New York March NYC Meet-Up

[Calzone]

Bed Bath and Beyond is reported to having to close down 20% of its stores.

I hope the store near 59th Street on First Avenue doesn't get shut. I just came back from one of my hauls; saved just under $35.00 and only spent just under $129.00.

Last haul I did I saved nearly $45.00 and only spent $102.00. That haul was a better yield.

I still have a wad of coupons left. All are expired except for 4 new ones, three of these I recovered out of the waste basket by the mailboxes. I likely have about a hundred coupons left in my stockpile.

When I bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner it was suppose to be excluded, but I got 20% off. I figure a computer error worked in my favor.

So about two decades ago, construction was going on in my lab, before the cyclotron was installed. A pair of painters were painting the floor with this grey two part industrial epoxy paint that cost mucho money.

I asked a few questions, and then in the exchange one of the painters asked me if I want two gallon kits. Right now those two gallon kits are stored at my Public Storage.

I wonder if they shelf lifed? Anyways perfect for a concrete floor or a basement or for a darkroom floor. This is the real deal industrial stuff.

Wonder if the two gallons are enough to do the floor of the oversized 1 1/2 car garage?

Anyways what strange luck. "I was just minding my own business," I say. LOL.

Cal

 

[Prest_400]

I've taken the antibody test today courtesy of the government and our taxpayer money. Might get to know if the flu I had was influenza or covid, or not, as some sources say that after a couple month the antibodies get lost.
This country has a nonchalant attitude to the pandemic and it doesn't feel like it at all. I don't know what to think anymore.

People talk about vacations and travel, which does subconsciously annoy me.

I do head town to my work office almost every day, I find many people mentioning "I need to be here at least to see other people". No problems with me being there, as I do give conversation and enjoy the perks.

I love crazy women. LOL.
Cal

I know a girl in a sort of friend-romance limbo. I keep asking if she's in town but went to the coast or up north downhill biking. Might be a sign, at least to be a bit more serious with mtb 😀

I'm imagining you doing rally upstate with that Subaru. Jeep scrambler days.

 

[Calzone]

I'm imagining you doing rally upstate with that Subaru. Jeep scrambler days.

Jorde,

I need a vehicle that is somewhat sturdy. I like the sound of the exhaust under full acceleration, and red lining an engine. I also like performance driving.

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition that was writen by this Pulitzer Prize winning professor of geology at UCLA. He wrote three books: "Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis;" "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succceed;" and "Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" (this book won him the Pulitzer).

The above titles somehow relate to a lengthy full page article on Covid in the context of where epidemics are agents of historical change. It also deals with migrations, globalization, colonization that covers a history of about 10,000 years as a starting point because that is when humans discovered a new way of life via the domestication of animals.

The key takeaways are that diseases that caused epidemics and pandemics made the jump from animals, migrations and colonization spread disease, and huge die offs of populations got displaced though lack of genetic resistance.

It is suggested that over 10,000 years ago indigenous hunter-gatherers that were Aboriginal genetically died off and were displaced by southern Chinese who were farmers with domesticated animals. This anthropology suggests that Aboriginal peoples were displaced by Asians in South East Asia.

Pretty much disease killed off a group of people pretty completely because they lacked genetic resistance to disease brought by a migration of farmers who had domesticated animals.

Malaria prevented the British from colonizing Africa untill a vacine was discovered.

Small Pox killed more Native Americans than the military. Cortez defeated the Aztecs and the Mayan civilizations not so much with military power, but with mostly disease.

The spread of disease is partially blamed on global travel and globalization. New York became an epicenter for Covid because of air travel and NYC being a center for business and tourism.

Have we entered the a new "age of pandemics?" I believe historically we are at a turning point and this is true. Disease today can readily travel via air travel business and tourism.

Present data indicates a "fragile immunity" for people who have Covid-19 antibodies.

"In a global age poor, unhealthy people infected with Covid-19 will remain sources of re-infection for wealthy, healthy people," writes Jared Diamond the Professor.

