Truth is I ended up spending more time on my phone then doing all that much reading. 📗 Most of the e-books I got from the library are interesting but not that interesting in my mind. Maybe I need to get some more books, especially on Hoopla as the month is coming to a close. I think I want to get more books out about computer programming, as I often find them the most interesting and useful to read. Plus I need to start reading that book I got out from the library about fixing up old houses — as one option to research going forward — even if I’m passing up on that house down the street from my parents house.

I am sitting out back, the fire flies are out and the mosquitoes kind of biting, 🐝 but it’s been a pleasant day not too humid but warm. Sipping some nice cold lemonade that I freshly squeezed with some stevia. 🥤 Snacking on some pumpkin and ground oatmeal. 🥣 Didn’t get out at lunch time, because things were just too busy in the office and a project came in. It’s really been non-stop, but I’m always trying to step up, 📄 use my data science skills to move projects forward in the office and impress people with all the ways we can work with data. 🤖

I’ve been so busy the past few days, 👨‍💼although some of it is I am inviting additional work into my life right and left to keep extra busy. I think maybe it’s a coping mechanism from walking away from the fixer-up house that could of been mine, had I not mentally made a long list of all the reasons I should not buy it, or being too afraid of the risks — like the gap in fire insurance, the unknown situation with the water and electricity as both are currently turned off. 🔌 It was a nice property in many ways, but it also came up short in my mind in many ways — noisy next to the main highway, that weird inset in the property, the lack of forest land or a woodstove. 🌲 The reason I found out about the issue on getting fire insurance between the sale and moving in was actually calling the insurance agent to discuss the cost of adding a woodstove to the property. 🔥 Plus the whole issue of the eviction of one of the locals who previously lived there, and my werid relationship with the folks in the neighborhood.

And despite all my talk about moving back out to country, I really enjoy riding my bike to work, 🚴‍♀️traveling on the weekends and on extended vacations, not dealing with motoring except for fun. Maybe it’s fear driving my mind, or my lack of knowledge and experience in the situation, but ultimately I decided it’s not the right time or the right property. 👨‍🎓 I’ve studied a bit on buying property, land ownership and development and off-grid cabins, but nothing on fixer-upper properties. 🔨 I would want to have more book smart on such a topic before committing. While some people gave me advice on potential real estate lawyers, I don’t have a property surveyor or home inspector on speed dial, much less an assessor on dial. It’s a lot of money to pay all those people 💸but if you don’t want to get screwed, it’s best to pay up front and know all the facts.

Truth is if I want to live out in the country, 👨‍🌾 I really want to live out in the country, outside of a small town. Kind of like when I was out around Fort Plain and Canajahorie. Plus, let’s be honest, New York State sucks on many levels especially if you want to live rural. Simply living in a suburban subdivision that smells like cow shit 🐮really does nothing for me. Yet I’m also well aware that I’m only 13 1/2 short years away from age 55, and if I want to take early retirement from the state, that’s an income source plus tapping the 25% of my salary I’ve been saving now for years pre-tax in retirement. Won’t be a lot of money coming in especially with tapping my state pension at such a young age. 🏚 but if I tap my savings and investments, build a small, very rustic off-grid cabin in a low-cost state like a Missouri or South Dakota, raise a lot of my own food, maybe run a data or GIS business for a little spending cash, I could make ends meet. 🚜 And it would certainly be better then buying some house that I don’t really want with a long commute.

There are definitely housing options in the mean-time that are affordable, 🏘 even if none is as cheap as where I currently live. That said, so far I haven’t been evicted and I think my landlord is just happy with me being a paying tenant, now at a slightly higher rate. But alas inflation. Being able to bike or walk to work (and take transit in bad weather) is a big money saver. I may be able to eck a few more years out of Big Red, 🚘and certainly my next truck will last through the start of early retirement at age 55 if I continue to not use it for commuting. People say if you don’t follow your dreams now you’ll regret it but I always point out to them — you have no regrets once you are dead. The median age for taking over the family farm is people in their late 50s, probably if you look at people who build off-grid homesteads, it’s close to same age too. 🧓There is always some risk you’ll die before age 55, but if you take care of your body, eat well, the risk is relatively low. 💪

Weekend looks wet ⛈ so I’m not hopeful about getting out of town. 🚲 If it’s not too wet, I still might go to Thacher Park via the Nature Bus and ride home down the New Salem Hill — it’s so much fun. It all depends on how wet it is. I also want to get over to Rensselear County to pick up some sparklers and ground fireworks for Independence Day Weekend. Also want to get some cannabis to enjoy during the long holiday weekend — I haven’t smoked cannabis in years but it might be fun up at camp. 🚬

But then again, Thursday and Friday the following week I have off for Independence Day Weekend. 🇺🇸 🎆 I’ve thought about Piseco-Powley again, would like to do some time in the tube, but I’m also considering the Green Mountains especially Forest Road 71 Somerset Airfield now that it’s open to ride it and float in a tube in Deerfield River in that swimming hole next to the campground. ⭕ 🏕 The problem with New York State land is unless I get a camping permit I’m going to have to find a new campsite after 3 nights, plus who knows what will be taken if I leave work at 5 PM… although I’m hoping to sneak out closer to 2 PM but things sometimes get busy in the office.