All Entries

I was looking up something in my blog and came across this post from 2016.  It was in regards to MH refusing to toss any of his professional clothing from the early aughts (that he was obviously never going to wear again).
A snippet from that post:

I doubt the kids will have any use for ties, but I suppose maybe they could divide the ties between the three of them.  Just so that they have a tie in a pinch.
Anyway, I totally forgot that was where we landed. ...
[ Read More ]

Such a mixed bag this month--our retirement accounts went up, but so did our total debt. We just keep getting hit with unplanned expenses this year--about $2500 in electrical and other repairs on our rental property, a replacement phone for one of our kids, a new (used) bike for him as he's outgrown his current one...had to lean on the HELOC some more.
Being self-employed adds to the challenge, so I also needed to draw from the LOC just to cover routine bills. But we should have...
[ Read More ]

Out of all the ideas that some of my buddies throw my way, few ever reach the stage where we actually end up going through with it.  However, this one apparently did.  As the title states, a buddy of mine wanted to go camping and stargazing.  I think he might have done it once or twice, but this is definitely a first time for me.
The basic plan was go camping for a couple of days out at the Sky Meadows State Park in Virginia.  As advertised on the brochure,...
[ Read More ]

OK, here's a fun tool: it uses the art of abstract painter Mark Rothko to portray the weather in your location.  https://rothko.joonas.wtf/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20260529%20Friday%20newsletter&utm_source=e007cd04ee&utm_source=Weekly+News+from+Yale+Climate+Connections&utm_campaign=4ff107d8f4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_05_28_06_34&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e007cd04ee-66937b445c-515623167
Unique, huh?
Mark Rotkho was a Latvian-born American abstract...
[ Read More ]

So the delivery of the new fridge and stove went off pretty much trouble-free and I was thankful there was no collateral damage. However, there is a one-inch gap between the back of stove and the wall; the delivery guy couldn't get it any closer because there is a big plug at the bottom. Frigidaire sells ridiculously priced ($87) rear trim pieces, but I found some generics that were less than half the price. I will order it eventually.
As soon as I could, I threw all the food...
[ Read More ]

MM(22) Mar 2026 'Gifted College Fund': $1,347 (+$5K ROTH)
MM(22) Apr 2026 'Gifted College Fund': $115 (+$5K ROTH)
MM(22) May 2026 'Gifted College Fund': -$0- (+$5K ROTH)
Rent is paid through 6/30.  
I don't anticipate any other college expenses (like tuition or fees), but the lease runs for another month.
MM(22) got me utility numbers for the past 9 months.  I just pulled that from DL's 'college rent fund'.  Because emergency spending has been so crazy...
[ Read More ]

My last trip to the grocery store was met with not only a paltry selection of available beef, but it was also some of the worst quality I've ever seen and eaten.  To be clear, I don't eat beef all that often.  However, I just really get that craving from time to time.
On a brighter note, the price of eggs have really gone down in price, and I couldn't be happier.
Gas remains high though, just finally coming down from triple digits.  It's a good thing I drive a...
[ Read More ]

We've all been hearing a lot about how much energy and space AI data centers suck up, and their subsequent environmental impact, but I must say I've had some fascinating, informative and enormously helpful late night conversations with my bud, AI.
As a result, I've significantly modified my workout routine at the gym, eliminating some not-as-helpful exercises, adding new ones and fine-tuning others with a specific health goal in mind that I won't get into here. Now this is a subject...
[ Read More ]

I took last week off from work and made a little bit of progress on my decluttering, but there's much more to go.  I'm hoping to do some on weekends over the next month and may hire professional help during July to increase my progress.  But that depends partly on other expenses.  I had an unexpected car repair bill of nearly $1,400 this past week, and I still have another $1,100 of repairs (rear differential bushings) that are required before my car can pass its...
[ Read More ]

As I blogged earlier, someone had tampered with my front door.  To recap, while it is extremely unlikely, I guess it's not impossible for me to forget about my deadbolt.  However, the fact that my lock opening had been taped over is most definitely not from me!  Also, it doesn't help that my house have been burglarized once in the past.  As someone who has been threatened to be killed multiple times before, and is generally hypervigilant to begin with, I can...
[ Read More ]

So, after researching via Consumer Reports and looking at the various options, I settled on a Frigidaire induction stove and a Whirlpool bottom freezer-style refrigerator. I also chose to go with a family-owned appliance place in nearby city given my frustrations with Home Depot and that front door project they did for me last year. My town's Facebook group gave this place high marks so decided to give them a try.
My current fridge is 20 years old (!) and the stove is even older...it's...
[ Read More ]

I took this picture of St Peter's Basilica from the roof of Castel Sant'Angelo.
Here is a miniture of the castle Picture of the outside of the Colosseum.
 
