As we burn through the wood that came with the house, we’re looking for a good firewood source. I’m also kicking around learning to split our own firewood. Here are a few things I’ve been looking over, including some interesting tools: splitting firewood – Google Search How to split wood – woodheat.org epowiki: Splitting Firewood … Read more
Interesting idea to simplify accounts. Currently I’ve got checking and savings with different banks, and have been looking into a few other ones, mainly for other investment stuff such as a Roth IRA and a money market fund. But maybe this is something to consider instead, especially given the free checking noted below. But what … Read more
Info packrat. I’m such a damn packrat. Before computers it was — and still is — paper. Articles, printouts, things I’m convinced I’ll need at some point and better file for future reference. Then, every now and again, I go back through the pile and alternate smacking myself on the head with throwing stuff away. … Read more
Fascinating read about newsletters, promo emails and such. The subject lines that you think would be flops, are the ones that work best — and vice versa. Link: Study: Best and Worst Subject Lines by Open Rate. On the "best" side, you’ll notice the subject lines are pretty straightforward. They’re not very "salesy" or "pushy" … Read more
While whipping up some chicken stew this evening, Jodie and I — oh, so sadly — had to open a bottle of white wine. For the stew and the chefs we chose a bottle of 2005 Amaicha, from Argentina. We found this at Trader Joe’s for, oh, maybe $5.99. Might’ve been cheaper; the details are … Read more
Oregon State University’s Extension Service breaks down different trees found in Oregon and their characteristics, good and bad, for use as firewood: Link: Different trees offer varying qualities of firewood. Madrone: When seasoned, this hard, dense wood burns very hot and produces long-lasting coals. Having little bark, madrone is clean to bring indoors. Some madrone … Read more
Dungeness crab, that is. Link: Don’t let the crab fest pass you by – The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA. "supplies of fresh, local Dungeness crab have been good. Crab season along the Oregon Coast began on Dec. 1 and will continue through Aug. 14. The peak harvest, however, according to the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission … Read more
In Eugene/Springfield and want to buy some of the best Monterey Jack cheese available? Head to Winco. We do a lot of shopping at Winco, mainly for the awesome prices (and some of the best bulk bins in town). Cheese has always been a bit hit and miss. Winco cheddar? Ah, not so great. But … Read more
When it comes to this article about annoying buzzwords, all I have to say is that this paradigm is really thinking outside the box. If we get on the same page, I believe with the right value-added metrics and synergy we can really take our redeployed people on the runway, and take this customer centric … Read more
Socially responsible investing, or SRI, has been an option in various investments for years. Now, states are making SRIs an option in their 529 plans. Like any other investment, putting your money in an SRI has risks and costs — read the prospectus and do some good searching and researching before you put a penny … Read more