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Front yard mulch added and lawn mowed.

June 23, 2026

The front yard has not got much TLC this year. I have wanted to add some mulch areas and planter boxes for several months but other jobs always needed done “first”. I laid out the mulch bags on the grass to sort of kill it back. Weed wacked any grass and weeds, then laid out the landscape cloth. I used landscape timbers to border the mulch area and laid down a deep layer of wood mulch. I used landscape timbers as a border, since it easier to move the mower over the timbers compared to the concrete pavers I used in the backyard. I mowed the lawn and gave it a really deep watering as the soil was very dry, because of my neglect.

In the front yard mulch area I want to put the Dwarf fruit trees I have in large pots and I have four small cedar planting boxes to add flowers and plants for decoration to the front yard. My dwarf plum and apple tree have done great in the pots, but I don’t have any leaves on the dwarf peach tree. The dwarf peach tree branches are still flexible and look green but I’m not sure the tree will make it this year. If the peach tree has a chance, it will be moving it into full sun in the front yard rather than the semi-shade spot it’s in the backyard.

I’m doing a deep watering of the front yard after adding the mulch after neglecting the watering for a week. SW Idaho has a few days of hot days/nights, The weekend will be cool and rainy. My rain barrels have refilled even with dry summer weather. I need to make better use of my rain barrel’s stored water in summer.

I bought a new mister fan for the patio for about $50.00 on sale at Bi-Mart. I’m not sure how well a mister fan would work in a humid area, in the dry, high desert area they can be very effective for cooling. I have a couple of Ryobi battery powered mister fans I use for cooling the chicken that I spent $80.00 on. This mister fan was about $50.00 and much more powerful. Keeping yourself and your critters cool for about $50.00 is a bargain.

It is staying hot overnight in SW Idaho. It is a high desert and usually it gets cool at night. But it is staying in the mid 60’s F. overnight and that makes it harder to cool off the house using fans. My swamp coolers will run 7-8 hours over night when set to low, that will keep the air cool. When the temp. drops to about 60 degrees F. I just run the swamp cooler in fan mode. With a 65 degree night the swamp coolers use less water. I want to get my home as cool as possible overnight so I don’t have to run the swamp cooler during the day.

When we had 100+ degree days and very hot nights. I ran my swamp coolers 24/7 and my home was cool. On this hot day/ night it is 71 degrees F. and at worse my home won’t get any colder than 70 degrees F. and my energy cost is equal to three 100 watt incandescent light bulbs. It is 70 degrees F, in my house. That is good for sleeping. Sure you might like a colder temp for sleeping but it is very doable. Look at your home winter temps. Now my bedroom is a very cool 64 degrees F, in winter but my living room is 80 degrees F. in winter, and that temp feels comfy.

I don’t think going from an air condition house to an air condition car to an air condition work place is the best plan for acclimatizing to summer heat . We do the same in winter. We leave warm houses to heated cars to heated work spaces and never adapt to colder weather. It may sound dumb, but I think some people think Nature must be climate controlled like their homes. I always wonder why Climate advocates never declare the perfect global temp. This summer the average temp. this summer is about 75 degrees. Of course it is 95 degrees during the day and my dip to 65 degrees overnight. That is the problem with statistics, they don’t always represent reality.

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Bedroom walls painted and a new bed!

June 20, 2026

I finished painting all the bedroom walls today. I used about 3/4-7/8th’s of a gallon on the room. I finally found a paint brush I can use to “cut in” the corners and along the molding. I hit the ceiling a few times with the paint roller. That is okay as I want to paint the ceiling in the future with white ceiling paint.

I knew this was going to be a tough job since I had to do a section at a time, moving furniture out of the way as I worked. Heck, while you are moving furniture Jamie why don’t you vacuum and scrub the carpet? Well I did a basic carpet cleaning but I noticed some stains that will need a little more work. I’ll have to pre-treat the carpet and take a scrub brush to some of the stains but the carpet looks better with a basic cleaning.

There is something cathartic about get a room all cleaned up and painted. Getting rid of stuff you have not used in years and forgot you had stashed under the bed or on a bookcase. I did a little bit of de-clutter with this bedroom paint/clean up job. Having to move old stuff you never use out of the way to get a job done makes you appreciate the ability to get rid of stuff. Especially if you are a semi-hoarder that hates to get rid of things because (you might need it later). Well if you have not used an item in 1-2 years or you forgot you had it. You probably don’t need it. Now to ruin all that pontificating, I found a couple of hanging shelves I forgot I had and can use.

