09-24-2026 — Almost 9-to-5
Howdy all. We’ve passed by the Autumn Equal-Knocks when there is as much night as day-time here. Somehow it seems like night is starting by 5:30 and day-time not until 8 am. Likely due to the amount of cloudy daze here. With the 20-30 mph gusts, the winds are making the 50-65 degree days feel a lot chillier too. I’m pretty much resigned to it being close to winter. They are suggesting some crappy weather pattern in the Pacific is going to make the winter here, super nasty. As in many very deep snows. UGH.
I do know we are unlikely to see 70 in the next week, and will have drizzle on more than of a couple of the daze. Not nice. I was noticing the early morning park walkers here are in big puffy coats already. Brr.
In the next week I will get outside and pull any remaining vegetable plants and getting them in the compost bin. Not sure how I’ll handle the “flowers” in the back beds. I’m fairly certain next year I’m going with “potted” flowers just sitting in the beds. Not potatoes or tomatoes or onions or peppers back there.
I really want the “cages” removed from those beds too. Won’t be doing vining plants, or tall tomato plants, in them.
The last few days, I’ve been gathering up my Xmas Card collection for this year’s distribution. Very different this year by only getting “standard” cards that use a single “Forever” USPS postage stamp. I did get some Xmas postage for them. No more building things for big packages, or purchasing treats for distribution to my brother’s family and the few others, I’ve given to in the past. Hey, the costs were getting worse and worse each year. I bet I “save” $1000 for the year. Of course that will go into my teeth!!!
I haven’t even fired up any of the 3D printers, nor the lasers, this year? Maybe early on in the year? Not sure. I think I am envious of the new versions of each that are out or coming out. 55 watt CO2 lasers with tons of ease-of-use features, and 3D printers capable of many colors without creating so much waste, and taking minutes to switch colors (sometimes many many hours of just wasted color swapping time). The newest designs barely produce wasted, and can switch colors in 1-3 seconds or less. Hey, if you do 500 color changes, that adds up to lots of wasted time.
I keep considering do FaceBook Marketplace to sell my existing setups, and then put the money to one “good’ machine. But I would need more $$ to buy new, and I’m not exactly rolling in free cash at the moment.
I sure wish the wait for dental work was up. Once I know how much more $$ I’m going to use for fake teeth in 2026 ($2000?), the sooner I can determine where I’ll be cash wise in 2027. I had retired with the assumption that I’d have some free $$ to keep my in toys. But with the dental this year, and the ECONOMY, and crap like seeing my Medicare Part D is rising from $120 to $200 a month, next year (yeah, about an extra $1000 for not taking drugs — imagine if I had a bunch of prescriptions!!), I need to be a bit more conservative with my limited resources.
Another upcoming expense is Fall-Cleanup ($500?) and then the snow removal contract ($2000? — they are expecting a bad winter). And of course, the start of the year is House Insurance/Truck Insurance/Real Estate Taxes ($1000?/$650?/$2500?) — Phew — Oh, and the truck is ready for its annual service == oil change / battery??? / windshield washer system ??? — this could be a $100-$1000 service.
Ugh, I’ve got to quit thinking about this subject. Very depressing.
This is not my finest moment to say Enjoy Life