Schwab and SCHD, Amongst Other Things

     So you probably already know that ETFs, or Exchange Traded Funds, are groups of investments that are sold on the stock market like individual stocks. But they are managed funds, usually with low costs, and are particularly helpful for adding diversity to investments. 

     SCHD is one of my two favorite ETFs. It has holdings in a large number of diverse companies that are reasonably well protected from recession. It has extremely low expenses at 0.060%. And if you were to invest $100k you would get back over $3k a year in dividends. That's not bad. 

     Did I mention that having a gamut of stocks that pay dividends is my personal investment strategy?

How to Deal with Bare Gray Sand

Also, why people say they can't grow anything in Florida.

Florida is known for its beautiful beaches and sunny weather, but its soil is sandy and often nutrient-poor. This can make it difficult to grow certain plants in Florida, but there are a few things that you can do to improve the soil quality of your garden.

One of the best things that you can do is to add organic matter to the soil. Organic matter helps to improve the drainage of the soil and makes it more fertile. You can add organic matter to the soil by adding compost, manure, or leaf litter. If you want to really nerd this up, try growing some duckweed or water hyacinth in small ponds and turning it out onto the sand as a mulch. You can get some from my Etsy shop here.

Another way to improve the soil quality of your garden is to add mulch. Mulch holds moisture at the soil level where plants use it and it keeps the soil cool, preventing evaporation. Also, mulch prevents soil hardening. Some counties offer free mulch created from yard waste, this is a superior source of mulch because it comes from shredded tree branches which rarely have chemicals on them.

The lasagna method of gardening, which is layering organic and inorganic materials, also advocates the use of mulch for these reasons. I find the lasagna method particularly helpful for container gardening.

If you have a sandy soil, it is important to water your plants regularly, especially in the dry springtime. Sandy soil dries out quickly, so you will need to water your plants more often than you would if you had a clay soil. You can also use a drip irrigation system to help water your plants more efficiently.

Doing these things will help you grow a wide variety of plants in your garden.

In addition to the tips above, here are some other things you can do to improve the soil quality of your Florida garden:

Test your soil. Before you start making any changes to your soil, it's important to test it to see what nutrients it needs. You can do this by sending a soil sample to a lab or by using a home soil test kit. But before you spend good money on a soil test, I ca already tell you that almost all Florida soil is deficient in calcium and magnesium in addition to all the major nutrients such as NPK.

Add mulch. Mulch helps to improve the soil quality by adding organic matter, suppressing weeds, and retaining moisture. You can use any type of mulch, but wood chips, straw, and leaves are all good options.

Plant native plants. Native plants are adapted to Florida's climate and soil conditions, so they will be less likely to suffer from nutrient deficiencies or other problems.

Avoid overwatering. Overwatering can leach nutrients from the soil and make it difficult for plants to grow. Water your plants deeply and infrequently, and allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

Fertilize regularly. Fertilizing your plants will help to replenish the nutrients that they need to grow healthy and strong. Use a balanced fertilizer that is specifically designed for Florida plants. Or use rabbit or duck manure.

By following these tips, you can improve the soil quality of your Florida garden and make it a more productive and beautiful place.

The Case Against ETFs, or Why ETFs Are Stupid

     Perhaps you may or may not have ever thought about investing in Exchange Traded Funds, which are groups of investments managed by professional investors who earn money on the investments. These funds are rarely part of the offerings of 401ks, perhaps because of their inherent expenses. But they are certainly interesting groups of investments and can help a person diversify or target what they have invested in, for example, zeroing in on a section of the economy like real estate or energy, or choosing a specific goal for the investments, such as dividend investing.

     With the internet becoming what it is, and with apps available readily for pickup investing on the fly, and investing/economic news being readily available, it may seem silly to pay professional investors to manage investments for you. For example, Schwab and JP Morgan both have free brokerage accounts that link to your bank account that will execute trades for you for no fees. 

     The case for ETF buying is that, well, it's easy. If you find an ETF that meets your needs, it's pretty easy to buy a number of shares and then forget about it. Say you want to buy some stocks in renewable energy, but don't feel like doing the research on your own? Just buy some shares in a renewable energy ETF and call yourself diversified. They can also do some interesting trading things, like using options to grow the investments.  

     The case against buying ETFs is a big one. It's fees. All the ETFs that I have been learning about have fees, the best ones are less than 0.40 percent, but it still could end up being a lot of money every year. The more you have invested the more you pay in fees.

