This is more of my just thinking things through - without the financial info
=======================================
Spent a week with my mother this month - first time with her since our cross country trip. A big reason I went is the town-wide yard sale weekend. I have been selling there the last four/five years (I've lost count). It's much easier selling there as so many buyers come to the town each year. I've been taking excess items there, and this year I pocketed over $400 so not too bad. Will this year be my last year doing this? Don't know, but I am considering it. I also needed to put on my handyman hat while I was there. This time was a pull down attic stairs. It's in the carport and was a mess. It worked, but man oh man, it looked terrible. Anyway, I took it apart, needed to do some woodworking on it, and then rebuild it. Looks good as new now, and is probably better than new. The covering was stapled on, which was bad and allowed most of the damage to occur. I added some extra wood to make it sturdy, and used screws instead of staples(?!?). Beyond this there is still a hole in her roof, but we have it contained and won't do any *more* damage until I get there again to work on it.
I helped my mother get online and finish paying for our cruise this fall. They call it a "free" cruise - yeah sure. <eye roll> There are fees they break out of the cruise price so they can call it free when it is no such thing. We have had to pay port fees and gratuities fees above and beyond the "free" cruise. My mother wanted to pay for all of us (me / her / & a mutual friend) and it was less than $1,000 for all of us, so she can easily handle it. And it is the week following the timeshare week, and I paid the yearly maintenance fee for that ($1,500!!!), so I'm certainly paying for this trip too!
I'm still exercising weekdays, and I have been trying to add useful exercises to my routine. I search you-tube videos for exercises for men over 60, and have found some recommended exercises I could, and did, add. Also I am adding supplements too. My latest is creatine - this is supposed to be good for muscle energy, especially over 50 years old. It's supposed to take a few weeks until I notice a difference - we'll see how it goes.
As well I am keeping up with projects. My latest are (1) I have been wanting to replace my kitchen faucet for a few years, but felt I could find one for less than the prices shown. A month ago I came across the exact type of kitchen faucet I was looking for, still new in box, at a flea market for 1/3 the price of local hardware stores. Person said they were upgrading their house, but went in a different direction in the kitchen after buying it. Why didn't they return it? I dunno. Anyway, I was able to install a $200 faucet for $60. And now (2) I am refinishing my wooden furniture around the house. By "refinish", I mean only where needed on some items, all over on others. I'm currently in the midst of working on my dining table. There is minor damage to the base, and the top needs to be refinished (Just finished stripping the top), so I will be busy on this for a few days (or longer if the weather doesn't clear up). Oh (3), I also removed a tree stump out back too. That's hard work doing it by hand!
Finally I am still getting my deals over at the Amazon return store. They have other things there too - lately I have been able to get various cases of drinks crazy cheap. Often 12 packs of various drinks that Amazon carries for $10 - $16 a case I get for $2. And another deal of late - Chunky brand soup - 3 for $1 that goes for 2-ish each in a store. And I make sure to get things for my mother too, she wonders how I am finding all these things. Oh, and I have found some hobby supplies I can use for about 10% normal price, so that's been great.
I could add more, but this is boring enough. 💤
========================================
So overall I am doing well. Health isn't like I am a twenty year old 😞, but I am way better than most, and finances are good too. Personal situation... yeah that could use some work. I'm thinking it will stay as is, but who knows?
June 30th, 2026 at 05:52 am 1782798741
Typically, creatine is for people who are either very serious about trying to minimize their muscle loss, despite going over the point of diminishing return, or they don’t have adequate protein intake to begin with. However, your mileage may vary, so please let us konw how it works out for you. It goes without saying that whey protein is a great post-workout shake, and to try that first, if you haven’t already done so.
Anyway, glad to hear you are doing well overall. Hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise.
July 2nd, 2026 at 05:35 pm 1783013741
Glad you could find the faucet for far less than retail. That was a gem. Good question why the person didn't return and get a refund...although some people don't want to be bothered.
The cruise sounds like a delight.
Keep yourself healthy!
July 5th, 2026 at 01:51 pm 1783259486
I have a one-of-a-kind floor lamp my late grandfather made using marquetry. It needs a simple repair where part of the base separated from the other part. I just need to use the right kind of glue and so, meanwhile, it languishes in the attic. I really would like to get that standing again, cus it's really unique.
I'll have to check out the Amazon return store. I have perused their well, i don't know what it's called, but it's super cheap prices on mostly junky stuff you didn't know you needed.
I was taking creatine for a while; someone gave me a nearly full bag of it, and I've also read it's good for building muscle if you're weight-lifting. However, I didn't get more. While I do take a few supplements, I try to avoid adding to the list because it's one of those things you never really know if it's helping or not.