I mean the houses in the suburbs are what the banks, insurance companies and the politicians want you to buy. Complete with the large garbage cans out front, the mowed lawns and careful landscaping. Something to be proud of as outstanding citizen, consume and toss a lot and pay a lot in taxes.

Truth is that I’m not unfamiliar with this all, just like I’m not unfamiliar with rural living. 🐔 I sometimes find it hard to believe I’ve lived in my apartment for going on seventeen years, paying over hundred thirty thousand in rent 💵 – but you need a place to live and any home I would have owned would have cost far more and there is something a lot more flexible about being invested in the markets. 📉 I am still expecting a big market decline in the coming year, so some of that money will disappear for a while. What goes down will eventually go back up. Well diversified people who started investing in early 20s, were fine made whole by the mid-30s, even if 1929 and 1930 were bleak. People think when you own a house without a mortgage you live rent free except for the broken water heater and taxes. Plus all that cost to heat a big building and to commute from my preferred rural area. I really don’t want to be a suburban homeowner. 🐷 I just want my homestead but it has to be the right property. And mostly the ride tonight was about getting in a bit of physical exercise 🦵as I’ve been home reading most of the afternoon. But I figure it never hurts to observe communities – be it urban or rural when I ride by. 🚲 A bicycle is safer and slower and gives you more time to observe.

People tell me that those who live out in the country, often are quite poor, 🏍️ making much less money then I do and have pigs 🐽 and chickens 🐔 as much to feed their family 👪 as a much as a hobby. The four wheelers and trucks they have are used, fix it uppers they’ve wrenched together 🔧 and people burn debris as it’s a cheap way to get rid of it. Same thing with hunting and fishing 🎣. I guess it’s true but they seem much richer in my mind compared to folks in the city 🏙. I really don’t understand those fancy suburban houses.

I was annoyed that after replacing the drip pans on the stove last December 🫖 already one had burned through and the element was falling through already. To be fair I do a lot of frying on the burner and often high temperature boiling of rice and beans. 🍚 But it didn’t seem to last long despite being $8 bucks at Home Depot compared to the $5 one I replaced it with at Wally World today, 🧼 They now have soap locked behind glass at Wally World, seems silly as who is going to steal that. I’m sure they’ve had a lot of problems with the self checkout ☑ and that’s why they’ve moved back to more cashiers and only want people to do self checkout for fewer than 15 items. After all, if something doesn’t scan properly how much effort are you going to put into trying to rescan it if your not a clerk? I know I’ve gotten a few things accidentally for free at the Walmart self checkout only noticed when I got home and checked the receipt. 📜 Also got some lemon 🍋 essential oil I plan to put on the candle 🕯 warmer at work to make my office smell like lemons rather than pumpkin for a change. Autumn’s coming!

Decided to sign up for State Farm’s Drive Safe and Save Program 🚘 mostly because it’s a way to save a few bucks potentially on insurance without reducing coverage, it’s just a nosey 👃 phone app 📱 and a dongle that pairs to your phone to know your in your vehicle driving and not for example on a city bus 🚍 or riding your bike. 🚲 Truth is I’m always curious about more information and saving money. 💵 If it doesn’t work out, I can quit the program and delete the app off my phone. I figure every buck helps towards owning that homestead some day, which is why I tell myself I ride my bike 🚲 to work whenever possible but when you make six figures little shit like this doesn’t really matter much.

Still I’m interested in becoming a safer driver. Always fascinated about learning about bad habits and how to avoid them. Truth is I don’t want to get in another wreck – ten years ago Big Red 🛻 was hit on the expressway and while I had no long term injuries it was immediately painful in ways hard to explain and I had brain 🧠 fog days thereafter and a loaner vehicle and at times no vehicle at all thereafter. And it wrecked what was going to be a nice trip up to Moose River Plains. 🖥 Plus I’m a data person and I’m fascinated by the collection and use of data. I’m not worried much about privacy unlike some but I’m fascinated how all this data will actually be used. I’m guessing it’s in part self selection – safer drivers are more likely to sign up plus when you know your being watched you’ll drive safer. 💥 And then just the discouragement of interacting with your phone while driving. I’m sure the acceleratometer and vehicle speed and braking are taken into consideration but it’s probably far less than they want you to think it is. I’m sure on the internet people have reversed engineered such things.

It looks good for riding in tomorrow 🚲 but the evening commute might be wet but it’s not the end of the world 🗺. I won’t melt. I can’t ride in on Wednesday and Friday I’m planning on taking off to head to the Adirondacks for some time – maybe the last time fully off the cell phone 📱 network to spend studying the clouds from the tube. ⭕ And smoke a bit, have a campfire, 🔥 read and relax 📖 one more time fully off the grid for the next 79 days between now and Election Day.