I took out the old (25+ years) German frame and mattresses and I got the full size bed and golly it looked so small in comparison the German bed. The German bed was = to 2 Hotel twin sized mattresses and frame so it to up a lot of floor space. I really like the upholstered bed frame. While the instructions recommend 2 people to put it together, I found it easy to do by myself. The bedframe was short of one bolt, lock nut washer and washer for the set up but over all setting up the $85.00 bed frame was very straight forward and simple. Very easy for one person to do if they take their time and follow the instructions.

The mattress in a box was a trip. I liked how the company added a protected cutter for cutting the plastic holding the mattress. I cut a little more than half way through the plastic covering and the mattress exploded into shape. The mattress did not need time to relax/fill in at all. I gave the mattress about an hour and slept on it that night. I slept a second night on the mattress woke up after 6 hours of sleep as my legs were feeling the ladder work of painting, but I felt rested and my slow healing shoulder injury felt much better after just two nights on the new bed. Of course making the bed is much easier with fitted sheets. I’d say for a couple get at least a Queen-size of one of the beds in a box. The full size bed would work in a guest room. But for a long-term couple sleeping arrangement go for the queen size be at minimum.

I got the 12 inch thick mattress and the bed is much taller compared to my old bed. My doggo can’t jump up on the bed. I have added some stairs and he has a nice doggie bed area in the bedroom.

Speaking for myself I don’t get things for myself. 25 year old bed, it is functional and I sleep. Well I wasn’t sleeping that well on that old mattress. New mattress and that shoulder injury feels better in 2 days. Not healed just feeling much better. I doubt I’m alone as a prepper of putting my comfort last on the list. I doubt a doctor will write a prescription for a new mattress.

Take care of yourselves out there first. That is not selfish it is reality. You can only take care of others after you take care of yourself. Otherwise you burn out or wear out. A little bit of self-care might be what you need. I love my new bed and I think it will have a big impact on my quality of life.

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BERJAYA Posted by Jamie

Re-learning using the swamp coolers and painting!

June 18, 2026

I always need a few days to relearn swamp coolers in summer and woodstoves in winter. I know how to do the basic setups but there always seem to be a few little tweaks that have to be worked out for the season.

Today I started up the swamp coolers a bit earlier in the afternoon and got a much better cool down in the house. It was cooler today but I think my problem was timing rather than the swamp coolers. Got a 100 degree day coming up with a warm evening so we will see if I got the swamp cooler system figured out. My backup swamp cooler is running well and is not growling at me. I let the cooler sit a day or two in water covering the water pump and that seemed to fix the growling problem. This swamp cooler can be used as a portable for cooling the chickens or used to add some cooling to my patio.

Speaking of the chickens I add a fan in the summer. A fan I used last summer that was cleaned up an put away did not work this summer. It happens, it was a cheap $20.00 fan, but I hoped my cleanup last year would make the fan last longer. Anyhow I set up the fan and nothing happened. I replaced a small fuse that is in the plug , nothing happened. I must have left the fan on because the fan started working. Now the tiny fuses I got are generally for Xmas lights but they work in the fans that have fuses in the plugs. I use electronic contact/electric motor spray on my fans. to keep the motors operating. When cleaning any fan with pressurize air don’t let the fan blades spin. That over spin can kill the fan motor. PC Fans are often killed by this over spinning. Just hold the fan blade in place while using compressed air to clean the fan blades and motor.

Electronic contact cleaner, electric motor cleaner and silicone spray will help keep many small electric motors going. Avoid using WD-40 for cleaning these small electric motors. Unless the motor was flooded. WD in WD- 40 means water displacement. When using the electronic cleaners let them sit for a few hours or overnight. Quite often a fuse or the proper cleaner can save an electric motor on many items/tools. Most electronic contact cleaner/electric motor cleaner is under $20.00 at many Auto parts store and a can of cleaner has many uses.

I have not been sleeping well and I think my old 20+ year old German bed is worn out. The German bed was an over-sized queen and getting sheets for it is impossible to buy in the USA. I’m buying an American sized bed, actually a bed in a box from Lowes. Now the mattress was on sale via a promotion, but the bed frame was normal priced. Total cost for the bed $217.00 delivered. Now the mattress had good ratings so we will see how it works out. The bed frames has an upholstered headboard so that will be nice when I’m reading at night.

I’m painting the room with enamel paint, Yes, that paint is more expensive but it does not wash off like many latex paints. I have cleaned latex paint wall and literally the paint will come off the walls onto your cleaning cloth. Many cheap latex paints seem dusty and come off on your hand when touching it. Enamel paint creates a hard barrier on your walls. I’m okay with going cheap with some stuff but I think investing in enamel paint will pay off overtime.

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BERJAYA Posted by Jamie

Swamp coolers are set up/installed.