In conclusion: "The big killers of history and pre-history involve differential mortality: peoples with some genetic and acquired protection from previous exposure, who then infect and caused mass mortality among previously unexposed peoples with no protection."

The differential mortality is further explained as being different this time, where pre-existing genetic protection or antibodies offer little or no defense, but the differences in mortality are more tied to pre-existing conditions, age to some extent, race, socio-economic class, and geography.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Beacon Sunday was a pleasing day. We walked from Metro North making our way from West Main Street, to Main Street, to East Main Street which dead ends into Mountain Lane meandering a bit along the ways.

Heading directly would be 2.3 miles, and it was a climb along the ways. It was "Maggie's" idea to see the Gate House which came as a surprise to me because she confuses me by stating its too small. In the end she loved the location, the anti social remoteness, the peace and quiet and the overall surroundings.

So we got to know the layout of the town and business district, and we did go pretty far to the eastern end. What surprised me the most is that Maggie expressed that her favorite part of town was the eastern end of town where everything was quieter.

Walking down back into town we befriended a local who had moved just recently from Brooklyn. We spent about an hour on his porch with his dog talking for about an hour. We were intoduced to a neighbor who is a real estate agent, and a friend from California who came for a visit and just closed on a house in Beacon.

Our new friend Brett gave us the smut. Evidently although only 56% of Beacon is white there are some racists. Brett's neighbor Jose is a realitor, and knows enough people locally to be able to know the neighbors. I was told of one guy who lives down the block who is Vietnam Veteran who is not only has PTSD but who also is a racist.

So you have to understand that Joe and Christian know that I tend to draw out the crazies where ever I go. Why should Beacon be any different. I now have some people who will keep me safe, or at least prevent me from neighboring a racist.

We had a late lunch at the Round House on their patio overlooking the falls.

The nicely renovated smart house was a wonderful house but the location and the property could on not been worse. The yard was tiny, the next door neighbor had a house that was run down, overgrown, and was shabby, and the house we felt was too close to town/Main Street.

The Gate house up close had a wonderful private location bordering on a sanctuary, but it became obvious that this timber frame structure needed new windows and new siding.

The idea for me though would to build a Structual Insulated Panel cottage built on a slab to have a energy efficient living space, and then convert the almost 800 square foot Gate House that is close to the road into my studio. BTW I could see Phil doing something like this.

Of course somehow I would need/require a sewer hook up, I don't know if the city sewer extends that far, but I can tell you the neighborhood on Mountain Lane is upscale with a few home of estate proportions.

This fant-A-C of course would be fine art printing related.

So we are moving forward. Joe is right the market is hot and availability is limited, but I also saw a house get removed off the market because it sold due to a sudden price drop of $19K. This was the house on 1/4 acre with a nice side yard and the oversized 1 1/2 car garage as my out building. Oh-well.

My forensics think that someone moved and bought a new home, and they utilized a price drop to unload the vacant house.

Things are becoming clearer also. Maggie definitely wants an old historic house from 1870, 1880, or so. I found a "Calvin Special" which is a rundown house that was built in 1982 that has a half acre near the river. I would like a house that is a little bit crazy.

I found an other old one that is pending with the owner sitting on an offer. I like it mostly because many of the homes are set close to the street with small, tiny, or none existent front yards typical of Beacon, but I found one that is just the opposite with almost all front yard so that it is deeply set back from the road in an anti-social manner with likely a small, tiny or non-existent back yard. Flanked on both sides by homes built close to the road.

In a way this house has it own form of privacy, and I could see a magnificent garden leading to my front door.

The house is kinda funky and odd too. This "Funky House" has my style, and I like its location mucho.

Then there is a split level ranch with a 3 car garage on a sloping property. All the carpets would have to go. The kitchen and two baths would have to get updated, but with all my construction experience it is within the realm where I could hang cabinets and install a counter myself.

With a pro plumber's help I could tile and finish a bathroom.

