I’m flying out to Michigan this morning for a board meeting at ‘SmallCorp’. It’s a trip I’ve made many times over the last 9 years. ‘SmallCorp’ is an automotive industry supplier with thousands of employees and operations in 11 countries. They are only small in comparison to some of the giant MegaCorps I worked directly for over the course of my career. Related (2015) – … Continue reading Congratulations (& Farewell) SmallCorp!
File this under “things I didn’t think I’d do in early retirement” … No one I know would ever mistake me for a gardener. I do a good job keeping the lawn cut, watered, and fertilized, but cultivating flowers or a vegetable garden is definitely not a hobby for me. That’s why this chapter of our early retirement is a bit of a surprise. Working … Continue reading Backyard Blossoms & Booze
I see a lot of headlines in the news lately touting how high the stock market has gone. It is true that the S&P 500 has reached a new Apex – up +19% YTD to almost 5,600. At the same time, few in the mainstream media are noting that the bond market has tumbled markedly in the last two years (down -16%). Compared with equities, … Continue reading A Tale of Two Markets
After 8 years in early retirement, I still have friends that ask me what I do all day. We just got back from a nice weekend up north and are heading into a typically (busy) summer week. I made a list of the main activities that are keeping us busy this week. Here are 10 activities between now and Friday … – M: Take Mom … Continue reading Peak Summer in Early Retirement
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
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