June 16, 2026

It is summer and the heat is starting to hit this week. Might hit 100 degrees F. this week, but the big issue is cooling off the house overnight when night time temps. stay in the 60+ range. Then I need to run the swamp coolers overnight instead of just window fans. My home has good insulation so if I can get it cool overnight. I don’t have to turn on the swamp coolers till 4-6 pm depending on the heat of the day. So I can save money by not running the swamp coolers during most of the day. Or using the swamp coolers in fan only mode overnight.

Swamp coolers work best in low humidity environments. So if you live in an area with 50% plus humidity in summer an Air conditioner is probably your only cooling option. If you can use a swamp cooler you can save a lot on energy costs as a swamp cooler uses about 100 watts of electricity compared to 1000-1500 watts of energy an Air Conditioner needs. Swamp coolers need Air flow in a house. You will need to have exhaust /open windows. Compared to a enclosed home for Air conditioner to keep/recirculate cold air in the house. This is just how these different systems work. I prefer a home with open windows and air flow as house get very “stuffy” in summer and winter with closed windows.

I have a small house of 1200 sq.ft. and use 3 smallish portable Hessaire brand swamp coolers. I fill the water tank of the coolers with a gallon water pitcher. The swamp coolers will run overnight(8 hours) on low. But I usually add a couple of gallons of water a couple of times a day during the summer. Don’t use ice water in a swamp cooler as you want the water to evaporate and cool. Ice water does not evaporate quickly so you are defeating the swamp coolers purpose. For maintaining the coolers I clean them with a bit of vinegar because I have hard water and scale will build up. I have had to replace a pump (my fault) for not descaling the water pump. That is all that is needed for maintaining the cooler. I keep a an extra cooler on hand and it growled when set up so it needs some extra work, but I can do that work and don’t need to call an HVAC guy to fix it. At worse I can buy a new swamp cooler for $300.00.

I have not converted my family to swamp coolers. But I got Mom’s window A/C unit installed before the heat hit this summer. I’m giving my aunt a couple of small widow A/C units for her bunnies and her goat milking shack. I think the biggest issue is A/C units are easy to set and forget. My swamp cooler system needs a bit of effort. Hey, nothing wrong with convenience if you are willing to pay for it. It is my aunt’s birthday and I’m giving three 2×6 almost 12 ft. boards with bricks for making raised beds. She wants to make raised beds and it is an easy gift for me that cost very little. I don’t have much cash for gifts but if I can gift something I have on hand. I’ll do it!

Very simple birthday party. A big sandwich (French bread loaf sandwich Sub) Fudge cake and a couple of small watermelons on sale. We can’t really afford to eat out, so a simple meal is the best we can do. I don’t think Cooperate America understands the American people are broke and have no cash money to spend. The consumers credit is tapped out and are only buying basics. I know not all but most people can’t afford anything but the basics in this economy.

Corporations lowered wages via outsourcing to the 3rd world. Then wonder why Americans can’t afford the products…..

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Dakota headlight switch fixed

June 14, 2026

I’ working through the issues on the Dakota truck. Headlight switch no working was an issue. The headlights worked with bright light switch but did not stay on via the switch. It was a chore to get the plastic/metal washer on the plastic plate loose but after removing the module I could wedge a knife blade to work that plastic (pin?) loose. Removing the push/pull light switch takes some physical effort.

Somehow replacing the headlight switch set off the security alarm. Not a big deal use your key to Unlock your door with a key as a passive security check for the alarm. It is a bit odd that a dashboard head light switch replacement sets off the security alarm on a 98 Dakota but that is were are on working on older vehicles. All lights are working and the dash lights are working. I now have a check engine light. Overall I’m okay as I’m working through the issues on this truck. I’m hoping I can buy a new TCM (Transmission Control Module) or a transmission rebuild. The 98 Dakota is very quirky so I’m replacing a coil but not an ignition coil. Based on a codes, I’ll fix/replace what I can and I’m Okay with a new/rebuild transmission. to make the truck good.

Every vehicle needs basic maintenance. Be it replacing brake rotors, tires, oil changes etc. Before you buy a vehicle ask your self can you afford the maintenance costs on top of the loan payment? What will your dashboard screens dies after a couple of years and you can’t use AC or heat because the screen no longer works. Buttons and switches on older cars are better. There are no cheap fixes for 2020year+ cars. Stop buying new cars that are crap, expensive to repair and engines grenade themselves as daily drivers.