     How can you avoid fees and still make great diversified investments? That's a good question. The best way that I can see is to see what the ETFs are holding, do research, and buy the individual stocks in the ETFs that you prefer.

Luna Moth, Actias luna

     Native to the United States, the larval form of Luna moths eats leaves from broad leafed trees such as persimmon, walnut, hickory, and birch.

Permaculture in Florida: What Should I Do With All These Sticks?

      Have you ever felt like winter has left your place a mess and you don't know what to do with all of the sticks and leaves? 

     The permaculture thing to do would probably be to let the sticks and leaves stay where they fell and fertilize the soil. While I would agree that this is a good idea, it can be a  little bit unsightly in the front yard gardens. Then there is the problem of palm trees and them leaving their fallen branches on top of other plants. 

     These extra branches and leaves do have a purpose in the permaculture garden. Believe it or not, fallen leaves can be fed to livestock. My rabbits eat sycamore leaves and palm leaves, but neither are their favorite. Any amount they can mulch for me is appreciated, and the uneaten leaves are put onto the garden pathways as a mulch layer. Sometimes I also put fallen leaves and rabbit manure around new plantings.

     Large branches and sticks are a whole nother problem. They take years to break down, even here in the South. So I have found a solution, and that is to cut all branches to the desired widths of the paths, and then to stack similar width sticks horizontally to create a path. This is imperfect at times, because the branches often roll, and they also can make a person trip. But I am confident that digging in the logs a little bit will prevent this problem.

The Kobold in the Cellar

     This is the first installment in a series of adventures specifically written by Chrissy for the purpose of playing with children. Min maxers are not welcome here.

     The Kobold in the Cellar is perfect for first level characters.

     Start with this music

     The story takes place in the Red Dragon Inn, a small place in a little village called Willow Creek. The village has many houses, a few businesses, and a small creek that flows all year long.

     The characters are in the tavern doing their thing, when they hear word that the innkeeper has some work for them.

     But the innkeeper isn't behind the bar, instead his wife Becky is there, an overweight and overworked woman with long hair pulled into a bun.

      Sitting at the bar is a young man named Leif. He's unshaven and unkempt, and drinking the cheapest beer dregs the Inn has to offer. Leif hears things at the bar and is a good source of rumors. He will accompany the characters if they need some help, is a level 1 fighter that wields a dagger and a shortsword. He wears no armor, as he lost some of it gambling and sold the rest for beer money.

      Becky shouts rudely for her husband when the characters ask her about the work that needs to be done, and Mr. Henderson appears from the kitchen. He is a very large man wearing a big greasy apron, which he dries his hands on. He tells the characters that he has a theft problem in the cellar of the inn,  and he thinks it might be rats. He wants the characters to go take care of them, and will pay a reward.

     The cellar of the Inn is a large rectangular room. On the left are bags and bags of flour, dried fruit and vegetables,  and beyond that a large rack spanning the wall of wine and mead of different ages. On the right are boxes in disarray, and beyond that many barrels of beer. 

     As the characters round the corner they are attacked by three kobolds.

      After the battle, spot check (8), if successful there is a tunnel behind the far side of the wine rack where the kobolds came in.

     The characters tell Mr. Henderson what they found. In return, he pays them three silver for each kobold killed. If Leif is with the party, Leif takes 4 silver from the loot and heads to the bar.

     The next day, the town magistrate finds the party. His name is Oglethorpe, and you get the impression that he is not just an elected official, but rather, a resident who genuinely cares about the community. He tells the party that later on the evening Mr. Henderson discovered that the inn's savings box had been stolen,  presumably by the kobolds, and could the characters find it? Oglethorpe says that Mr. Henderson has offered a magic item as a reward, and that the town will give them a place to live if the characters can take care of the kobold threat permanently.

     The adventurers set out to find the kobold nest, following a trail of destruction through the tunnel under the inn. After an hour of travel, some of which was crawling throigg the tunnel, they come upon a narrow entrance to a cave. The sounds of kobold activity can be heard echoing from within.

     Play this music 

     The Nest: As the adventurers enter the cave, they find themselves in a large chamber filled with kobolds. The creatures are armed and dangerous, and they immediately attack the intruders. The adventurers must fight their way through the kobold forces, facing traps and obstacles along the way.

 

    The Boss Battle: 

Play this music 

     At the back of the chamber, the adventurers face off against the kobold leader, a cunning and powerful foe. The battle is intense, but the adventurers ultimately emerge victorious. With the kobold leader defeated, the rest of the nest scatters, and the adventurers are free to search the cave for any valuable treasures.

