Cars are useful if expensive; where we are they are often more than useful... they are required. We've had decent luck with older vehicles over the years, as well as a few dogs, so we'll watch carefully. The plan at the moment is to get a car that'll put on...say 7000 to 9000 miles a year, which is sort of minimal living where we do. Call it our run-about.

The whole mortgage didn't go up 50% .. .the current mortgage payments went up around 50%, thanks to a Rural Housing Administration adjustable rate plan. We knew they'd be rising over time it is just very inconvenient that they chose *this* time to review and raise.

And... I go out on the deck almost every might of the year and look at the sky (rain, snow, moon, or moonless...) what I *really* see there, or what I say to the sky or what it says back I don't much talk about.