Category: personal

Cool and misty to start. Then clearing and warming. Like the last couple of days, it should be nice. It’s been great for my mood.

Did my echo cardiogram yesterday morning. Don’t know why I mis-wrote “electro” when even the appointment note in my calendar had it right. It was another new experience. Interesting to watch the pictures and video of my insides…

Did some pickups in the afternoon. Hit the grocery store for a few items. Then kid stuff needed doing. Tuesdays and Thursdays keep me busy until 9pm.

Today I don’t have any poking, prodding, irradiating, or electrifying on the schedule. I do have all my normal stuff. There will be some domestic bliss, and then some more pickups. This week had a lot of stuff for the BOL, and a few things for here. I picked up some resale stuff too, because the deal was too good to pass up. And hey, I’ve got a hamfest coming up, and I would like to have a few new things to sell.

The world does continue to turn. It is feeling like momentum for real change domestically might be flagging… while the war machine juggernaut is lurching to its feet internationally. I don’t see any reason to stop prepping. There are plenty of natural disasters, and man made disasters beyond war and civil unrest. As the weather gets nicer, the protests will likely get bigger. They learned lessons, built cadre, put funding and comms networks into place. They’ll want to exercise that this year.

Don’t be slack, continue to stack! ‘cuz that can ain’t kicking itself done the road.

nick

Cool and clear? Finally, we got clear blue sky and moderate temperatures yesterday afternoon. The day had a great start with grey and fog, so I didn’t expect the blue sky evening. Hoping for the same today.

Did some of my stuff yesterday, then picked up the kids. Took D1 and the dog for a walk because it was so nice.

Had a chat during the walk with D1 about her friend. The friend is trying hard to break the cycle of generational poverty and being a hood rat. But she also has no real idea about what the stuff she wants to do will cost, or the time it will take. She wants to homeschool while also being a traveling nurse, for example, while living on a horse farm in Virginia… The poor kid knows there are better lives out there but has no idea what’s really involved. Goals are good. Fantasies are not. D is getting a lesson in real life, because she really wants to help the friend, but her (much more realistic) appraisal is not welcome.

You can’t save the whole world. That’s a tough lesson to learn.

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Today I have another pickup only down south this time, instead of northeast. I was able to split the days up so I didn’t have to do both in the same day. I also might be able to combine a trip this way. This pickup is mostly stuff for the house.

My pace of acquisition is slowing, for sure, and the stuff I’m buying is more niche or further down the “nice to have” path. Two steel NATO style gas cans are a good buy, and I feel like I can always use another gas can, but do I really NEED another two cans? Well, the steel cans do keep the gas better than the plastic cans that breathe. And the plastic cans will split on the seams eventually. So if I can get them cheap, I will buy gas cans. Same goes for alternative heating, cooling, or cooking methods.

Duplicates, defense in depth alternatives, and unicorns are what I seem to be looking for these days, when it’s not something needed for day to day operations in the house or BOL. I probably need to spend some time editing and culling spoiled or supplanted items too. There is always more to do.

Stacking is the easiest, and sometimes that’s all I can manage. Do something.

nick

Still winter here in Houston. 40F most of the day? Probably. Still wet too. It would be nice to see the sun today… but I’m not holding my breath. Sunday was grey, damp, and cold all day.

So we mostly stayed in. Even though I was up and moving early, other than auction stuff, not much got done. Long chat with my wife about the kids and school, but nothing much else. They all watched Walking Dead, while D1 made cookies, and I sat in my office. I’ll regret the lack of progress on the list, but Dang was I unmotivated.

Today I’ve got some auctions to pickup, and normal kid stuff. There are a few things I can do along the way around the house too. Some of it takes very little effort, but I still have trouble actually knocking some of them off the list.

I fell too far behind on some stuff and the effort to catch up is daunting.

Still gotta at least try to plan to try…

Always be working.
n

Cool and damp, maybe cold and wet. It’s been gradually getting warmer, and I’m hoping we can stop freezing at night, but it IS winter… And winter in the northern hemisphere is generally cold.

