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Category: lakehouse

Sun. Feb. 22, 2026 – so, that didn’t go to plan

Cold today, maybe down to almost freezing. And chilly to start. It was mid 40sF when I went to bed. Sunny and mostly around 60-70F yesterday, which was nice. Not so much today.

I didn’t get much of the original plan done yesterday. I started laying out everything, and getting it together, but came up short on bathroom fans. So, I put that task further down the list and kept cleaning and organizing, since I was already well into that. I did do a couple of structural notes, that were minor, but needed attention before they got major.

Today, I’m going to pull some dang wire. Should be cold in the attic, so I can’t use the heat as an excuse. I’m still probably going to take breaks by doing more sorting and organizing, but I really need to pull some wire. And I need to unload the truck. And spend at least a little time chatting with my buddy.

I didn’t see him yesterday so he must not have been feeling good. I hope I’ll see him today, if not, I might ping him or go by his house.

I missed the Hamfest, and feel conflicted about that. I’d have liked to have gone, and I will probably have time next month, if it was at its normal time… oh well.

I’m working to improve my situation. And putting stacks to good use. Can’t do much more than that.

nick

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Sat. Feb. 21, 2026 – At the BOL, supposed to be working

It is supposed to be clear today. It was hazy and 60F when I got here last night. No idea what the temp should be like but I’m hoping for “not too hot” as most of what I’d like to get done is in the attic. It was a warm and moist day in Houston yesterday. It’ll probably be warm and moist here.

Did my auction pickups yesterday, then loaded my truck. Hit the Lowe’s for some supplies, and eventually got on the road. Lotsa cops on the road last night.

Today I’ll like to get started pulling in the electrical for a couple of bath fans, a reading light over the toilet, a towel warmer, a space heater for the hall bath, and power to my ‘server closet.’ If I can get all that in, and my buddy can be my safety officer while I do the connections, then I can maybe start on networking and cams. That is the overall goal for this weekend and maybe Monday. There is plenty to do besides that, if I need more or different work.

There is always more.

But I’m improving my situation and that’s a good thing.

If you can’t work, stack.

nick

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Fri. Feb. 20, 2026 – puns are no phun

Warm, possibly clearing and turning into a nice day. It never really did yesterday, staying warm and humid, but overcast or cloudy. Still, not really winter. I had the windows down while driving, and it was nice enough.

I did auction stuff in the morning, winning two things for the BOL, then pickups in the afternoon. I followed that with a couple of hours of sorting at the shop, then dinner at home. Then more auction stuff, with a whole lot of lots in an estate sale. All home and household stuff, all at steep discounts. I’ll be picking that up today.

I have the estate sale to pick up, and then I’ll try to load the truck and head to the BOL in the late afternoon. I’d love to get through The Woodlands before 5, and I can do a pickup on the way if I do.

I’ll need to do some shopping before heading out though. I want to be sure I have what I need to do the electrical work I want to get done this weekend. Turns out it will just be me there, so I should be able to crank out some work. I’ve got bath fans to install, lighting to install, a heated towel bar, and some outlets. If I get that done, I can start setting up the networking and cameras.

There’s plenty of other stuff to do there too, including yard work, so I don’t think I’ll lack tasks. I’ll have to put away all the stuff I bring up with me too.

All in all, the next couple of days should be very busy.

It’s a good life if you don’t falter. Plus, I’ll get to use some of the stuff I’ve been stacking! While also adding to stacks. Win – win!

Join me in stacking, won’t you?

nick

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Wed. Feb. 18, 2026 – capon, kapo, Kapton, kapok, capo

Silly me, tricks are for kids. And today is supposed to be trick free and very nice. Clear and moderate, mid 70sF, maybe into the low 80sF? Nice. Yesterday I had the windows down for most of my driving around and it was refreshing. This mild weather has been a treat.

So I didn’t get much done in the morning besides auction stuff. And my afternoon pickup was not something I could combine with anything else, so it was like last year when I spent the whole afternoon doing pickups. I had hoped to get a second in, but the traffic was going to make a normally reasonable trip into a 2 hours round trip. I will get that one today.

I did hit the Goodwill for a pair of shoes and some media. Turns out I already had ripped 6 of the disks. Oh well, I’ll send them to the BOL, and maybe we’ll watch Young Frankenstein off the DVD instead of the server.

I feel like I’ve been fighting off a cold, or maybe it’s allergies, but I’m sure blowing my nose a lot and sneezing prodigiously… bit of brain fog to accompany the snot too.