I know people will mock my 2003 Kia mini-van. But I’m getting the timing belts and water pump replaced at 100,000 miles. I’m cleaning up the oil changes after not changing it due to lack of funds, I love my old Kia and think it is a great vehicle. But I think it bad when Kia gets called out as a bad vehicle when Ford, Chevy trucks, grenade engines, Stellantis/ dodge has their problems, It looks like Nissan Frontier truck with a V-8 is the best truck to buy now. I saw a post don’t buy any vehicle built after 2013, But I’m a little surprised about all the computer modules in my 98 dakota. It may be okay replacing the computer module. Or I might need a transmission rebuild, I am okay with that cost,

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I bought a truck!

June 4, 2026

The truck is an 1998 Dodge Dakota SLT with the 3.9 V-6 4×4. I got the truck at auction for $1500.00 bid price and the tax, title and auction fees brought the total cost to $1970.00 cash. The truck is a little quirky and has some issues but I can put a couple of thousand into the rig and it will still be worth the price according to sale price value.

The truck seems to have a few little gremlins that need to be addressed. There was a blown fuse that affected the dash lights and the after market radio. After changing the fuse all interior lights, radio are working and no battery drain after several days of not started. I think there must have been after-market Amp/speakers in the extended cab area as I have found some speaker wires and some cut wires at random after removing most of the driver’s side dash panels. All lights work but the headlights but it seems the headlight switch failing is a common issue. I’m not an Audiophile and don’t care about having the greatest sound system in a vehicle, so I always get a little nervous when I see an after market sound system installed and extra wires “hanging” around.

The transmission is the biggest issue as dashboard gear indicator is not working. That might be an unseated /bad cable. The transmission doesn’t want to shift up into 3rd gear but 1st and 2nd gear work fine. I’m not sure if this “Limp Mode” a computer module problem or a mechanical transmission problem. It maybe a computer module problem since my power windows/door locks don’t work and are controlled by a couple of the modules that control the transmission. WHY?

All of the fluids look good though the transmission fluid was a few oz. low. My Code reader through a code for a bad coil so I’ll replace that and start working through all the items I can correct with my limited knowledge and youtube videos. I crawled under the Dakota and sprayed some penetrating oil on the TV/kick down cable on the transmission. The spring and cable seems to be working correctly and the tension seem correct as far as I can tell. I didn’t see much in the way of big leaks under there but I need to give the truck a thorough cleaning before saying there are no leaks. The undercarriage looked great. A little surface rust but no rusted out frame or other parts underneath. Tires are good, The engine sound good and no dodge tick so far. Funny no check engine lights though I got that coil code on the ODB reader. I think I will find a bad Transmission control module. Those cost about $250.00 for a new module and easy to install. Headlight switch $43.00n new coil $ 42.00. I added about 6 gallons of ethanol free gas to the almost empty gas tank and the truck sputtered a bit. Not bad, but I think gas in the tank was old/ethanol gas.

Overall I’m happy with the purchase. Paid cash, lability insurance only,, the 98 dakota lost $43.00 in depreciation this year. Basically the truck will only gain in value as it is fixed up and improved. The truck has a front quarter panel ding but overall the body is in good shape. My plan is to fix all I can on the truck and if it needs a deeper look I’ll take it to the mechanic.

The Kia got a good run out on the highway with some fuel system cleaner driving out to my Aunt’s little homestead. Well the check engine light is still there but the Kia engine is running smother since it got a new coil for a missing engine and new oil change and stuff. I abused my Kia when I was broke skipping an oil change or two. Now I can afford to put some money into her. I have planned to replace the timing belts and water pump in July. This is basic Maint. on cars over 100,000 miles. The cost is about $900.00, when you consider the average car payment is $750.00 a month. Repairing a quality older vehicle makes good money sense. Compared to buying a new vehicle that has a payment plus maintenance costs. Those new cars still need tires, fluid changes, tune ups, shocks etc.

Perhaps it is my age (59) low working class I grew up in but bragging about how much you spent of something was not a thing. You bragged about how little you spent! This was before the massive consumer advertising that focused on deserving ….. Before credit cards were as common as mud. Back in the 1980’s a Visa Debit card was great! You could use it like a credit card to rent a car or whatever but it was tied to your checking account balance. No money in checking no debit card buying. Back in the 70’s early 80’s having a credit card meant you on a top rung of the high middle class. All credit card companies, all banks want you in debt to them. Using debt smart is a thing, but always remember charge more in loan interest than they give you interest on savings.

I paid off the last credit card and all I have left to payoff is the Heloc loan. I’m moving all loan payments at this loan. It will take a few years to pay this loan off but the 7.25% is low compared to most credit cards. Pay down and don’t add that is the trick.

