12-31-2025 — And the year 2025 ends

Howdy all. I could drone on here for paragraphs about the lousy weather — winds and snow just won’t stop — but today is the day to reflect on the past year.

First of all. Hey, I’m still alive. Six years of retirement. 8.6% of my life has been as a retired person. Seems totally amazing. I’d never thought that was possible 20 years ago.

And my health is not that bad. Sure, I ache a little more than 6 years ago, and I’m a little slower physically than then, but I still get up and down the stairs (using handrails!), and can put on my socks in the morning without falling face first to the floor. My eyes are a little foggier nowadays too. But I can still drive legally without glasses. Would I like to lose weight? Yes, obviously, and no, obviously. Yes I wish it would magically disappear. Will I go out of my way to make it happen? Apparently no.

My mind is still sharp. Part of that is from doing these blogs, and from reading/listening to the news and keeping up with what new technology is bringing each day. I still have the same issues I’ve always had with keeping myself concentrating on what I am doing. ADHD doesn’t go away with age. It bothers me sometimes when I will mention to someone that I left my dinner in the microwave overnight, and they say it happens to all of us as we get older. It may start happening to them as they age, but that has been my entire life.

It also bugs me when I can’t find something in my memory, that I’m sure I should know. It is usually the “name” of someone/something. This is also a lifelong issue. The other day, I was trying to describe a certain type of saw to my brother. I have had trouble recalling the “name” of that saw forever. I kept saying it is like a table Jigsaw type thing, and he responds, “a bandsaw”. Sort of, but you use it to saw curves and things like the jigsaw. I had a full sized one and gave it to his son. And I have a craft sized one upstairs. Finally had to look it up. A Scroll Saw. Later that day I was thinking about the conversation, and realized I couldn’t recall its “name” again. Just like many people, that name just doesn’t work for me, and the brain refuses to hold onto it. But that is not age!

This year had many weather issues that plagued me, and others, throughout the period. Spring was cold and wet and it was like winter would not end. Thus gardening started late and nothing grew well.. Then it was dry, then hot and dry, and what did grow, wilted and died. Horrible gardening year. I do have some tomato sauces, with and without peppers and onions, in the freezer. However, nowhere near as much as last year.

I did try to plant flowers around the outside of the house a few times, but they too failed. Only the plastic ones are still colorful (well under snow now). My indoor tomatoes and basil did pretty good this year. Still producing.

Activity wise, I did little away from the house. Well, I did get new reading glasses after the first eye exam in 6 years. And I seem to need to see the dentist way too often. That’s about it.

I did finally set up and try the low-cost CO2 laser/engraver I purchased. That was way too difficult, and it gave me disappointing results. I bought a OMTech K40+ CO2 laser for $800, had to add a $200 dollar water cooler, a $1000 air purifier, and dozens of attempts of finding working USB cables, and power cords and runs to other rooms to get enough AMPs to run this stuff, so that I could possible cut clear acrylic. And it has only a 7 1/2 by 11 1/2 work bed, But the software sucked and I needed to purchase better software. And the process to actually use this machine is 10 times as difficult as it is to use my XTool Diode laser. A total wasted of time, effort, and money.

I could have purchased the Xtool P2S CO2 laser that has a 24x16 work bed, is 55 watts compared to the OMTech’s 40 watts, comes with built in water cooler, connects to existing air purifier, and uses great free software, all in one box. It is selling for around $2400. In 2026, I may replace the OMTech with the XTool. Depends upon what money I have available for toys, and what else might be wanted.

The 3D printers were not a disappointment this year. Well, the “poop chute” issue was for most of the year. I think I finally have that solved on both printers. The upgrades to the inside of the machines to better clean the nozzle, and allow the waste to slide the chutes helped, and then going to the Panda Den for the X1Carbon that has a collection drawer for poop, and the well designed chute, makes that one work fine. On the P1S, I finally printed off a flexible sewer tube like structure, that magnetically connects to the back of the printer, and then bends its way around the edge of the table to the bin below. It doesn’t seem to clog up as much. I did tons of printing for Xmas on both of the printers.

