Managing Up by Melody Wilding
This was a quick read I picked up because I felt I might be weak in this area. I like the way the book is divided up into conversations based on purpose. It is a nice reference and I can see myself …
The Side Yard Project
We had some landscape redo done on the front half of the house and with it new plants were installed on the side of the house. Unfortunately, the rabbits ate them all down within a week. We needed to …
Tinkers by Paul Harding
Though a small book, Tinkers feels weighted with language. The story is well done, but I consider this a very gloomy book given the health issues one of the characters has and how it affects his …
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
I adore Ina, as most do. She’s the sort of person you want to hang out, tell stories, cook together, and just be around. Though I am not much of an audio book person, we took a long trip to the Upper …
The Greenhouse Services Project
With six gardens in service, it’s a lot of time to unfurl the hose from the garage through the gate and water the gardens a few times a week. Additionally, the greenhouse could really use electricity …
The Last American Road Trip by Sarah Kendzior
There is nothing quite like the right book at the right time. I came across this at Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This book hits me as I am making my summer travel plans, as I deal with …
RIP Scissors
I bid you farewell Scissors. You served me for well over a decade, but that last cut was your final cut.
The Double the Garden Project
After moving the garden from one 4x8 plot into three 4x8 plots in the spring of 2022, I worked on the garden fencing in 2023 and then the greenhouse in 2025. For this year, I ambitiously wanted to …
My First Billing Cycle with Claude
I have been slow to test out the various AI tools, but with the reviews of Claude, I decided it was time to test the waters. On my personal computer and phone I downloaded the Claude app, created an …
California by Kevin Starr
This Kevin Starr history book on California is a short overview of the state across a number of perspectives. This is in contrast to his much larger series covering the history of California. I …
Rip Pine Tree
Down the street stood a very tall pine tree I would always have to duck under. It was both over the sidewalk, but also pushing the sidewalk up. If I am counting correctly, this pine tree was 36 years …
Sour AI
https://aphyr.com/posts/411-the-future-of-everything-is-lies-i-guess
Lounge Backlighting Project
My friends have been giving me a hard time about not having backlighting for the whiskey bottles, so I finally gave in. I had considered it when I originally put the room together. My original plans …
Running a Bookstore
A retrospective on starting and running a bookstore in a small town in Texas by Ryan Holiday. Some of the advice resonates with me like being contrary to what everyone else is doing. I have been …
Jim Whittaker
When I was a kid growing up in Seattle, Jim Whittaker was a huge deal and hero. I met him at an event when I was in scouts.
Mountaineer Jim Whittaker Dies
The Mighty Squirrel
With so many bird feeders out, the squirrels are well fed and very daring.
Breath by James Nestor
I had seen Nestor make the podcast rounds in around 2021-2022. I am all about learning to breath better or at least being more informed around how this breathing business works. I found this book …
Montaigne by Stefan Zweig
There are many interesting layers to this book. First the subject who during the late 1500’s wrote a book of essays which is a unique glimpse of his life during the time. Second is this book …
Gold by Rumi
Poetry is not my thing, but sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone. Poetry is meant to speak to you, not to have me speak about it to you.