You're right of course, they're just figureheads and puppets for somebody else's agendas. Perhaps what feels different about 2024 and going ahead is the fact that a lot of us have woken up and realized

Family time is definitely important! We don't get much time because we're usually working with our creative projects up until the very last moment. So those bits of family time I definitely to be treasured.

I also have fond memories of all the things we were able to do when I was a kid. When I contemplate doing these same things now - given what you just pointed out about shrinking packages and rising prices

Over the years, I've come to realize that minimalism is about much more than just "stuff;" it extends as far as what you have going on in your heart and soul, as well. And thoughts. "Emotional

We're grateful for living one row back from the ocean... well, an inlet off the ocean. But we're grateful for what we have. there's no way on planet earth we could buy our place today, because it would

Ouch. That's horrid. There is no life manual on how to handle something like this. But... experiencing your feelings as they arise is a good and healthy thing...

Brambles are just such awful things, and they sometimes seem to grow several meters a day! I had to clear a huge thicket of them as part of our vegetable garden expansion, so I can imagine what you went

I so relate to that @sunscape, we have a lot going on most of the time, and getting to everything is an eternal mosaic of fitting bits and pieces together in small time slots, as best we can. Someone coming

Writing has always been a hobby for me. I did spend a few years in the IT industry as a technical writer, but I bailed because I (a) didn't like Korporate Amerika and (b) it felt like "selling out"

I really enjoy the time spent with family, and the time spent putting up decorations and such... and the lights are very beautiful!

I'd like to get Thanksgiving out of the way first!

Indeed, we do try to make a semblance of a living with "stuff," but I take a small measure of comfort in knowing that at least it's not "cheap crap from China." Sometimes it seems like

As it happened, you were exactly right! Today turned out to be our best day out of the three, and we managed to take the overall results from "pretty sad" to "somewhat decent."

Thank you! As it turned out Sunday was our best day and we managed to turn it around enough to where our going was definitely worthwhile! And we did, indeed, make some interesting new friends.

Thankfully, it turned out to be a better day than expected! Thanks for the good wishes.

I think our system of living is terribly broken in some way. I look at our own kids two of whom have student loans that it'll take them years to pay off, and no student loans didn't even help them all

Every now and then my wife and I look at each other and declare *"well, I guess we're just not 29 anymore!

It was pretty fun. The one I had was part of a basic games pack that came with Windows 95... yes, I'm old!

It does seem to be afflicting more than a few people, particularly those who seem very "tuned in" to the energy around us.

I understand what you're feeling here! My life does NOT lend itself well to a challenge that requires my giving it time, every day. But maybe that's just part of the challenge...