Then again some of the other homes likely would be more practical, but this location is tucked into the outskirts of Beacon close to the Hudson River and Hudson Highlands State Park which is the mountain that has Break Neck Ridge.

I think Beacon is a bit over run with deer. I saw two that I could of tossed a pebble and hit during the day on both ends of the town.

So I'm also seeing that I don't have to spend mucho money to be happy. I can see me saving and having mucho probability of doing crazy stuff in the future. One idea would be buy the "Monster Brick Victorian" that is crazy big. Already gutted it needs to be built out.

Also Beacon reminds me of New Palz with the muscle cars I saw out and about. I saw a 65 Vette convertable, a 69 Firebird convertible, a mid 70's Trans Am with the shaker hood scoop and 455 H.O, and even a AC Cobra replicar.

BTW there is a Tintype studio on Main Street.

Cal

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Cal,
Regarding the river, make sure you find some place on high ground since Beacon and Newburg have a history of flooding from the Hudson as well as the Fishkill rivers. With rising sea levels, the Hudson will "back up" and the river banks will get higher in the coming years. I'm wondering what happened during and after Sandy in 2012. Also, if it is overrun with deer, just be careful about ticks and Lyme disease. Beacon is in the very heart of the Lyme disease epicenter.
Otheer than that, good luck and hurry on out! I hope the market is still soft for buyers in 2021 because Bethanne and I want out of Philly. Philly has a good job market but this city just sucks. It's too hot, too humid, too much crime, too muchh ignorance. Hoppefully we survive long enough to get out. We're thinking very seriously about Providence, Rhode Island, and if not there, then a Rocky Mountain state; New Mexico, Colorado, or Wyoming.
Phil Forrest

 

[Calzone]

Phil,

Thanks for the reminders: Lime Disease; and flood zones.

Currently where I live now is the only NYC location that I lived in that was not in a flood zone. I live right at the top of the hill, but just below (like the subway entrance on 103rd and Lex) is a place where flooding could happen if conditions are right.

The north eastern section of Central Park is part of this flood zone. In Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Long Island City I lived in flood zones. Recently in the news 23rd Street and Ely in LIC got flooded from heavy rain.

The city planners knew that Amazon HQ would of overburdened the sewer system. We are already at that point with all the new high rises and the new skyline that is emerging.

I think troubles lay ahead, especially for banks. The banks are scared of defaults and sometime in the future that is going to be a problem. All this forebearance just pushed these losses into the future. The banks have to hold cash and are reluctant to lend because they have to cover future losses on loans already on their books, so credit will remain tight.

Of course the FED wants the banks to lend freely, but at the bank level that is not really happening. Also an unintended consequence since the government prevented the use of forebearance to effect credit scores on Credit Cards, car loans and Mortgages, the banks don't know who has good credit anymore. The FED is not so smart. In effect it created a credit freeze. They thought this was a good idea. Mucho dumb, especially if you want to stimulate the economy and have money circulate. BTW isn't that the FED's job? Mucho-dumb. Pretty much like wasting your ammo and shooting into the air hoping you hit something.

Also the markets are buoyed up by tech stocks, and that is a crowded trade, very crowded. I don't see that the economy improved 40%. The numbers are not a true reflextion of those that lost their jobs or business.

Look out below I say. Also know that the smart money is sitting on cash on the sidelines. In China as well as the U.S. speculators are pumping the markets using trading platforms like Robinhood, this is the "dumb money."

Meanwhile Covid-19 has not yet peaked, and this is only the first wave. Making a vacine is not so easy and is rather tricky. Have you ever heard of the unintended consequence of "Disease Enhancement?"

This is a side effect that eventually makes the disease worse and more lethal. Everyone is in such a rush that I worry about bypassing proper testing.

Hate to say but life is becoming more like a seventies style street fight. The key to winning is about making your move at the right time. Too early or too late could be bad. To win one needs perfect timing.

