Category: open thread

Thur. June 11, 2026 – Stub number five (is alive)

More mild and windy days… or anyway that’s what they’ll probably get here. Yesterday was nice, with some sun, but a lot of overcast to keep the heat down.

Played games with W and mom, mini golf with the kinder… ate good food.

Today is kind of up in the air, and will take some juggling. The easiest solution is the most boring and tedious but we might just be up for it.

The question was asked, “Stack what?” The short answer is “everything” but of course that’s not a GOOD answer. I think that having enough of all the daily life stuff to stay home for a couple of months (I probably have 6 months) is about the best you could do on a normal budget, with a normal life. That covers most any normal threat, and eases the way into any ‘new normal’ from an extraordinary threat. Having spares for critical items should be a priority, and the ability to supply at least some quantity of the infrastructure you rely on is also a priority.

Average age here clearly influences both desire and ability to prepare. Everyone will have their own timeline. I just want to get through the massive world wide disruption that I believe has already started, and set my kids up to succeed in whatever comes next. I figure I have 20 decent years, and 10 after that with reduced capacity if things go well for me.

I ask myself what I’d have done in 1932 if I could go back from 1945, and then I see what the equivalent would be today. Out of any money shenannigans. Into goods and crucial services. War is always good for some people and companies, the question is which ones. Food never goes amiss. Imports vanish and simple things become luxuries. Having money means having options. Your neighbors will save you, or destroy you. Choose them wisely. Be neither the first, nor the last to act. If you think you should, it is probably too late so set some trigger points ahead of time.

Stack something that will give you options and prevent acting out of desperation.

nick

Read the comments: 56 Comments

Wed. June 10, 2026 – Stub number four (and counting)

Yesterday was windy, mostly cloudy, and moderately hot. Very humid at sea level. Today is supposed to be the same with a small possibility of rain early. We’ll see. BTW, I didn’t cause an earthquake the other day, nor did my momma….

Had a nice day yesterday with a fun activity, good food, and an afternoon nap. Then more food and a comedy show that was actually pretty funny.

Today should be low key, with a technical tour in the morning, and the rest of the day to relax and chill. If the weather is mild, that’ll be a nice bonus.

I hope everyone is enjoying the good old days.

And stacking. Y’all better be stacking.

nick

Read the comments: 58 Comments

Tues. June 9, 2026 – Stub number three

Mumble mumble mumble— weather is goofy all over. Nice here though. Sunny, humid, and hot. I can only hope my house and the BOL came through any storms without damage. We’ll get home when we get home.

Spent the morning shopping in the tourist trap. Kid bought a necklace she’s very happy with. I passed on everything. No cerveza sin alcohol to be had either. 10 years ago no one here had heard of it, now they know it but don’t stock it. Change.

Today it’s a bit more fun in the sun with a snorkeling trip involving small boats and getting in the water. We’ll see how that goes for me this time.

Then it will be more good food and maybe some more time talking with my mom. We did play a card game with W and D2 yesterday after dinner. Memories….

Stack up the good times. I’ve a feeling we’ll need them.

nick

Read the comments: 58 Comments

Mon. June 8, 2026 – Stub number two

Well, we’re supposed to get good weather. Yesterday had a little rain in the morning but it cleared and the sun was a laser burning my flesh by the afternoon. Today should be the same.

Didn’t do much more than read, sleep, and eat. Chatted with my mom a bit. Hope to do some more today.

Today has a beach visit scheduled. I will probably not enjoy that much, but the kids will, so I’ll go along.

I’m sure that by the time I settle into this trip it’ll be time to head home. That’s the nature of the beast.

Stack it up, as there is still time. If you need any reason, hurricane season will be getting underway. Now so will I.

nick

Read the comments: 42 Comments

Sun. June 7, 2026 – Stub number one

Weather is beautiful here. Not at all beautiful in Houston. No idea if it’s having any direct impact on my stuff. Eventually we’ll find out. Nothing I can do from here.

Had a travel day, ending in an arrived where we were going day. It’s nice so far.

Looks like I will probably be able to open the door and turn the lights on most days but I’ll leave the stubs in place just in case.

Stack! you know I’d want you to.

nick

Read the comments: 33 Comments

Sat. Jan. 24, 2026 – the big freeze is coming!

But it’s off to a slow start. Cool and moist to start anyway, but supposed to drop rapidly at some point. It was about 62F most of yesterday, and dripping wet. Gross. Had to run the defroster in the Ranger to see once the sun went down. It’ll probably be like that until the cold front gets here.

Spent the morning doing domestic bliss, then headed to my pickups. That took a couple hours out of my afternoon. I did stop and get 15 gallons of diesel fuel to run in my diesel heater, if needed. It’ll stay good for a long time if not used. I went by my LP Gas guy, but he had 20+ people in line. I’ll try him today if I feel motivated. I’ve got 4 full bottles here.

I then spent a couple hours at the shop moving stuff, throwing stuff out, and setting up shelves. I also got some sorting done. Then home for takeout with the Wife. Both Daughters had stuff to do. I’m the least social by a large margin.

Today I’ll do a couple more things to get ready for winter. Maybe I will pull a chuck roast out for the crockpot. That’s always good on a blustery day.

I will say, I have a hard time getting excited about a cold front. It’s not going to last 2 weeks, only a couple of days. Hurricanes are a bigger threat, and even strong winds like the ‘derecho’ we got last year are more likely to create lasting issues.

I guess I’ve got a bit of disaster fatigue. And maybe the disasters are not so impressive anymore.