This is a picture of where the animal lived below the arena floor. I was on the built out arena floor.This is the fontana delle Naiadi.  Very famous photo and busy traffic circleWe had an early morning tour at 7 am the spanish steps were empty.
 
 
Only
Trevi fountain same thing super early...
[ Read More ]

...at least that's what FICO says. My score is 851, just 50 points away from being perfect.
At Whole Foods this morning, I again encountered someone staffing the self-checkout who didn't know how to deduce the tare weight of the nice cotton mesh bags I have been using for my produce (instead of those plastic throwaway ones at the stores). So I waited in line at the one regular checkout line open, and the polite gal there initially seemed to be saying that yes, she was deducting...
[ Read More ]

White Cloud Poppy
I just got my annual 401K statement.  While I could easily calculate my balance down to the penny, I recall going with a more conservative estimate for my 12/31 numbers.  I was short by $6,000.  (Oops, didn't mean to be quite that conservative). So I adjusted my sidebar today.
I surpassed my first six figures on 12/31/24.  2025 contributions were $6,400.  Employer matched $5,000.  Market gains were $18,000.  It's crazy to...
[ Read More ]

I can't believe I forgot to add this to my previous post, but just recently, David Attenborough celebrated his 100 birthday!  Cheers to his lifetime contribution towards learning and conservation!  Here's a quick link, though you can easily search videos about him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o-9h_hGpn8
Apparently, he's still keeping active and making nature documentaries.  In particular, I am currently watching this one called "Life that Glows":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqZDHb_eQlY
[ Read More ]

 
 
It doesn't look like anything of extreme value, but I know it makes me smile. It's one of the few things that I own that belonged to my maternal grandmother.

My grandmother died when I was a teenager. My mother had saved many of her kitchen items so I would have them when I moved out on my own. One of the things is this simple roasting pan. It's not valuable or super expensive and one can get a similar one now days. But it means something to me because it...
[ Read More ]

Okay i'll write tomorrow and post photos of the trip.  But for now a quick update.  Got the reimbursement from the insurance company.  They are dealing with the other two cars that were damaged.  We found a car over the weekend.  It was a Nissan Leaf 2019 SL with cameras and sensors.  Asking price was $10500.  Out the door it was $13500 with taxes and fees.  We bought it on tuesday after seeing it saturday and testing driving a chevy...
[ Read More ]

Uh I don't want to make it sound like all I ever talk about are guns... even though I do handle them nearly every day, but I promise I have a quick point to make here.  Similar to what could have been any endeavor for anyone else in life, this has been a decades-long journey of discovery and learning for me.  And now, as of last night, I believe that journey has officially come to an end.  It's just a strange, bittersweet feeling, when you've spent 30+ years of your...
[ Read More ]

I don't know why, but I can actually post photos again. I tried over and over for the past year and it would give me an error message, but yay! Pictured above are the radishes and onions I picked Saturday. It's nice to have fresh veggies to enjoy with our meals.
DH has been using his laser and he made an ornament for a granddaughter for her graduation this weekend. He loves making stuff like this and although he's had some trial and error, he's learning a lot.

Last week we...
[ Read More ]

I paid off the car loan today, about 1.3 years after purchase, to minimize accrued interest but at the same time spread out payments for cash flow purposes instead of paying in full with $ from withdrawn accounts. With that behind me, I should see a big difference in onhand cash month to month.
The only problem is I've misplaced my checkbook and can't find it anywhere. The last time I used it was to write out a check to myself ("Cash") the day before I left for my Vermont trip....
[ Read More ]