Also being a lightweight (146 pounds-welterweight-at 5'10") the homes we are interested in are not family sized. Ideally we want a spacious two bedroom, and having two baths would be good. We could afford to go bigger or more expensive, but why?

I don't need much to be happy. I still would like to have a 1/4 to half acre, but "Maggie" wants to go cheap. There is a house that suits us fine, but if I added a garage to own a car that kinda makes the back yard mighty small. If I had enough space I would have a greenhouse to grow veggies year round.

Cal

 

[Prest_400]

Meanwhile Covid-19 has not yet peaked, and this is only the first wave. Making a vacine is not so easy and is rather tricky. Have you ever heard of the unintended consequence of "Disease Enhancement?"

This is a side effect that eventually makes the disease worse and more lethal. Everyone is in such a rush that I worry about bypassing proper testing.

Hate to say but life is becoming more like a seventies style street fight. The key to winning is about making your move at the right time. Too early or too late could be bad. To win one needs perfect timing.
Cal

Reminds me of the "march" we did from LIC to Williamsburg, to be fair your old loft was a few floors up so at least the house would be dry.

In Europe covid is dancing around, at the moment with smaller local outbreaks.

Personally have found myself on a decent position, but not perfect. The fintech I work for is going rather well. Yet never take anything for granted.
I find amusing how people say "oh you found work so quicky and well" but they don't see nor I tell that it culminated a strategy and a long term implementation.

Indeed street fighting, can't plan but requires to be tactical and being mindful of worst case scenarios.

I am hoping for a quiet autumn week trip to visit my folks, but think the pandemic will come with another wave so even travel within Europe will be limited.
"Oh don't be so negative" some say, well, life hits and doesn't take any apologies.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Calzone]

Reminds me of the "march" we did from LIC to Williamsburg, to be fair your old loft was a few floors up so at least the house would be dry.

In Europe covid is dancing around, at the moment with smaller local outbreaks.

Personally have found myself on a decent position, but not perfect. The fintech I work for is going rather well. Yet never take anything for granted.
I find amusing how people say "oh you found work so quicky and well" but they don't see nor I tell that it culminated a strategy and a long term implementation.

Indeed street fighting, can't plan but requires to be tactical and being mindful of worst case scenarios.

I am hoping for a quiet autumn week trip to visit my folks, but think the pandemic will come with another wave so even travel within Europe will be limited.
"Oh don't be so negative" some say, well, life hits and doesn't take any apologies.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Jorde,

The best things to bring to a fight are speed, agility, and experience.

Phil reminded me not to overlook the obvious, which I did.

I went to the bank and the Post Office to mail Louis Mendez his 80th birthday present, a pack of Fuji FP-100.

I was just "minding my own business" when this guy I know from the main campus of my hospital says hello in Citibank, when I was told a rumor that I hope is true.

The word is that in August NYC will be offering buy-outs to get people to retire early. The idea is to mitigate and minimize pension liabilities. It seems like my hospital will shortly follow suit.

Perhaps over the past 8-9 years or so new hires at my institution just get a match as their retirement, but the pension is mucho more money.

Now think about how to fund a pension plan in a zero interest rate enviornment? Do you gamble in the markets with this volitility? Eventually that becomes the loser's game over the long-long run. I suspect a cash offer to purchase an annuity will be offered. Because of my longevity buying an annuity to live off of for four more decades or longer was my plan.

The idea included living modestly and siphoning off funds to money manage a rather large slush fund to create a rather large pool that never runs dry.

What is expected is that my hospital, which employs around 15K people is to surplus the older workers and evade the pension plan liability. No insult: its just business; but it would be great timing for me.

Call me a lazy slacker, but I don't want to work anymore, just pay me. In about 5 weeks is my 21st anniversity working for this hospital. After that just show me the money...

This news speeds things up. "I was just minding my own business..." Is this divine intervention? Yet again what strange luck.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I looked into buy-out packages. It seems you have to figure out if it is a good deal or not. Depends...

