Good evening! August closes out, the War in Afghanistan ends, remote work comes to a close and metrological autumn starts tomorrow as does the sounds of 22 gunfire in the woods 🍂

It’s such a time for changes, some good and some bad. But these words are soon for the history books. Won’t be long before it’s cold and snowy. Heck tomorrow will only be 66 degrees.

Partly clear ✨ and 69 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a west-northwest breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 60 degrees.

It is a pretty nice evening for closing out August 🌃 before the rain from Ida comes tomorrow. We aren’t supposed to get the soaking rain of downstate but it could still be pretty wet. ☔ Made up too much pasta 🍲 which I eat and went for my evening walk. 🚶 Seems like a lot of police activity 🚨 but at least the government workers haven’t been abusing the sirens so much.

Tomorrow is a session day downtown 🏢 and I expect I’ll be at work until quite late. Maybe into the morning hours. 🕒 Probably a lot of sitting and waiting around the Capitol. 📱 I’ll make keep my phone charged, maybe bring an accessory battery. 🔋Only one more remote work day after today, just Friday and it’s done. But it was it was hot working out of my truck at laundromat and the library 📚 today. The air conditioning and internet is much more reliable in the office although I think my truck seat 💺 is more comfortable.

Did my laundry at the laundromat 👚 so I should have enough clothes for both work and through the weekend. I am still thinking Spectulator area for that final day of remote work 💻 on Friday – drive north at dawn, set up camp ⛺ and then work from the village. It looks like a nice weekend.

I am glad about the oil change is done even if it means that I’m closer to facing the truth about the other issues on the truck 🚚. It’s just money, 💵 I have it, I’ll get it fixed. I like all the adventures I’ve been on lately. The shop confirmed what I already knew – I need tires before winter and I feel like I need Watkins Spring to check the alignment before I poney up the big bucks. 🙄 But I have time, at least a little bit and it’s actually more convenient while I’m working downtown five days a week.

I inflated the truck intertube for floating down rivers 🔘 and hope to try it out a bit this weekend. Only took a half hour to inflate with my little air pump. I’ll bring a paddle and a life jacket. 🛶 Maybe hike back to the West Canada Lakes wilderness but not sure where. Need to get out my blaze orange as small game is open tomorrow. 🐿️🔫

Often I think of my truck as something special 🚘, even though I know it’s something to be used and thrown away in a few years – it’s only value is taking me on adventures places or getting places that I can’t walk or take a bus to. 🚍 Probably why my the tread is cracking and crumbling so much is my truck is parked so much. Ultimately though things are pretty close to the wear bars – it’s been well over 50k and nearly six years now. Be a lot quieter with the new tires.

I got paid today 💰 and canceled the automatic deposit into savings although the ordinary investments and retirement accounts continue. I was down to $450 in checking before I got paid which is kind of a bad thing because my bank requires an average $700 daily balance. Paycheck to paycheck living. But my ordinary high interest savings account now has like $35k in it and the interest rate is 4/10ths of a percent so it’s fine. Always face a cash crunch this time of year.

I haven’t run the full balance of the various investments in a few months 🖨️but I bet I’ve crossed that half a million asset threshold, so there is hope for a better tomorrow – and I have never borrowed money buying my truck and college with cash. 🤑 And that doesn’t include the 13 years I have in the Tier 4 state pension system. Some day I will be able to afford my own land and implements 🚜 and if I want to burn things 🔥, have livestock 🐮 🐽, ride four wheelers, and own even more guns 🔫 I’ll be able to do that. I don’t care much about fancy buildings just land. 🌲 I’m such white trash.

I can complain a lot about my rundown apartment 🏡 and my truck getting old, rusty and needing of repairs but I’m doing a lot better than a lot of people. I’m greatful for that. I’m not there yet but I’m making progress on my retirement and savings goals. I have the nice corner office with views of the mountains ⛰ and good pay, even if the hours are long at times.