反常,回奧斯汀又遇公路車禍。

我一直相信,美國幣值,有計劃之貶值,置產似乎可以保值,許
多人購買房屋賺錢,德州無州所得稅,房地產稅率高,而且出租
房屋,依當時買賣房價課稅,我常覺得麻煩,於是不再投資房產。


Visiting Copenhagen University/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Copenhagen University/Carlos Pueblo

I saw Copenhagen University on the map at the old town Copenhagen
and decided to visit this famous institution of Niels Bohr, a physics
professor who was on my text books from high school, college, to
graduate school. He defines some quantum mechanics theory of different
energy level on various electron configuration. Electron can jump around
the atomic orbits all the time by absorbing or releasing energy or radiation.
This was a very basic quantum theory which I fortunately understood it and
helped me to pass all the examinations at schools. I must come to visit him,
of course his statue in front of the main building.

First, I went through a green garden lake park called Orsteds-Parken. It is one
of a series of green garden lake  parks parallel to Sankt Jargens Lake. Above this
park is the Botanic Garden and Rosenborg Castle is the adjacent neighbor.
Another two parks between Osterport Station, one is facing the harbor with a
a statue of the little mermaid, a fairy tale created by Hans Christian Andersen,
now becomes an important tourist point. I have visited Andersen’s Spain home
town Malaga yet I missed this one. I shall visit this park on my next European
cruise disembark at Copenhagen harbor just next to the mermaid statue.

Danes tell me that the University has a new campus out of the old town due to
the expansion and I believe that is the case of most of the famous European
institutions. Almost all the European nations provide free tuition college education;
therefore, most ancient colleges required expansion. Some old colleges at the old
town area are very small and crowded not like the universities in the U.S. with
several hundred acres land yet these institution are the backbone of European
industrial revolution.


Tuesday, February 14, 2017

拜訪哥本哈根大學/莊峻華

拜訪哥本哈根大學/莊峻華

我在地圖上看到著名之,哥本哈根大學,於是我決定專程拜訪
,哥大也在老街區,我是先經一奧斯鐵帕肯公園,也是一湖畔
花園,問了幾次路,終於來到本校大廈門口,其中經過法學院
,門口有幾座哥大名人雕塑像,很快就找到尼爾˙波爾,這是
一位近代物理學者,哥大因他馳名全球,他解釋原子穩定,和
量子層之關係,他有一方程式,不是大概提一下,像中國道德
經上,稍微一提,就滿足中國人兩千年,不同量子層之電子,無
論是波或是粒子,都有不同能量,越外層能量越高,越不穩定,
一定要落到低量子層,要釋出能量,始得穩定,老子和道德經之
作者,提到這點,用有和無之概念來解釋,十幾年前,我讀過這
本書之解釋,非常有趣,所以特地趕來哥大,謝謝波爾教授,如
不是了解波爾定律,高中後考不上大學,無法排電子層順序,研
究所,過不了量子力學,量子化學。

旅行中,我還是喜歡公園花園,哥本哈根規劃首都,非常用心,
所以城市非常美麗,都是小湖花園,許多博物館,都在湖畔花園
內,哥大北邊,就是植物花園,有兩座博物館,園內有一小湖,
旁邊就是羅森堡宮殿,和國王花園,女王玫瑰花園,在宮殿前。
此兩花園北端,緊鄰另外兩座湖群花園,其中有一座,是著名之
景觀點,有美人魚銅像,安徒生是丹麥人,後來旅居西班牙,我
也經過他在馬拉加市之銅像。我計劃下次郵輪旅行,經過哥本哈
根港,可以參觀此美人魚花園。

許多青年學生,前來哥本哈根旅行,在旅店遇到許多外國旅客,
哥市公安秩序井然,無甚壓力,往北過橋,就是瑞典,歷史上提
到之維金海盜古國,就是當今丹麥人之祖先,1864年,敗給卑斯
麥之普魯士王國後,就一直安份守己,二戰中,為納粹德國所佔
領,戰後兩國關係密切,渡輪跨海鐵道,已經開始建造,資金完

全丹麥提供,非常有趣。