That’s kinda the idea behind prepping though, and living a prepping lifestyle. You shouldn’t have to do much, other than shifting some stores around, to be ready for most things. Especially something like cold in winter.

Given all the hype and the constant need to give your attention to some hugely important thing, which changes daily, you might think we were being manipulated, and constantly kept off balance. But that would just be a conspiracy theory, right??

Stack. Then calmly live your life.

nick

Read the comments: 54 Comments

Thur. Sept. 25, 2025 – 092525 – who was that masked man?

Yeah, it’s gonna be around 76F this morning, and as humid as the swamp gets. Probably. And later it will get hot, and some parts of Houston will get rained on. Like yesterday. I’m glad it’s boring, and not hurricanes lined up, but it does make this opening segment kinda lame.

Like yesterday. Kinda lame. I did move some stuff around and do some more sorting and cleaning. I also feel like I’m getting the beginning of a scratchy throat, so I’m not ready to push hard. It’s so humid that even though it’s low 90sF, it’s draining to do any physical work. And it has been pretty much the same for months. That is a bit unusual and it’s certainly tedious.

Let’s see if I can go a paragraph without using ‘it’s’… or an ellipsis. FAIL! It’s so hard..

Kidding! I kid. Apparently the kids think the ellipsis is a boomer thing. So is capitalization and spelling, as far as I can tell, or at least it’s not their thing.

This interweb thing is changing us. Like MTV and the quick edit/jump cut, short form content is altering our brains. The “internet arguing style” is showing up in real life too. It’s not an improvement.

Today I hope to do more of the same– cleaning and organizing and moving stuff around. Also, I’ll do a couple of pickups. If I get all that out of the way, I might have time tomorrow for some noisy fun.

Staying current with all the tools is an important prep. So is stacking- both the tools and the time using them. Get some noisy fun time in before the month is over.

nick

Read the comments: 48 Comments

Wed. Sept. 24, 2025 – usually the title doesn’t mean anything

Somewhat cool? It was warmer yesterday morning, so it might be warm again today. And it will get warmer throughout the day. It did rain in various parts of town yesterday, although not much, and not for long. Lots of ugly clouds in the sky. Today should be the same.

I did a couple of pickups after doing some office work in the morning. Then I took some stuff to the shop, and moved stuff around at the house. I’m making slow progress cleaning up and getting stuff out of here. It just piles up elsewhere for now, but the goal is to get rid of it.

I did decide to move the laser engraver and all of the stuff for it to the shop. It would be convenient to have it set up here, but for safety issues, and noxious fume issues, not to mention the lack of somewhere to put it issues, it has to go somewhere else. The printers are still here for now. I am still holding out hope that one kid or the other will get interested in using them, or some of my other ‘maker’ stuff. So far it hasn’t happened. And it may be generational, as this generation seems to be content to do this much and no more.

It could be that they haven’t found that thing they would dive into yet, but we had all had a dozen hobbies and interests by now. I’d already built models, a model railroad layout, had slot cars, built a heathkit clock, torn apart a pile of electronics, tried to take my bike apart to make it go faster, and bought my first computer (TRS-80.)

When a buddy introduced me to the music of Led Zeppelin I had to hear all of it, same thing when I heard Jimi Hendrix, or later Kate Bush, or Rush. My kids, and the kids I see at school, are content to hear what they hear, and not pursue more. Their extreme risk aversion extends to learning new things or doing new things.

And that isn’t good.

———–
So I’ll keep doing what I can. Stacking what needs stacking, and learning what needs learning. Maybe teaching what needs to be taught…

nick

Read the comments: 53 Comments

Sat. Sept. 20, 2025 – what’s up homies?

Cool morning. Warm day. Hot afternoon. With clouds, but we’re not supposed to get rain. Like yesterday. The sun is still laser hot.

Spent yesterday mostly doing pickups. More stuff for the BOL. More stuff for the house. Prices are generally low so bargains are available. What’s coming through the auctions right now? Portable and window A/C units. Mr Heater propane heaters and clones. Small chest freezers. Shelf units (although they are a staple of auctions they are a bit cheaper than usual). Coolers. Vac sealers, even Foodsaver.

Some of the stuff is just seasonal, some is just the weird ebb and flow.

Today I’m doing stuff around the house. W is giving direction, and we’re to be her minions. I’m scared.

Keep working, keep stacking.

nick

Read the comments: 55 Comments

Mon. Sept. 1, 2025 – Labor Day, US

Cooler, but wet. Rained yesterday and may rain again today. If not, the humidity is high and everything is dripping anyway. Parts of Houston even flooded, and some of the highway on the way up here was wet enough that cars were throwing up rooster tails.

It ended up actually being a ‘day of rest’ for me. Other than the drive up, I napped, ate, and read.

I don’t know what I’ll get done today, or when I’ll call it quits and head home. With the extra kid and using the minivan instead of my pickup, IDK how we’ll split up for the ride home. I may not be able to stay later, even if I have stuff to do. At least most of the yard doesn’t need mowing. The lack of rain and cutting it too short KEPT it short.

I did get to review my attempts at re-grading and reworking the road in the HOA lot and the boat ramp. I got one area a bit wrong and water isn’t quite flowing where I’d like. I think it can be corrected with a tractor and a box blade though, so that’s good. I will see if I can get one of the other guys to make the change.

I got some elevation wrong in my front yard too, and it’s not draining as well as I’d hoped. That will be a bit harder to fix. The easiest thing for now is to dig little trenches to drain the low spot, which I did.

There is always more to do. And more stuff to stack. I better get busy and do some of it.

nick

Read the comments: 40 Comments
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- // end of file archive.php // -------------------------------------------------------------------------------