When we were at our Florida place earlier this month, I drove over to St. Petersburg to catch a ballgame. As I’ve mentioned at least one time before, I’ve been collecting ballparks as an adult, the same as I collected baseball cards as a kid. Tropicana Field was my 31st MLB ballpark stop. I got interested in getting to ballparks in every MLB city when … Continue reading Strange Activity
A week ago, we drove 1,550 miles from MN to FL to drop off a vehicle at our new vacation condo. My trusty SUV is being retired to Florida – so that we can just fly down whenever we want and have some wheels here. We got arrived in the Sunshine State last Friday and it’s a good thing our SUV’s air conditioner is well-charged. … Continue reading Tropical Summerland
Last night, my Mom sang in a choir concert with friends at her Senior Living Center. We missed it, as we are halfway across the country – taking a car to our FL condo. Still, the rest of our family was there and my brother shared photos of the event. It got me to reflecting on aging. Aging is an inevitable part of the human … Continue reading Recipe For Aging
I recently heard about the Galleri cancer detection test from a friend who receives care at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. This groundbreaking test is revolutionizing how we approach cancer screening, offering a comprehensive and non-invasive way to detect over 50 types of cancer – at a very early stage – through a simple blood draw. The test works by analyzing DNA fragments in the … Continue reading Galleri – Cancer Detection Test
As promised on Monday, we’re closing out ‘Collectibles Week’ at the Fire Station with a look at collections that are decreasing in value. Below is a list of 20 collectible categories that have grown less popular (and valuable) in time. We don’t have a lot of things that are on this list. My wife has some Hummel figurines (#4) from 25-30 years ago, but none … Continue reading Collectibles – Decreasing In Value
Sorry I missed my Monday deadline this week. I was on the road to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a buddy. The Speedway was on the line of totality for the solar eclipse! The eclipse was amazing. And, a bit haunting. The cold, black disk of the moon staring down on the darkened Earth is really chilling. Very cosmic & otherworldly. It is no surprise … Continue reading Quirky, Cosmic Trip
Wow. I cannot believe how high inflation has soared over the past few years. High inflation has been my biggest concern since we early retired. I’ve probably written 15 posts worrying about what may happen to our FIRE plans if high inflation came as a result of the economic Pol-idiots in Washington DC. A few favorites: Cut Those Prices In Half! IRS Changes Don’t Keep … Continue reading Who’s Afraid of Inflation?
A quick post on April Fool’s Day today. I saw this post in a FIRE group recently and thought I’d share the person’s question and my response … POST: I am very close to retiring. I am 56, married, and have four kids. Three are adults and one nearly out of high school. I have planned well and can retire and seek freedom and flexibility … Continue reading Feeling Guilty? Nah.
File this under “Things I’m Thankful For, But Have No Control Over”. The S&P 500 is off to a blazing start in 2024. Q1 is ending, and the index is already up double-digits (10.1%). It’s the U.S. equity market’s best start since 2019! I know, a quarter isn’t much to be excited for, but the U.S. market has really been rocking for a full decade … Continue reading Two Different Worlds
One aspect of buying a vacation place in Florida that I haven’t discussed yet is the importance understanding nearby traffic. It’s a real consideration. Many of the most popular spots in Florida (or California) are jammed with traffic during snowbird season or in the summer. I was shocked to learn what a big consideration it is back in 2014. We stayed in Cape Coral, Florida, … Continue reading Traffic Kingdom
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