Bambu Lab came out with an upgraded version of the P1S (the P2S) which makes it a better machine than even the X1C. If they do release an X2C or even better, an X2 with multi heads, I may replace the P1S with that. Money of course is important factor.

And that is very important. I would really like to do an Electricity Backup upgrade. I want battery backup for the entire house. The anxiety from windstorms is exasperated every time the electricity flickers. Knowing it could go off for minutes or hours is scary. Yes I do have a generator that can run the house for hours on Propane. But, will it start? Do I need to go outside and replace the propane tank? Will the box it is in get blown apart like this last week?

I’d really like something like the Ecoflow Ultra Pro X inverter/battery setup on an automatic transfer switch that immediately keeps the house running if street power is gone. Even if it isn’t on a transfer switch and I have to go into the garage and flip the lockout in the panel, and then use a phone app to turn on inverter from inside, is much better that worrying about the generator outside — especially in the kind of weather that requires power backup. This would be expensive.

I can only hope that between my tax refunds (if any) and the changes to taxes to save on Social Security for us elders, add up to something meaningful. I know my monthly expenses for medical insurances are jumping a bunch this year. And the “savings” to property taxes aren’t going to happen until 2nd half of 2026. — Yeah, they’ll raise the taxes another 20-30 percent this coming month, just like last year, but then the “savings” will kick in in June and will amount to 5%. Then the politicians will be telling us how grateful we should be.

Ah yes, I guess I can’t do a year in review without mentioning the political satire with which we are existing. At the beginning of the year, I believed almost everyday that there was no way that anything worse could be announced by the clowns that are running the circus. And I was proven wrong almost daily. Now I am certain every day will bring worse news, and I am seldom proven wrong.

TMFWBIC (The M.F.er What Be In Charge) wants a peace prize trophy, while trying to start wars all over the world. He states, “America First” and gives huge amounts of money to 3rd world countries. He said he was for the middle class, the working American, the farmers, and then taxes the heck out of them, removes their government assistance, while allowing massive reductions in taxes to the upper class and corporations. But only those corporations that back his ideologies and give him money. He is for free speech, as long as he agrees with what is being said.

Not to mention what turmoil he is causing within the economy. He helps reduce joblessness by cutting people from government that won’t take his oath of alegence. Somehow he believes that Tariffs are not paid by the buyer. And that if he forces prices upward, inflation will decrease. If the facts and statistics disagree with him, he calls it fake news, and replaces those who report the numbers, with unqualified people that will agree. And even then, the numbers are proving him to be less than correct.

I have tried hard to keep my “views” out of my blog, and will go back to that tomorrow. The reason is, my views don’t fit those of others, and I don’t want anyone to feel they are being told how they feel or think is “wrong”. That’s because they are not “wrong”. They are theirs and theirs alone. We all live our own realities. If per chance our shared realities in any are match, we think of those as truth. But it doesn’t change the fact that it won’t match everyones’ reality.

I am neither Left, nor Right, nor Liberal nor Conservative. I am not a Republican, nor a Democrat, nor an Independent. I am, and always have been, and always will be, Jody. I will see and hear your views, and respect that fact that you have them, whether I agree or disagree. I will laugh at rediculousness in the political world, regardless of WBIC. Oh, and just in case it isn’t obvious, I am not religious, nor athiest, nor agnostic. Those are someone else’s reality. Not mine. I believe purely in what is my reality.

I have a few “philosophies” in which I am certain.

One is — Never expect anything, from anyone, at any time, and you will never be disappointed, and seldom surprised.

Another is — Take responsibilities for your own mistakes. If you broke it, fix it. If you lost it, replace it. Don’t expect others to be responsible for your failures.

This one I learned long, long, ago — Everbody knows at least one thing you don’t, and you can learn from them. — You may be the smartest person in the room, but you don’t know everything.

And one last one — You aren’t always right. — Admit it when you are wrong.

The only thing to add at this point is, I’m glad we have made it throught 2025, and I hope 2026 is a better year for everyone.

Well, and lastly, do Enjoy Life