Month: October 2025

Cool, then warm. Maybe hot again. We had some dark clouds but no actual rain. We could use some rain.

I woke up with a pretty sharp pinching pain in my back, in a spot that doesn’t usually feel like that. That put a bit of a crimp in my morning so I got back in bed after some stretching. Got up an hour later and did more stretching. And some more. Then a hot shower, and MORE stretching and twisting, and I finally felt a tiny little pop as it moved into where it was supposed to be. Immediately I felt better. And it was tiny, less then a pop you’d feel in your knuckle.

Learning to manipulate and deal with my neck and back issues has been an ongoing challenge but is absolutely worth doing, if I believe I may not always have access to a chiropractor and meds. And I believe that.

Once I got that fixed, I was able to start my day. Among all the other normal stuff I did two pickups. These two are within a mile of each other. Sitting in the truck did bring a little bit of my back issue but I’m still good as I write this. More stretching today.

Picked up a prescription at the HEB and did some weekly shopping. Hamburger, 77/23 was $5/pound. The ground chuck and ground sirloin was even more. Nothing good on sale either, but some cans of baked beans on the clearance shelf ended up in my cart. Some chinese seasonings too. I always check the clearance area in any store – you never know what you’ll find.

In the evening we had our local “Neighbors Night Out.” Nice to see the neighbors outside of a hurricane or storm. All their babies are little kids now. We were about 10 years early to this neighborhood.

After dinner I spent some time fixing something for D2. It’s been a while since I needed to. I used to fix something for them pretty much every couple of days. I guess that’s growing up.

Today I’ve got to meet the guy buying my buddy’s thing. I’ve also got a couple of pickups, one close to home, one on the other side of town. I’ve been putting that off in case I win something else on that side, so I can combine trips. Gas is fairly cheap, but my time, and the tolls are not.

The economy definitely feels tighter, even for me, and I live like I’m on my last dime pretty much all the time. Living on my ACTUAL last dime for a couple of years will do that, I think. I’m also hearing a lot more comments about it being tight, and the economy being bad. Since I’m in Texas, and it’s generally much better than the rest of the country, I can’t imagine how bad it must be in other places.

We’re seeing it too. I’ve noticed debris piling up on the highways, more illegal dumping, and more closed businesses than in the last couple of years. We’re very cyclical here, but we’re definitely going into a down phase, despite all the people fleeing blue cities moving here.

Think about your situation, and start making plans. If you’ve already made plans, start working them. If you are already working your plan, evaluate and adapt as needed.

And stack, because that’s the easiest to do.

nick

Cool. Warm. Hot. Sweaty throughout. Like most days in the Fall. Pretty much like yesterday. Until about 5pm when a front moved nearby and the dark clouds brought shade, and a 10 degree drop in temp. No rain for us though. And probably none today.

I messed around all morning, then did two pickups. The big item was two more solar panels. Freaking things are almost 4ft x 6ft. Took them to the shop, unloaded, cleared a path to the item I’m selling, and changed the locks on the door. It was a sorta productive day.

I hope today is more productive. I still haven’t made arrangements with the buyer for a real meeting time. I would like to get that taken care of. I could do two pickups today or put them off until tomorrow. I’m still pretty sore from all the bending and carrying… so not super motivated. We’ll see how the morning goes.

I’ve got plenty to do around the house. Not bidding on stuff is supposed to be freeing up time for me, and it has. I’m still working on it though. I need to be a little bit better during my mornings too.

The world is getting twitchier every day. Stuff could break loose anytime. There are typically some ‘fits and starts’ at the beginning, so you’ll know, but then it might be too late for real prepping. Get your stuff in order, like a hurricane was coming.

And big picture? Take a look at your easily searchable online history and see if you might be making yourself a target. Some of us, there isn’t anything we can do about it. Some of you might be better off without a target on your back. It’s all fun and games until the molotovs start flying.

Stack like you might not be able to next week.

nick

Cool again, but it’s not getting quite as hot later. Yesterday took a while to get to 80F and didn’t go that much higher. It was still 80F after dinner though. Clear, with some clouds, and we’ll see if there is any scattered showers.

I left the house early with the best intentions, but you know how that goes. I ended up talking to a new seller for far too long. It was interesting, and I want resellers to succeed so I have somewhere to buy from. I try to cross pollinate the sellers and share what I know doesn’t work. Plus, she has chickens and a prepping mindset.

After that, I did another pickup on my way home. Stopped at my shop and unloaded. Got a detailed picture for a potential buyer of one of the items I’m selling for my buddy. Came home and had a heat and eat entree for dinner.

I try to rotate dinners and aim for a week where I have one cheap meal, involving hamburger or canned chicken and a box. One meal in the oven or slow cooker. One meal from costco that’s convenient/heat and eat. One nice steak dinner. Another quick meal like ham steak, sauteed shrimp, or pot stickers. Then I might have another roast (beef or pork), or a steak/pork chops on the grill. Some weeks a precooked chicken finds its way home, or some ribs get grilled, or we get takeout. If there are leftovers, one night will be leftover night. Sometimes there will be pasta with a cream based sauce worked into the mix. In any case, I try for one of those to be a nice full meal with side dishes.

With the kids getting more involved in school and outside activities, getting a sit down dinner is becoming harder. That’s life though.

Today I’ve got stuff around the house to do. I am going to get out of the house for lunch, and turn some money into noise and smoke. I shouldn’t have any pickups, I’ll save them for Friday. That will give me some time to do stuff, cuz more stuff needs to leave the house.

I do have to get my ebay shipping out the door, but that won’t take long.

Keeping up my fine motor skills is an important prep. Getting out in meatspace and connecting with people is too. Go do something, then stack!

nick