We now return to your regularly scheduled blogging

You've probably noticed a dearth of postings these past couple days (If you haven't, I'll try not to take it personally!) That's because we're getting our house painted -- no more white walls everywhere, but no computer for a while either -- and because I've been working on a big landscaping/yard project.

Basically, I had to expand the landscaped area in the picture on this page, and do a separate landscape "island" in a different part of the yard. Hard work, but definitely worth it. Things will be back to normal this coming week, at least for a few days. Then it's off to Las Vegas for the Money Show.

What more can I say that hasn't been said about the recent market action? The bonds rallied on the weaker-than-expected jobs news. But longer-term, they remain stuck in a range. The dollar has been tame for a change. And stocks? Well, they've been up for something like a bazillion out of the last bazillion-and-1 days. The exception on Friday was ... you guessed it ... the home builders. More bad earnings news there clipped most sector names for a couple of percentage points.

See you all on Monday...