Down goes the Dow

I could see how that could be heartbreaking for your wife. We sold our previous house after living there 17 years. I got teary eyed telling the new owners how the pine tree in the front was our living Christmas Tree our first year. That tree never saw another Holiday.

Some people get very attached to their trees. I've gotten wood from people who have cut down trees in their yard and made something nice out of a piece of the wood for them to remember the tree by.

That would be me.

Couple of thought - why don't you start a young tree now in the canopy of the tree(s) you envision removing in a few years so you have a tree or two to soften the shock of loosing the older tree when it is it's time.

Second, if and when you remove the tree, if you would like, send me a chunk and we could put something togehter for you to remember it by.

But hopefully, your trees last a really long time, though I do see that white birches may last as little as 20 years or less. Sad.

No one ever laments the trees cut down to build their homes, whether for lumber or for clearing the land for the house. But they get all emotional about the ones that avoided the saws.

Thanks Seattle. If we get a death of one of the birch I will reach out to you. I did save a maple seedling, potted in a photo from a couple of weeks ago. Included here are also photos of the thee large birch just leafing out, and a photo of the west side, two maple framing a couple of interesting pines. The maple to the left was a six foot seedling found along a fence line. At this point I am out of room. I do have a maple with canker disease, treated, but may not make it longer term.

Seattle,

These two trees are tamarisk. In the desert southwest they are used for wind breaks. Not suitable for wood working, but the bees love them. They bloom late summer when most things here begin to dry up.

Seattle,

How long do you need to season the wood before you can work it?

Igy

Work it "green" which means immediately upon being cut, which roughs it out, then let dry and shrink and warp for about 5 months before final trimming, sanding, finishing.

That is the preferred method, but it is flexible.

It makes big moves.

Not entirely surprising, I think you would agree, in that it has had such a massive and long rise over the last year or two, and a pull-back, when it finally came, would be massive as well.

So, the rebound off the sell-off was huge. My suspicion is that it isn't over and I've been actively trading it for months and still do so.

I added back on the short side through SOXS, about 20% of what I sold.

Our former neighbor was more upset about it than my wife. What upsets my wife is we could get $200,000 more if we sold it today. Our place down here had increased $170,000 in value at it's peak, but has dropped $50,000 the past 2 years. So we're up $120,000. Also, as my daughter's friend said, the town my kids grew up in has gone bougie.

Which coins to get next

Zillow says our home is about 20% off the highs, since nothing is moving I suspect in a pinch sale it is much lower. I am a volunteer on Neighborhood Watch as growth has come with a cost.

maser asked about my car situation...no moves yet. I have a 2016 so I figure 2026 is the year I think about a switcheroo.

While the Giulia is still the everyday car I'd prefer over all others...from what I've read they never ironed out dozens of electrical gremlins. Especially bad for cars that sit and don't move for weeks at a time. You almost have to have a trickle charger in that situation...or the battery dies regularly. And my cars do sit for long periods of time.

So right now I'm looking at the Acura Integra Type S. It just came out new as a 2024 model...I figure in 2026 it will be down to a price I'm willing to pay for a hot rod Civic. Seems like just the right car...four doors, trunk, just less than scary fast, great handling, fun to drive, reliable...and built in Ohio. If you don't know it...it's a Civic with 300+ horsepower and all kinds of handling and luxury upgrades. it's the same car as the famous Civic Type R but softened and luxed up a bit.

this has continued to worsen - worth keeping an eye on as a sign of stress. come to think of it, there are several points of stress right now.

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Game of Trades
@GameofTrades_
This is WORSE than the 2008 Financial Crisis
Credit card defaults are rising at levels NEVER seen in 3 decades

:00 PM · Oct 28, 2023
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635.1K
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Good call here when the market was tanking, at the bottom. Pointed out the underlying economy was fine. And 6 months later, it's still fine. Growing 2-4% real.

Ryan Detrick, CMT
@RyanDetrick
NBER looks at 6 indicators to determine if we are in a recession or not.
Short answer is there's absolutely no recession now or in the near future.
Very strong industrial production, consumption, and wholesale/retail sales the past 3 months leading the way.

9:23 AM · Oct 23, 2023
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45.8K
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I just looked at crime stats from Igy's city...crime has fallen every year there since 2019.