In my case I think I would be targeted since I'm under 5 years from full retirement age and the way I see how pension funds will have to struggle with zero or even negative interest rate policies for mucho time and maybe for the entire for-see-able future.

In the end though it seems that the offer of early retirement packages favors the institution, and its use is for their cost savings, so likely the most money would be to keep the pension and fullfill full retirement age of 66 years and 8 months 4 years and five weeks from now.

The first week in July is Employee Appreciation Week. Pretty much they set up a free picnic meal in a park across from the hospital, but not sure what happened with Covid this year.

Every year they serve the same food from the same caterer, and I say, "It is like they are serving leftovers from last year."

I'm a funny guy, so I would tell How-Weird my boss, "It isn't often that I get appreciated." Anyways he lacks/lacked a sense of humor. He would yell at me and say that I'm unprofessional. LOL.

So my friend Pete, the Radiation Safety Officer, told me before I was hired, over 21 years ago, they had a batch of bad hamburgers that they served employees for Employee Appreciation Week. Basically they poisoned about half the staff at the hospital with food poisoning.

My institution also sends a cheap gift. These are crappy items, made in China that are so inexpensive that they are an insult. One was a coffee cup with a lid that was like a practical joke: a unintentional dribble mug.

So this year I got sent another coffee mug. Of course made in China, but when I used the handle to pull it out of the box, the handle came loose and then broke off. The mug was made of Stainless Steel, has a plastic lid, and it appears the handle is CNC'ed machined aluminum that basically was double sided taped to the SS thermos body.

I'm glad I didn't get scalded by hot tea or coffee. What were they thinking? So to annoy "Maggie" I decided to save the box, packaging and the never used broken mug as a trophy. BTW Maggie does not think it is funny.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Phil,

Timing markets is hard, but eventually defaults on consumer loans, credit card debt, commercial loans, and mortgages will have to happen. The banks already are creating reserves to cover these future losses.

One report suggests that defaults will begin in the fall after August. Consider where we are at now as being in "Zombie-Mode" where FED stimulus is keeping things afloat.

Take note of the choppy swings in the market these past few days. Early rallies that are large fade and diminish towards the close. What I think is happening is that "Smart-Money" (the pro's) are selling into these rallies that are bid up earlier in the day by "dumb-money" retail investors that use "Robinhood" as a trading platform.

Remember that over the long-long term that the stock market as far as trading goes is a zero sum game, where 10% eventually take all the profits, and 90% are loosers.

The end of August happens to also be when forebearance on evictions runs out in many locals. Expect home prices and rents to drop further. Already prices and rents have dropped.

The "look-out below" time has yet to play out, and this could be compounded with a Covid second wave.

A vacine hope is pumping up the markets, but even if it gets approved, which is expected perhaps at the end of the year, if it passes Stage 3 testing, only 500K doses will initially be available in that first batch available for mass distribution, and that would be sometime in 2021.

Like Covid-19 supply shortages (ongoing shortages and states hoarding persist) I would expect to remain to include distribution of vacine. Probable that this would be a one-two punch where a Covid-19 induced recession is followed by a more traditional recession.

The logistics for mass production of an approved vacine is a minefield fraught with shortages and limited capacity.

A second wave, if it happens, would be like getting kicked while laying on the ground.

Anyways the drop in the housing market that you asked for I think will likely actually happen.

There is a term used by one newsletter deemed "the protected class." This group comprises households that are the top 20%, meaning they exceed the mean income by a fair margin and have enough income to have surplus to hoard, save and invest.

The game here is to get to be in the protected class, and then do wise things financially. I figure about half of the population is not great at managing money, and perhaps that still extends to the 20% that comprise the protected class, leaving 10% that are winners.

The odds are against us, but know the protected class gets favorable treatment, has privilige, and gets special treatment.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I'm a "Vintage Hipster" that is a self proclaimed "Lazy Slacker."

