As we close out this third quarter of 2024, I find myself less focused on "How our investments did" than on the plight of friends in the states of Georgia and North Carolina, both of which were broadsided by hurricane Helene.
Thankfully, people I know in those areas are OK, albeit without electricity and phone service. Many roads are completely washed out and will be impassable for weeks; in a throwback to the past some communities in North Carolina are actually getting critical supplies delivered by mule, in the meantime.
It's interesting how much we worry about humans doing stupid things that set us back in the world, but it is truly nature that has the power to set everything back.
We live in a somewhat "peaceful" part of the world now — from a climate perspective — but my 20+ years in the state of Texas taught me that hurricanes and tornados are not to be trifled with. Take those warnings seriously.
My house (in 2003) was located on a lazy slow flowing creek, at the bottom of the garden.
During the heaviest rains we ever saw, the waters came up 10 feet across a limestone ledge, and another 5 feet across the gently sloping lawn end eventually stopped about 10-15 feet from the lower floor back patio.
During that particular flooding event I saw both a shed and a port-a-potty swiftly float by, on the creek. Thankfully, the very old flood control dam held through it all, or we would have been up to our necks in water.
Sometimes, there's just not that much that stands between us and complete disaster. All the "prepping" in the world isn't going to help you much if you're under water.
And so, we're about to write October... and I can but hope that this 4th quarter turns out better than the last one. I think I said that on June 30th, as well... maybe we just live in times where one should not expect too much!
Of course, one positive thread — on a very personal/local level — is that we adopted two lovely young cats, about a month ago. We've always been a bit of a "cat household" that has typically been home to between 3-5 cats.
With our dog having passed away, and one cat nearing 20 years of age, it was time to add some fresh young energy to the mix, so we did just that when our local shelter recently was running an "adoption special" to get the number of kittens in their charge under control.
If you're a cat lover, @curatorcat's blog (kept by myself, @cosmictriage and our photographer daughter) is entirely dedicated to feline cuteness!
Of course, I am also grateful to have made it through another quarter of self-employment... also known as "another quarter of not being on someone else's clock."
Which reminds me: I need to file my income tax return very soon, only two weeks more to go, after filing an extension.
It's funny how — even though our income is very low, by modern standards — even people in the lower 1/4 of the income brackets still end up having to pay the tax man.
Never quite could understand the logic behind poor people having to send in tax money, only to turn around and get it back, in the form of food and housing subsidies. But such is life!
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great start to the 4th quarter!
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Created at 2024-09-30 23:25 PST
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