Most Americans don’t know what is like not to have debt payments. I don’t include a mortgage as that should be close to rent payments in your area. But car loans, boat/Atv loans. credit cards. those all add up. Take 3 months of not getting a credit card bill or a loan payment in the mail. Speaking for myself that 3 months without any bill for debt being paid off ,became real. We are programmed to live in /pay credit/deb forever, like it is normal. It is not normal!. Your credit card is a debt card and the more you use it the more the banksters love you. I’m a Capitalists’, I’d like to see it implemented in the USA, You buy overpriced coffee, meals, cars and homes. You can’t make a budget, a garden or change a light bulb. You will bitch you have no money and can’t pay your bills.

I live on SSA disability a 30% VA disability. I’m living on $2335.00 per month. I’m disabled so any side hustles are limited. I have a small 1200 sq,ft home. I drive a 20+ year old mini-van, I do as much work on my car and home as possible and save for emergencies, I cook at home, I don’t take vacations. I know it will boggle peoples minds. I have a good life!

I enjoy trouble shooting my vehicles. I enjoy my garden, chickens and working to make my yard look better. Simple things but I’m happy most of the time. Sure I’d like to have more money, but taxes is always a bitch. The Kia is getting work to be better and I can putter around with jobs making the pickup better.

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Chicken run finished, most of compost moved to the run.

May 29, 2026

Finished adding all the chicken wire to the run. That was a challenge because I forgot geometry on adding wire on the back wall of the run was against a wall and a fence. I tied in the new run to the old run before I had finished adding all the chicken wire. This run is about 9 ft. x 3 ft..x 3 ft. (44 pounds) but it has a small walk in area that is about 4.5 feet tall with a door, so access inside the run is okay for most people. Being able to clean up a run/chicken house is critical. Those small chicken run/house combos for 3-6 chickens can be hard to access for cleaning especially if you have bad knees or back. If your farm store has a display model chicken house see how easy it is for you to fit in it to clean. While cleaning is not an everyday job. You should clean the house regularly and the easier it to clean the more likely you will stay on top of cleaning.

The chickens went all in on scratching up the compost pile I shoveled into the new chicken run. My compost piles weren’t great as I neglected them. My compost piles got turned over mostly when I moved the to a new place in the yard. Now the chickens will turn the compost pile. The chickens attacked the compost I shoveled into the new run. It was impressive to watch the birds dig into the compost in just an hour. I want to add 4-5 Americuna chickens that are reported to be good winter egg layers. Now I have more than enough run area to go a long with the chicken houses. For most store bought houses the minimum birds supported is the best measure. If it says it supports 3-6 birds. it supports 3 birds at most.

I have a few finishing touches on the chicken run. I got a couple of pool noodles to place over the areas the cut chicken wire over the door area. The little tarp on this run is very thin compared to the tarp over the big run. There is a little bit more compost that needs to be added to the chicken run and I need to figure out an access area to remove the compost for the garden. I have an idea using wood to make some access points but the idea needs more thinking before I start cutting wire.

Mom’s pasture area is mowed! The pasture is mostly weeds but for fire safety reasons alone the weeds need to be cut down. I took out my Anker Solix power pack to run a Black & Decker mower out in the field of weeds and it did a great job cutting and mulching the weeds. One of Mom’s neighbors help cut down a good part of the weeds because he wanted to “try” out Mom’s brush hog. I think that was an excuse to help Mom out, without actually hurting Mom’s pride offering help.

The Anker C2000 did a good 2+ hours of powering the mower through thick weeds and was 53% power after the work was done. The Solix battery power was over 90% power but not 100% when I started. Most electric mowers pull 800-1200 watts depending on the job so this was a good test of the power pak. It was nice to take an outlet into the middle of the field and power the mower. I can’t say enough about the little corded Black & Decker mower I got Mom as an Xmas gift. That little mower plowed through 18 inch tall weeds like a champ. Mom has used the little mower to cut the weeds around her house rather just using the weed eater. The mower makes this job faster and easier for her.

The biggest thing getting the pasture mowed and cleared of rocks/garbage is Mom can use her own lawn tractor to mow the weeds in the pasture without the fear of breaking the tractor. Mom grew up really poor, not on food stamps poor but not going to school because you don’t have shoes poor. That makes her a little crazy about some things. She is afraid of breaking a tool and I tell her a tool not used is no better than a paperweight/dust collector. Mom is starting to get how tools like the B&D mower can make mowing down weeds is easier than using the weed eater. More work done with less effort. As you get older or are disabled you have to use tools to maximize your work. If you need help having the tools on hand makes the “helpers” job easier and you might be able to trade work on your place, for your neighbor’s use of the tool on their place.

I’m going to give Mom a hand with her garden beds this weekend. I found a bunch of large free pots for her plants but we need to fork the soil in the beds or her raised garden. Add some soil/minerals to get the soil up for production. I don’t like weeds but if you don’t have any weeds trying to grow, I think the soil might be dead and needs work. I may take out some worm castings to invigorate the beds a bit, along with a calcium/magnesium spray.