"Maggie" my gal stumbled into some new trends called "Slow Living," "Slow Cooking," and "Slow Media." The idea here is sustainable, durable, ecological, thoughtful actions that present and support a lifestyle that avoids stress, multitasking, and promotes a simple more pure lifestyle with minimal possessions and avoids consumerism.

I find this "new" discovery for my gal amusing because this green and ecological sustainable lifestyle where I have a simple life devoid of stress as a self proclaimed lazy slacker is not new to me.

I have always said, "I never knew anyone with a complicated life that was happy." These trends and this lifestyle are not new to me, but realize that now I get lectured by a PhD about the benefits of a slow lifestyle.

LOL.

Cal

 

[MrFujicaman]

I de-stressed by ignoring about 80% of my relatives...

 

[Calzone]

I de-stressed by ignoring about 80% of my relatives...

MFM,

I'm estranged from my older siblings. I only have a relationship with my younger brother.

I come from a crazy family. Instead of making a film called "Crazy Rich Asians" they should of made a film called "Crazy Poor Asians." LOL. That would of been my family.

BTW my older siblings think I'm the crazy one. LOL.

Then again I seem to be drawn to crazy women. Now "Maggie" is in love with the house she said was too small and now wants to add a separate building to build a half acre compound that is part farm and part garden.

I came up with that idea about a month ago. This was my original idea and the way I wanted to go. She likes the idea of phasing in and building up.

So now I'm thinking a pre-fab barn, super insulating it, having the cement slab engineered for radiant heating, using a heat pump to save on energy (heat pumps provide heating and cooling and use only 25% of the energy of a conventional gas or oil heating system), and a 10 kilowatt photo voltaic solar system to be near off grid for the barn.

A 14'x30' barn would give us 420 square feet of additional space, plus loft space for storage. I intend on having a slanted roof carport off that follows the profileed roofline of the barn to be the structure for the solar panels, but also to be a bit of a porch.

Imagine a 1879 timber frame colonial cottage that has only 768 square feet, but has a wonderful kitchen, a single bath upstairs, one bedroom plus a "bonus room." The ground floor is all open. Not a bad living space and basically just what you need to live. Not much bigger than my Madhattan apartment for-real.

Then the barn set into the back as a studio/workspace surrounded by a massive garden on nearly a half acre that bouarders on a huge sanctuary on the outskirts of town, yet is within walking distance to the "Roundhouse."

Interesting effect of how creative ideas get disregarded and ignored. I love the modular approach I came up with. Don't tell "Maggie" about me wanting to make this barn as off the grid as I can.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Another two weeks and another Covid-19 test came back negative. Social distancing and mask wearing works. At my hospital they enforce testing.

Also my spin on "Covid-15" is that I lost over 15 pounds instead of gaining 15 pounds. Diet and exercise: mostly cutting down the food eating envelope to 9-10 hours instead of 12 to limit caloric intake; and some strength training. EZ-PZ. I'm down to 141 pounds at 5'10."

Not a lot photography getting done. Pretty soon I'll be too low on inks to print.

Cal

 

[MrFujicaman]

Calzone, if you're looking at very old houses, nake sure you have the wiring checked before you sign anything!

The first thing I did when I remodeled this house (after my dad's half ass remodel in 1999) was getting the wiring replaced. I had wire so old, it'd snap if you tried to use a wire nut on it.

I take pictures part time for an insurance company-they've told me the two fastest ways to lose your house are bad wiring or a improperly installed wood stove.

 

[Range-rover]

I de-stressed by ignoring about 80% of my relatives...

Me too, I don't see my father side of the family at all, sometimes
we talk on facebook but that it. Someone said once "if family was
friends you would not bother with them". :bang:

 

[Calzone]

Me too, I don't see my father side of the family at all, sometimes
we talk on facebook but that it. Someone said once "if family was
friends you would not bother with them". :bang:

Bob,

You know me: I'm a Drama Queen.

I'm like Blanch from the Ten-A-See Wiliams play and later film "A Streetcar Named Desire."

"I have always relied on the kindness of perfect strangers," Blanch and I say.

