It is genuinely hard for me to believe that it is already the end of February. The year is 1/6th past already, and I feel I that I have both seen profound change and nothing has happened at all. It strikes me both as odd and completely normal.
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Our lease has come up for renewal at New Home 2.0. There are more options now: Month to Month, 9 Month, 12 Month, 15 Month. Our rates have not gone up in two years, which surprises me a bit to be honest, given that one hears so often about the housing market being impacted even here. We have gone ahead and elected to extend for another 15 months, which puts out past midyear 2027 if for no other reason than to lock in the rate; at this point there is no indication that we would move before then unless something significant happened (it always might, of course), and I would rather run the risk of that than have my rent go up, especially in these rather inflationary times.
Besides, even with The Ranch likely closing, we are still no closer to a permanent landing point than we were before. And, the thought of moving again is not attractive at this time.
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There is no word on contingencies falling off The Ranch yet. The process of notification is underway regardless - one way or the other, we need to be ready.
Beyond that, the things I need to plan are getting a storage locker and finding a mover to get the last stuff out of the barn.
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In what appears to be a reversal of the last 6 years, my travel agenda largely falls off after June (with a single flight in August for my hike). I have effectively dropped from at least one flight somewhere a month to no flights currently on calendar (see exception above) until possibly the Christmas holiday.
I do not know that I mind that, but I know that at some point it will be a definitive change.
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It is shocking to me that I only returned from Japan three weeks ago. Like normal, it feels like a lifetime ago.
Odd how time works. In some ways - other than the pictures, obviously - it feels as if I never went. How quickly ordinary life takes back over.
As of right now, I only have one flight for the rest of this year and it hasn't even been book yet. One flight is too many in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteEd, I started traveling this frequently in mid 2020, at the height of The Plague and (except for one or two exceptions) have traveled every month after that. To be fair, I have seen a lot of changes in how air travel has been in that time (generally, not an improvement). I am essentially over air travel, although it will still happen for years to come, just not on so frequent a basis.
DeleteSurprised as you were that there have been no rent increases for two years. Looks like things are settling down a bit what with the scheduled travel going way down, helps a bit with the budget and less hassle connected with flying. Wonder how news out of the Middle East will affect ordinary life TB.
ReplyDeleteNylon12, I think the factors that weigh in our favour are a market where recent layoffs have abounded, a housing market that is continuing to build, and (possibly) the fact that we likely qualify as the ideal tenants: quiet, clean, no issues, pay our rent on time.
DeleteMid 2027 gets us almost halfway to a potential retirement date. And another 1.5 years to figure out where we really want to be.
I am just reading about the events. To be honest, likely they will not be good outcomes. That said, there is little enough I can do except manage those things in my control.
W. in CA
ReplyDeleteIt seems the Lord may be settling you and is giving you some rest time. Seek the Lord for what He would have you do. Maybe He is preparing you for something. In the meantime, get caught up, perge things you don't need, get caught up with medical testing, exercise, and reconnect where you are, and reflect on the past things and find meaning and gratitude for all of your blessings.
You do seem spread thin. You called this grab bag 2028! You have moved ahead 2 years already! No wonder you don't remember the trip you just returned from.
We, feel the opposite. We have been settled for a long time, dealt with serious medical conditions and been blessed significantly with recovery, both of us. Now we feel like the Lord is preparing us for something. There is an itch, a jumpy feeling. Don't volunteer for anything. Don't make any new friends. Tie up loose ends, etc. We are praying for wisdom and guidance for whatever this is and the strength to do it fully and to glorify Him in the process.
Wow W! You are completely right (Scurries off to make the edit - it has been a long week).
DeleteYou make an interesting point about not getting ahead of my own skies. I find I am falling into the habit of trying to volunteer for new things and get involved in different things and spreading myself very thin indeed. It is a good reminder to myself to perhaps just drop dead in my tracks (figuratively, of course) and deal with what is here. To your point, at least in theory we have stability for the next 1.5 years. That is a start.
May God grant you wisdom as well.
You mentioned a hike. I’m a fairly new reader of your blog and seem to remember seeing something about you doing an annual hike with a friend (?) or family member (?). After seeing a non-fiction book, about two friend’s 750 mile hike thru the Grand Canyon, mentioned by the author of a book review blog, and many readers of that blog commenting on how much they enjoyed the same book, I had to get it (from the library). The prologue alone made me realize this book was going to be fantastic. I love books that make me feel all the physical and mental sensations of someone’s experience…A Walk In The Park, by Kevin Fedarko.
ReplyDeleteAnon - Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteYes indeed, there is now a sort of annual hike that involves myself, my brother in-law, his son-in-law, and my future son-in-law (this will be his first year). Over to the right, you can find records of those labeled as Grand Canyon hikes, Mt. Goddard, and Mt. Whitney. This year, we will be attempting Mt. Goddard again.
I appreciate the book recommendation. Having been twice now, The Canyon holds a special place in my memory.
I'm curious about something. You mention inflation. Are you still experiencing price increases where you life now? I've observed here that in general, prices are going down: fuel, housing, and many consumer goods are dropping in price (our utilities never skyrocketed like some places). The one exception is at the town walmart. I do most of my shopping at Aldi, where food prices are gradually coming down, but our walmart keeps raising prices. I know this is going to sound completely crazy, but given how that store loved the strictest enforcement of pandemic measures, I can't help but wonder if their price hikes reflect something political, i.e. a contribution to the perception of unaffordability. I know that sounds off-the-wall, but it's crazy that businesses even feel they have to make political statements. I can't help but wonder if some are trying to influence voters with their pricing.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I will start my response with the statement that like real estate, almost everything is to some extent local.
DeleteThat said, I might break things up into separate categories. Fuel, for example, hovers here somewhere in the middle between prices in Old Home (high) and New Home (much, much lower). Food prices in the grocery store - we do most of our shopping at a discount chain, but occasionally "step it up" to a slightly higher range - are weirdly split. Fruit and dairy products (but not milk) seem to have gone up in price as has meat. Processed food (which we do not eat a lot of) much less so.
The real price increase seems to have come in services.
Something as simple as an oil change, for example seems to have almost doubled in price from five years ago. You cannot get out of the vet for less than $150. And general prices for anything prepared food related - ranging from a coffee to a meal - have increased as well; in some cases certain restaurants are charging a 2-3% additional fee as a way to offset employee benefits or as way to more "equally distribute" service fees (e.g., tips).
So maybe a different way to say it is that inflation does seem present (to me) a bit everywhere, but especially with anything involving people being employed. I am watching (with interest) developments in humanoid robotics and AI and things like "robot" diners, which in China and Japan are a novelty now. People, as my cousin who was a business owner once told me, are the most expensive part of any business. I suspect this will continue to be looked to as a way to to reduce costs.
That is an interesting observation about Wal-Mart. And certainly businesses have demonstrated, even in recent days, they have no problem choosing sides in matters that have little to do with the business itself.