Did my pickups yesterday. Talked to my auctioneer about getting stuff back in the auction… and he’s just about ready. We also talked about the state of the industry and some new players getting started, while some old ones fade out. It’s easy to buy, and much harder to sell…

Then I spent the evening at the theatre, with W and D2. It was a good show. Well sung, well produced, and generally just really well done. I forgot the main leads were kids, that’s how good it was. D2 thinks she would like to attend this school, but it’s crazy expensive. The education is top notch, focused on college and beyond, and very well regarded. It’s also academically much more challenging than the school we’re zoned to, where D1 is currently enrolled. I think we’re going to have some tough discussions coming up.

We’ve been prepping for college, but not for spending college money on a high school.

Freaking kids grow up so fast.

That’s why you gotta stack while you can. You never know what the future will bring.

nick

Cool and damp in Houston. Slightly warmer than the BOL though. Still, chilly to start the day and a bit overcast too. The end of the week is looking better, so I’ll take a little grey now, if it helps.

Did my cleanup and closing up, then headed home from the BOL yesterday. Hit two auction pickups on the way home. Got mostly household stuff. I’m buying fewer things as I have most of what I need. And I’m considering the travel time and miles, and adding that to the price. Some of the auctions have had very high prices lately. That usually means new money is coming in. I’m guessing that more people have found the auctions. The sellers support that as they are complaining that the new buyers don’t really understand what they are bidding on and buying. I’ve been cheerleading for people to start shopping in the secondary economy, so I can’t really complain if they do, and if they run prices up because they don’t know any better…

Today I’ve got a Dr appointment in the morning, and then at least one pickup. I need to hit Lowes and get the stuff I need to finish at the BOL too. Plus, Tuesday is my big ‘kid taxi’ day. I’ll be busy, putting miles on the truck today. I guess I can complain, but no one really cares. And I really don’t either. I chose this, and I generally like it.

Doesn’t mean I won’t TRY to complain though. And of course, I’ll be stacking while doing it…

nick

Wet and cool. Not freezing any more, and certainly not dry. Misty drizzle all day Saturday, and all night, and probably all day today too. Grey and ugly.

I did a couple of things Saturday, but mostly avoided work. I had a pickup to do, a Mr Heater unit and some solar panels, and it was a new auctioneer in an area I don’t usually get too. I decided to hit a couple of estate sales that were in the same area. The sales were a bust, but I found a pocket neighborhood I didn’t even know existed. BIG lots, crappy houses, minutes from a major commuting route, and unincorporated. You’d never know it was there.

I checked it out when I got home, and there wasn’t much for sale, but the prices suggested that other people found it too, recognized the potential, and are willing to pay to get in. It’s like being out in the country, right in town. Unfiltered country, leaf burning, trucks in the yard, “can’t tell me what to do” country, not manicured horse owner county. But two lots down from the guy with a junkyard on his acre plus lot is a $1.6M mansion… it will change and quickly. I’d love to buy a lot there as an investment, but it’s probably already too late. There are still areas like this in the Houston metro area, but they don’t get advertised.

Today I’ll do some more, and less than I hoped.

Wife is working on taxes. We recently found out our accountant died. We didn’t even know she was sick, and we thought she was prepping her assistant to take over when she retired, but it seems not, as her husband just mentions returning any personal paperwork she might have had. It’s a tragedy for her and her family, and just an inconvenience for us, but it was shocking. I’ve been with her for about 30 years… finding someone good who is taking new clients is hard, so my wife is giving it a go, based on the paperwork for the last 10 years. With the solid examples, she thinks she can just keep doing what our CPA was doing, at least for last year and this one. I’m still gonna look for a new accountant.

You never know what life will throw at you. I didn’t have a good backup for this, other than good record keeping and the ability to get online, and to download software. None of us are getting younger, and that includes our business partners, and service providers too. Take a good look at how changes could affect you, and make sure you are ok with what you find.

I’ll add the Mr Heater, and the solar panels to my stacks. I’ll add “find a new accountant” to my list. And I’ll light a candle.

nick

keep stacking.