Pretty much a total stranger is more polite, civil, and more respectful than members of my own family. Pretty useless unless you want to be insulted, disrespected, and be unhappy. Best to be alone than with family. LOL.

Cal

 

[Range-rover]

Cal, it's true some times but that's the way things goes I guess

** Gear Alert**
I picked up a Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 MC Nokton Classic, when I got it sad case aperture
ring was bad and rear element section loose. So I took it apart (my favorite pass time)
and found out that someone lost the bearing for the aperture ring, I Dremeled out the
hole a bit and found a little bearing in my parts stash, added a little lube and it works,
what a great lens plus it has that unique 1.4 look to it that you have to love.

 

[Calzone]

Calzone, if you're looking at very old houses, nake sure you have the wiring checked before you sign anything!

The first thing I did when I remodeled this house (after my dad's half ass remodel in 1999) was getting the wiring replaced. I had wire so old, it'd snap if you tried to use a wire nut on it.

I take pictures part time for an insurance company-they've told me the two fastest ways to lose your house are bad wiring or a improperly installed wood stove.

MFM,

I will gladly pay a PE (Professional Engineer) to have peace of mind, a sense of the home's history, and to know all the good, the bad and the ugly.

I want no surprises. "Maggie" mentioned a "House Inspector" to get an appraised value, but this does not necessarily dig into the mechanicals, electrical and structural the way an engineering report does.

Brett, who I befriended on that last trip to Beacon, revealed to me that his home is right at the threshold level for Radon gas. I'm not surprised.

Although I did lots of construction, I won't pretend that I'm a licensed pro. Interesting to note I'm learning all kinds of new smut: Did you know that the average household use of electricity is 9.4 Kilowatt hours per month so basically a 10 KW solar array effectively can take you off the gird.

Kinda funny that acording to Maggie l'm the person who who is detailed oriented, and she took credit for being the big idea person. I just stayed quiet when she said this laughing to myself.

IMHO it is the big idea person that thinks about all the loose ends and all the details. I'm the person who realized how easy it would be to go off the grid, and how to make a tiny house a real asset that has the utimate home/work sit-che-A-tion spread in an out of the box way by two separate dwellings.

The big idea person is the person who deals with a daydreamer's problems and has to be creative to be an efficient problem solver.

Meanwhile I'm boning up on Mitsubishi heat-pumps. Also looking into James Hardie lap siding.

All good stuff...

The house I'm looking into is tiny, the interior is renovated and tastefully done, the exterior is a mess (single pane windows, original wood lap siding, covered with vinyl siding, and then worse asphalt siding).

Forensics is that someone dropped lots of money doing the interior for an issue of Architectural Digest, and the roof looks to be new.

Funny thing is the present exterior look is mucho ghetto in a hill-billy style. Tiny front yard but a huge back yard that's almost half an acre. Mucho anti-social behavior. BTW the barns I was looking at , even the smallest ones, are kinda huge.

I dug into Phil's idea of growing potatoes: did you know it is best to allow the plants to die, and then harvest 10-14 days later so the skins thicken for better winter storage; or that you can use damaged or "sour" potatoes for replanting in the spring for late Thanksgiving potatoes?

Then I looked into Blueberries, which I buy frozen and eat mucho of them. They freeze good, the "Lowbush" varieties that are indiginous to the Northeast and Canada are sometimes used as ground cover, and some other varieties are conducive to growing in containers. A plant is fruitful for about 20 years.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Cal, it's true some times but that's the way things goes I guess

** Gear Alert**
I picked up a Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 MC Nokton Classic, when I got it sad case aperture
ring was bad and rear element section loose. So I took it apart (my favorite pass time)
and found out that someone lost the bearing for the aperture ring, I Dremeled out the
hole a bit and found a little bearing in my parts stash, added a little lube and it works,
what a great lens plus it has that unique 1.4 look to it that you have to love.

Bob that is a classic lens.

My guess is you bought it for "no-money," as Calzone says.

Cal