2026, My year of Garden Narcissism

digitS'

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Ducks4you… Yummy recipe sounds delightful and easy to cook up from scratch. Good job.👍

fresh thyme, parsley and sage from my fridge top herb garden, then: ... dehydrated basil
The basil, a good substitute for rosemary. Scramble the accounting: parsley, sage, basil and thyyymme.

Steve :)
 

ducks4you

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Red car is done--4 new tires, 2 (rear) brake pads and suspension, oil change--2025 battery was under warranty.
This was DH's car. I guess he didn't think about it much last year. :lol:
Funny, we had This moment--
You Have to do things that a trusted garage suggests, else maybe a mechanical break down on the road.
Mailing off to SURS for a one time payout and monthly tiny pension, enough to pay my water bill every month.
They were on the list to call, but went ahead and mailed me all materials without asking. Local office, so I am dropping completed paperwork and cert copies this morning, after I pick up my car.
 

ducks4you

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On the phone again to insurance companies. DH and I each kept an insurance policy for each other. He no longer needs Mine, so I am now waiting on hold to find out How I can cash mine out. I could use a $cushion, then maybe move monies over to JP Morgan for investing, which is how we bought the red Avalon (outright) and the shower.
We have had a "storm cloud" brewing for about 7 months, a lawsuit against DH. Insurance company said to fight it, it MIGHT be over, I Think plaintiff is signing off on an $agreement, but I am holding my breath on this.
Several payouts are waiting for this to settle.
Middle DD looked into what McClellan saddles are going for. Plan is to clean them up, wrap in fabric and have them ready to sell at a close CW Reenactment. I Don't think we'll get there in 2026 but we can sell them in 2027. They have a webpage for adveritising. DD said she saw between $400-$2K/saddle and we will be selling 7 of them. I want an endurance saddle and my Mountain Horse has a back that's hard to fit. I was looking into treeless saddles..
Anyway, sell to buy what I want.
 

ducks4you

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3. Use a Sand + Oil Bucket for Hand Tools​

This trick is old-school and brilliant. Most people have never tried it, which is a shame, because it works better than half the fancy cleaning sprays out there.

Here’s what you do. Grab a sturdy bucket, fill it with coarse sand, and pour in enough mineral oil or linseed oil to make it slightly damp. Not soggy. Just enough to coat the grains.

Now every time you’re done with your hand tools, stab them into the bucket a few times. The sand scrapes off gunk. The oil coats the metal. It’s fast, easy, and weirdly satisfying.
You’ll wonder why you didn’t start doing it five years ago.

🪣 Bucket Basics​

  • Use play sand or builder’s sand. Avoid anything too fine or powdery.
  • Store the bucket in a dry spot so the oil stays effective.
  • Top it off with fresh oil every few weeks if it starts to dry out


 

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