I made a little mistake with my greenhouse and plants by leaving the door shut on a hot day and fried a couple of plants. I’m not used to having a greenhouse is my excuse but I “screwed the pooch” with those plants. I’m surprised I did not lose more plants from my stupidity. We had a little windstorm hit my area and one water barrel tipped over. This barrel was on some bricks that were tilted at a bad angle. So not a surprise it went over. Not a big deal I’ll reset the bricks and the water barrel to be more level. No gutters were damage with this water barrel falling over.

The cole crop garden is going great. I have good Cauliflower heads forming the first time in my garden. The lettuce is outstanding and seems to last better after cutting compared to my past efforts, The broccoli is putting on leaves but the crowns seem a bit lacking but it is still early days for my garden, The “Tango” variety celery is doing great. It has been very easy for me to grow in long 12 inch deep planters. The celery pots is in the mulch were low/on the ground in the greenhouse. so the temps are much lower. Live and learn if you are lucky.

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Gen Z I feel for you but you are not that special.

May 24, 2026

Your boomer grandparents probably bought a small 2 bedroom 1 bath home in the 1970’s with a 12-18 % interest rate on a home loan. Inflation was brutal during the 1970’s. You literally had to buy gas on or even days depending on the last digit of your lic. plate. What gen Z needs is 2-3 bedroom homes on a 1/5th to 1/4 acre for $150,000 or less. I will blame Boomers and millennials for the McMansion boom and HOAs that worry more about property sale values rather than focusing on Livability.

Now you can piss and moan about how things suck. Or you can take control of your life and make it better. Get control of your money. Most of gen Z have no clue about cooking, basic maint. on cars/homes. Even if you don’t know how to cook buying microwave frozen meals is much cheaper than Door dash and Uber eats.

I sucked at using credit cards. Using a credit card is easy because the credit card companies want you to spend more. Regardless if it is good for your financials. I do much better paying cash as the payment seems more real compared to swiping a credit or debit card. Dave Ramsey’s method of cash envelopes to pay bills/groceries in your budget works to make you aware of where your money is going. Now Caleb Hammer seems to favor an Auto pay system for debt and then add money to pay off the debt off. I’ve seen Caleb refer the the car loan payment as the min. payment. I’m gen X and have a payed off car that I’m giving some love in making it better. I have a estimate $990.00 for replacing the timing belts and water pump on a 20 year old Kia. That beats the heck out of an $1000.00 new car payment. The timing belts are just basic maint. at 100,000 mile. While I can’t speak about the newer Kias. My little 2003 Sedona has been a great vehicle.

Everyone can learn anything from the internet! Youtube has plenty of cooking/ baking vids. Heck you can learn basic Auto maint. to plumbing, construction , gardening. The things you can learn is only limited to your imagination. I’m almost 60 years old and setting up garden beds, adding a chicken run. Get a pot and grow some herbs if you can’t grow a garden.

Think outside the box of the possible. Do you think my neighbors give an ovation because my garden looks great? Okay my Mom gives some props. heck she still has problems using a new phone. No one cares about your new car after a week. Renovate your kitchen or bath. no one cares unless you are selling the home..

Perhaps I’m a bit jaded by living in Germany and BMW/ Mercedes cars are as common as mud. Seeing a new pickup in a grocery parking lot is nothing to me. An old 1940-1969 classic/ muscle car that catches my attention and ” I say to myself that is a pretty car” and go on with my day.

I’ll think getting a late 90’s to 2010 vehicle paid with cash and rather than making a $500.-$1000.00 monthly car payment. Don’t forget you have to full coverage insurance while you have that car loan. I paid $ 1200.00 to fix the suspension on my Kia. $200. for a brake job. I bought some tires for about $500.00 but every car needs tires because of wear. I’m going to get my timing belts repaired before it become a problem in July. Now tell me how doing basic maint. every car needs (with no payment) on top of your $750.00 to $1000.00 monthly car payment makes any sense .My liability car insurance is just under $20.00 per month.

No one cares what type of car you drive. Sure folks will say “nice car” and will move on and not give the car you drive a second thought. I drive a mini-van and it is great! I can put 8 foot boards and still close the back hatch. My sister said its not a Cool car. She was right it is a functional car. When a person offers to help with your car payment. Then you can care about what they think.

That said I’m looking for an older small pickup truck. All I can afford is $1600 or less and if I find it great. if not I’ll just wait and save my money to up the budget. While a bother on buying a truck. Every month I stack more cash.