     The Reward The adventurers return to Willow Creek and present their victory to the village elder. He thanks them for their bravery and offers them the promised reward. The village is now at peace, and the adventurers have made a name for themselves as the heroes of Willow Creek.

      From here, there are some additional rumors about a wizard in a tower who has been performing experiments on young people that he charms to his tower.

     Only to find out that he was trying to create a slave to pilot a spelljammer he acquired.

Where did all the Supermoms go?

Last week I was at the park with the youngest one. He needs exercise, and he loves to play with rocks and sticks. So the park is a natural outlet for him. 

It was a nice day, about 78 degrees, sunny, and clear. It was early in the morning, but after I had taken all the older kids to school, so not too early. Here in Florida you have to hit parks early in the day before it gets too hot, and we have been going to the park early for years and years, since the oldest was a tot.

But we were there all alone. No other kids at all. Just older adults playing tennis or giving out religious pamphlets.

Do you think the parents and grandparents were all working? It seems odd that over the years there went from some kids at the park to none at this time of day. They say the unemployment rate is very low nowadays. Do you think that's the reason?

Are the kids better off for that, or not?

Overnight Ferment (Fake) Sourdough Dill Bread

         The best thing about this bread is that it has all the benefits of being sourdough bread without the necessity and mess of maintaining a starter, something that I did for years. What are the benefits of sourdough? Better gluten for a better structure, better taste. To make this bread, you mix some of the ingredients together the day before you make the bread, let it sit out overnight on the counter, and then add the rest of the ingredients for the loaf. This is called making a poolish. Dill bread is exceptionally tasty and makes for a mean grilled cheese sandwich.

For day one:

One cup of water

One teaspoon yeast

One cup of flour

For day two:

Take the day one ingredients and add:

2 1/2 cups of flour

Three tablespoons water

2 teaspoons of dill

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

2 or 3 tablespoons of oil, I use lard

Put into the breadmaker on 1.5 pound setting.

This State Park is the Perfect Zombie Apocalypse Survival Location

      Have you ever considered what you would do to survive the coming zombie apocalypse? That's a loaded question, because it implies that there is going to be a future apocalypse requiring survival. Still, it's a fun thought experiment, and I have often wondered what would happen if there was a societal reset. Who would be the survivors and would they prosper?

     Ellie Schiller State Park in Homosassa Springs is my go-to for a survival situation. Clean water, mostly gated park, with the possibility of growing an abundance of land-based food. In the coldest part of winter, manatees float lazily around. During the warmer months, the place is teeming with fish. Not that I'm saying I would eat the manatees, but in a survival situation who knows what would be on the table.

     I would bring my rabbits with me and some of the water hyacinth. Water hyacinth is a survival food for sure. I would probably bring the cannas too. They grow in water pretty well.

Early Retirement Extreme

 

    

     I finished reading all of the blog posts from one of the first financial independence blogs, called early retirement extreme. Jacob, the author, does a fairly decent job of pointing out one way to get financial independence, which is to slowly adjust your lifestyle expenses downward so that your investments can support your life. 

     While he never really gets into the meat and potatoes of his investments, he does state that they are all financial and from earned income, rather than inherited or heavily real estate based, which I appreciate. He speaks a lot about his journey, with his wife, as they move from an expensive apartment into an RV, which I appreciate.

     And then things go sideways.  He gets a lot comments from people that he is not really retired because he does things that he wants to do that also earn money, like editing specialized scientific texts and writing online for cash. Then the posts slow down, and Jacob sells the website. He later writes to sat that he and his wife have moved into a real house and he found an amazing dream job.

     So all the posts have a happy ending, whether true or half true. 

     I have no doubt that all the wussipants naysayers on the internet cajoled Jacob into retreating from writing, sadly. Or perhaps he came to the end of his inner content, which, if true, is fine. I would like to read his book sometime when I get the chance.

     That being said, this website is about one man's journey with financial independence. It does not really talk about investing other than to stay heavily stock invested.  

     One thing Jacob doesn't talk about much is that he retires from working but his wife still works. She splits all the bills with him and does half of the shopping and cooking. While I think that is admirable and something we should all aspire to, it decreases his cost of living by half. Or it increases his cost of living due to needing to be near her job. It's unclear what the case is with them during the time of the writings, but it is interesting.