Today I’ll do a couple of pickups and some work at the shop. No child to pick up after school, and more flexibility with dinner, so I can work a bit later if needed.

I did vac seal the sirloin I bought on sale an froze it a couple of days ago. It was nice to be stacking meat instead of drawing down the stacks. I still need to go through my canned goods and triage out the damaged and failed cans. I really need better storage conditions. And I should pull all the fruit and tomato cans at the BOL before they mess up my storage there…

It’s always something. Usually several somethings, and I don’t work hard enough to keep up.

Speaking of which, I’m skipping the Houston area hamfest this year. It’s this weekend, which is also the first time I can go to to the BOL in months, and the last time for another month, unless I go mid week. It’s a month early, and I don’t have much new stuff to sell this year, and no time to get ready before Saturday. First time I’ve missed it since I started going, and I feel weird about it. People seem to look for my load o crap in particular, and it’s a great day to see and chat with people. I won’t even be going to check out the show, which would be a lot of fun, because I’m gonna be in the attic pulling wire at the BOL. I’ve got to get that done before the heat really arrives.

There is never enough time for everything, and sometimes the choices suck. It’s also funny that two guys from the community at the BOL are guys I only see at the Hamfest… I won’t see them this year.

Oh well, I need to be working to improve my situation at the BOL right now. And stacking. Always stacking.

nick

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Sat. Feb. 7, 2026 – up early for the kinder…

I guess I’ll see how cold it is at 7am. Probably 50F. Then warming throughout the day, much like Friday. In fact, Friday afternoon was really nice. Warm, sunny, clear… really nice. And I’m hoping for some more of that today.

I did office stuff in the morning, then did a pickup in the afternoon. Stopped and got a propane bottle filled, went by the secondary location, stopped at the shop and spent a couple of hours sorting and organizing. Didn’t get to storage, but did make progress so there might be room for it when it does come over.

Today I’m up early to get youngest and two of her friends to a school thing, then get them back home after. Then I need to get her to school for another thing that will go all afternoon and evening, with an afterparty…

W and D1 are headed to look at a college, with W continuing on to the BOL. She’ll stay the night and then pick up the kid on her way home. Kid will be staying with a friend. I’ll be home shuffling D2 around and working on the list.

It’s hard to complain. I will anyway. But by any metric I’m a blessed man. Gotta remember that.

Stack something. Count your blessings.

nick

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Sat. Jan. 17, 2026 – early start, then the normal stuff

Chilly and headed lower according to the weather liars. It was pretty nice yesterday, if a bit breezy and chilly when the sun wasn’t out. Nice for January in any case.

I spent most of Friday afternoon driving to my pickup, meeting with my auctioneer, and hitting a couple of thrift stores on my way home. Got a nice shirt and a couple of pairs of shorts. I noticed I’ve worn through the collar on a couple of my favorite shirts, so picking up a nice one was warranted. I’m beginning to see some unwelcome changes in the thrift stores that worry me. Stock levels are low, and prices are high. That means even the thrift stores are having trouble. Only a very rich society has thrift stores.

Today D2 has a thing that I have to get her to even earlier than a normal school day. I think I’ll go back to bed after dropping her off. Then I’ve got one thing to pick up, and a list to get to work on. Uncharacteristically, W noticed that I’m making a bit of slow progress around the house and mentioned it. That was nice. Prepping plus reselling plus my affection for having a lot of stuff around me can equal piles sitting everywhere without rigid discipline. I don’t have rigid discipline.

I’m working on it.

Stack, but don’t let it become more than that. Saving old cans or stuff because it might “make be useful as a trade good post collapse” is right on the edge of “more than that.”

nick

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Mon. Dec. 29, 2025 – interregnum … sorta

The cold front got here right on schedule. Temps yesterday started falling and the wind started howling, and it was only 45F when I went to bed. So I expect it to be cold today. Windy too. Pretty much the definition of a blustery day.

I did nothing of note yesterday. Wife read. Kids did their thing. I worked on a puzzle. And read. We ate leftovers all day. No fires, big or tiny. Too much wind.

Today W and the kids are headed home. I’m staying later, like usual, and will do some ‘wrap up’ things. We got the tree down last night, but I have lights to take down and put away. At home I’ll leave the lights and decor up until after New Year’s Day, but I don’t want them up here without knowing when we’ll be back up.

We’ll have a few more days of “between time” and then we’ll get into the new year and the rush to summer. But for now, it’s time to relax and reflect and recharge.