You need this right now, no you really don’t just put the stuff in a the internet cart for a day. If you forgot the the cart you did not need it. Your credit card balance will thank you.

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BERJAYA Posted by Jamie

Moved the compost box, Started the new chicken run addition and repotting bought plants.

May 22, 2026

I bought another little chicken run as additional area for more chickens, but I want to make this new run the compost area the chickens work everyday. I’m not very good with turning compost. Honestly the only time the compost gets a good turning is when I have to move it out of the way for projects. This new run is about 10 ft. long and 3 ft. wide and will make a great area for the chickens to work the compost daily. Heck I threw a bit of compost against the chicken wire of the big run and the birds started pecking at the compost. I’m sure the birds will love having the compost to dig in daily.

I cleaned up the “big” chicken house and raked up the dirt in the chicken run of most of the leftover grass clippings and straw bedding in the house. I like adding a base layer of wood chip bedding and then add a bit of straw in the boxes in my chicken houses. I think the wood chip layer helps keep down insects/pest and the straw layer lets the chickens make a nest for laying. I add a little DE to help keep any pests down for the chickens. All of the cleaned up chicken stuff will go into the new compost chicken run. I added a small chicken house/run this year and my birds love laying eggs in this house. But I only have 3 chicken and I’d like to add some Americunas that are supposed to lay well in winter. Adding more run space with it being compost spot should be a good set up for the chickens this year.

I have not had a lot of success starting plant early from seeds. I tend to do better with direct sowing seeds or buying starter plants. I think people should embrace all methods of growing plants that work for their garden. There is nothing wrong buying a starter plant for $2.00-$5.00 if you get a great harvest from that plant. Most veggies cost over $2.00 per pound even if it is in season at the grocery store. A $2.00 plant can grow more food and you know what fertilizers, chemicals you have used on the plants. While I’m not a big fan of chemical fertilizers. I am a big fan of you knowing what goes into your food.

I saw a news story about farmers facing tough times because of chemical fertilizer costs. The story said that farmers/ plants can’t grab Nitrogen from the air. Many peas and beans even trees literally grab Nitrogen from the air and fix it the soil. Building soil requires more effort/cost than spraying a chemical fertilizer on plants. But that does not mean it is impossible. Animal manure is a great source of fertilizer. It takes more work and does not work as well with Industrial agriculture.

Everything you grow and eat from your garden is a statement for independence/self reliance. Look at the priceof fresh herbs in the produce section. Heck if you buy an herb plant and trim it you save money. What is the cost of leaf lettuce in grocery stores today? Heck my leaf lettuce has growing and putting out more than I can use. I’m not saying your garden will feed you but every plant you use out of the garden saves you money at the grocery store. I think my garden grown veggies taste better than any store bought stuff.

Mom stopped by today and was impressed with no roots dug up garden bed. She said I needed to take pics since the bed looked so good. I need add a little straw mulch to the beds but overall I have to say not digging up roots of the old garden and forking the soil rather than rototilling has paid big dividends in plant growth.

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BERJAYA Posted by Jamie

Garden shopping day and plantings

May 20, 2026

My focus today was getting soil amendments for the big garden bed, some big pots and my much abused lawn.

The new big bed got some older soil I had in pots that had plants that did not do well last year. I think neglect on my part was the biggest problem, but I need to test the soil for any lacking minerals and the Ph level for the new plants going into the bed. Lucky for me I found a soil testing kit so I can save a little bit of money on the test. I mixed up a water mix spray of Calcium from old egg shells along with Epsom salt for Magnesium. That should take care of the most common mineral depletion in the soil.

I added a layer of my own compost and some old rabbit poo to this bed before the soil from pots so I’m hopeful this bed will do well for the tomatoes, bush beans and some swiss chard I want to grow. I have some basil, chives and some other little companion plants to add to this bed. This bed will be a mix of bought plants and direct sown plants.

I’m planting my peppers in big pots this year and not in the same bed as the tomatoes as I did the last few years. My hope is by separating the tomatoes and peppers there will be less competition for both plants. The planters for the peppers are large 10-18 gallon tubs. That should give the peppers plenty of room to grow and I can add a few companion herbs and flowers to the pots to keep all the plants happy. I bought a garden a small 3 level Garden stalk planter on sale and that will be my little herb garden.

The bare root raspberries got bigger pots today. I have to say the bare root raspberries are looking much better than the potted Blackberries I bought. The soil is the new pots is the same but the one of the blackberries leaves are browning and raspberries look so much better. I added some worm castings to all the berry plants and I’m drying out some coffee grounds to add nitrogen to the blackberry plants. Who knew used coffee grounds are rich in Nitrogen? I have to let the grounds dry a bit more before I give the wimpy blackberry plant a sprinkle of coffee grounds. What I’m learning is nitrogen is best for leaf growth and since this is the first year for these berry plants, I probably won’t see any berries. I used new raised bed soil with the berry plants along with some peat moss and vermiculite to give the berries a good start on growth. In the berry planters I added some marigold, nasturtium and chive seeds as companion plants. Hopefully the flowers will attract pollinators. I separated the black berries and raspberries in the yard so they should not share any diseases or cross pollination.