And stack of course.

nick

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Sun. Dec. 28, 2025 – another day ‘between the years’

Cool, but warming, and humid. Possibly getting cold tonight. Yesterday was just like Friday- other than being moist, it was a beautiful day. It’s a mild end to a mild year for us.

I arose late, somewhat sore and stiff, ate and did very little. I spent several hours working on a puzzle while W put Thompson’s Water Seal on the teak furniture. She sanded the top surfaces last visit. They look much better. Teak is pretty sturdy but it does benefit from maintenance.

I did manage some other very small tasks, and made dinner, so it was a pretty relaxed day.

We still haven’t decided if we’re headed home today, or tomorrow. I’ve got more small stuff I can do, and W wants to just do relaxing things and enjoy the place a bit. The only real reason to head home is D2’s plans and it might be easier to drop her where she wants to go on the way home tomorrow. (She wants to visit a friend who has a lakehouse on another sorta nearby lake.)

I’ve been pretty good about not thinking of all the things piling up on my lists. Mostly. Still, it niggles.

I have been taking notes about some stuff that needs to be bolstered here, or replaced. I let that slack off for a bit, but some basic stuff needs refinement. I really really need some secure storage here… and to sort out the networking.

But that’s for another day. Stack what you can, while you can. And stay frosty.

nick

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Sat. Dec. 27, 2025 – now we’re counting down the year…

Cool and wet. REALLY damp. The sun does dry things out by about 4pm, but before and after that, it’s wet. On the plus side, it’s mid 70s to low 80sF during the day, and the sun is hot when it pokes through. In other words, pretty dang nice weather.

I spent yesterday trying not to do too much. Working on networking seemed like ‘too much’. Ate, played games, ate. Did some piddlefarting around. Split some firewood. Did some very small tasks on the dock and in the dockhouse.

Took the boat out for a spin with W driving. Pleasantly, it started right up. W changed out the fabric of the bimini top and I looked at some future small tweaks.

There is corrosion on some of the electrical system, I should install the isolation battery switch, a nav light wasn’t working (and now I need spare bulbs and fuses), and other small things.

Boats and boat related stuff are a whole ‘nother pile of stacks, tasks, maintenance, and knowledge. Yes, pretty much every aspect of life and prepping is, and here we went and added this whole new branch to the tree labeled “Boat stuff”. There is some overlap with “dock stuff” and “fishing stuff” as well as the more general “property on a lake” stuff. It adds capability too, and fits with the dual use nature of my prepping. Anything I do can’t negatively impact our everyday lives, and should have a dual use- normal life and prepper life.

I don’t always get it 100% right.

But I try.

Stack the usual, but try something new too.

n

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Fri. Dec. 26, 2025 – store returns day

Cool, mid 60s all day, and maybe some overcast? It was pretty grey most of yesterday, so I expect the same today. It was 67F when I went to bed but also very wet.

We spent the day eating, opening presents, cooking, and playing board games. We played Catan in the afternoon, and Ticket to Ride after dinner. I had terrible luck with both games, and D1 dominated.

Santa brought good stuff, everyone was happy with their gifts. I got a couple of tools and another Morakniv. My fisherman friend brought be a box of 9mm for my next range day.

The oven roasted duck was a very simple recipe but was delicious. I made chopped carrots sauteed in butter with marjoram, and sauteed cabbage and onions as sides, with a loaf of shelf stable bread and some baked garlic clusters with blue cheese as appetizers. We were too full for dessert.

It’s only the second time I’ve made duck. It was cheaper than hamburger at Costco, and the kids liked it the first time, so I tried it again. Success. We’ll have a lamb roast this weekend,and probably a sirloin cap roast as well. They’re defrosted, and easy to cook, so they’re on the menu.

The “summer kitchen” idea of having an oven in the garage worked out well again. I’m glad to have that heat out there and not in the kitchen. I am thinking about where to put a 2 burner stove, and maybe a place for the deep fryer out there too. If I can get a small stainless steel table, about 2ft or 2x3ft, that would be perfect.

The prep for the week was to bring up the 5 buckets of Wise emergency food I got from that estate sale. At $6/ bucket I’m not too disappointed that two of the buckets are breakfast stuff, and three are essentially side dishes and soups. That’s typical for emergency buckets sold to preppers. Worth adding to the stacks, not worth buying at full price unless you supplement them and can’t get Mountain House.

Other than cooking, I tried not to ‘work’. Mostly succeeded.

Today I’ll take a look at networking and cameras. That should occupy me but not be too taxing.

Even on the holidays, always keep improving. And stacking if it doesn’t take away from family time.

nick

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