The back yard lawn area is looking okay. There are a couple of bare patches of grass but a little bit of grass seed and watering and every thing should fill in this summer. The front lawn is a disaster. Dry hard bake soil, weeds and worse morning glory moving in. I got some gypsum to help soften the soil and I need to add lots of compost to rebuild the soil. I’m adding a couple of mulched beds that should help with water retention. But the front lawn needs some TLC this summer. I added a new bug sprayer for the plants to get rid of soft body insects. It is similar to using Dawn water to get rid of aphids on roses but using Castile soap and an extra shot of olive oil to help eliminate the bad bugs. I also bought several two liter/quart pump sprayers for the plants. Much easier to use than a spray bottle for direct application on plants or soil.

I have a couple more jobs to get done helping Mom. I’m taking out my Anker power pack to run the little electric mower to finish cutting down the weeds in Mom’s pasture. This is a good test of the power pack for me and worse comes to worse there is always the battery powered weed eaters! LOL If we can get all the weeds cut down and all the trash/rocks found and cleaned up. Mom will be able to to use her riding lawn mower to cut stuff in the “pasture” and not worry about any fire hazard. Plus everything looks much cleaner with the weeds knocked down. A great thing is Mom is willing to use the little mower to cut down the weeds around her house fence line. This will make this job much easier compared to using a weed eater. You can’t be so afraid of breaking a tool, that you don’t use the tool. Plus you can loan the tool to a neighbor if they help you with a job you need done.

It is pretty wild that I prayed to God to let me help Mom and it worked out great as Mom is willing to use the tools she has and a her neighbor cut lots of thick weeds and gave her riding lawn mower a service. Mom complained on call that her vacuum was not working so good and she probably needed a new vacuum. Info only and bitching about the cost of stuff we all do now a days, because everything is expensive. I went into Bi-Mart and got a free vacuum on Free gift Tuesday. It’s not a fancy, just a basic Black and Decker stick vacuum. But Mom has only one room with carpet and furniture that cats and dog sleep on, so it might be okay. Also it may work great on all of her hardwood floors and save some sweeping time/effort. You never know how God will help you, but pray like you know God’s help will come!

Last but not least I bought gas today and $5.02 a gallon for Ethanol freegas. I got by filling the tank for $48.00 and was happy it was under $50.00. The Kia is getting better gas millage after the new tires and undercarriage work, oil changes and I got a new coil for 2 spark plugs when I had my serpentine belt checked out by a mechanic. Oil for car oil changes is cheap right now but oil change places are starting to raise the price by $10-15.00 for a basic 5 quart oil change. Learn to change your oil or at least buy the oil now so your mechanic has the oil. Probably won’t work for quick oil change places but it could save you money to stock up on oil now. I got lucky I stocked up on gas when it was about $3.20 per gallon for Ethanol free before the Iran thing kicked off. I still have 10-12 gallons of gas stored but I don’t want to use up that fuel yet.

I used the electric trike as a backup vehicle when my Kia mini van was down for repairs. I love the trike for shopping runs. Now I live close to most shopping I need. My longest shopping run at most 3 miles, 1/2 to 1 mile is on average my trike shopping trip. I use a box/bag in the trike basket to hide my shopping item. Probably not needed in my town but better safe than sorry. Locks basically keep honest people honest. I have not seen any spike in my electric bill charging up the bike battery. It is a low power trike, at most it travels at 15 MPH on flat ground. But you can get a few shopping trips done on one battery charge.

Chinese standard bike tires are crap. Get good tires and “Slime” them so the tires hold up. The more you pay the more features you get on an E-bike/trike but adding baskets or turn/brake lights is relatively cheap. I bought a cheap Mooncool trike and my biggest issue was the 50% build, setting the chain and the brake levers. Very double if you have used bikes with multiple gears/brake levers/brake pads on wheels. But not an out of a the box trike. I’m not saying a $1500.00 trike will have better build quality, but it will be 90% built and have more things like turn signals and brake lights. I think an e-bike, trike or scooter or even golf cart makes a lot more sense than buying an electric car.

More updates will come soon on the front yard lawn and adding edible landscape plants. More household/not killing soil ,weed reduction. It will be slow but I’ll build better soil.

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BERJAYA Posted by Jamie

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