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My goodness you all have really been through the wringer.  Reading your update really brings home how much you both have had to cope with on a more or less sustained level.  I can see how you would be hoping for cooler weather and time to just breathe easier with nothing out of the ordinary to really have to deal with asap.  It sounds as though you are beginning to get a handle on the the lake cottage which should take at least some of the weight and worry off your shoulders (and minds) and keeping it at least for the next few years will give you time to make any needed changes slowly and thoughtfully.

 The weather here has been terribly hot with much higher humidity levels than usual has made getting the yard and garden in shape  a less pleasant task than it ordinarily is.  All the spring work is pretty much done now but we've had so much rain that the grass and weeds are keeping me  running trying to stay on top of them.  I too am looking forward to cooler weather (maybe by the middle of September) but my outdoor work will continue until all the leaves are raked, shredded, and stored or put on beds as winter mulch.  So cooler weather will help a great deal with that.

Take it as easy as you can----- you sound like a very industrious person-----so I expect taking it easy is not in your nature.  But do try.

Take care.  Victoria  

Grandma Donna, the gleaming stove made me smile!  I remember reading long ago an article by Amy Dacyczyn where she wrote about visiting someone who lived in a home with older belongings (furniture, appliances) etc. and everything was clean and tidy, and it always stuck with me that often my dissatisfaction with my home was related to cleanliness, the kind that comes with deep cleaning and is often hard to manage when raising young children.  These days I’ve learned myself that a clean and tidy home protects my mental health and is worth the effort to scrub and polish.  When I find myself wishing I could redo the kitchen, I tell myself it probably needs a good decluttering — and a couple coats of paint which it will get next year!

Like you, I am working the numbers for our retirement budget, which includes 5 months of pre-retirement at the same budget.  I have gone over it many many times, figuring all of the annual bills and breaking them up for the retirement budget, rather than just having one line item for all of those bills.  We got insurance quotes for homeowners and auto, but they were all higher than we are paying now — but it’s good to check every now and then.  Every time I thought I had things settled I would remember another expense such as bicycle maintenance and repair, which I had forgotten at first.  I finally feel like this budget is something we can manage!  My husband has even come up with some ideas to save money by doing things ourselves like bathing the dogs and cutting the grass.

We signed the contract and our solar electric system will be installed this month!  It felt a little scary at first but I had to remind myself that, 1) we saved the money for this over several years and, 2) we are spending the money now to keep our budget lower in retirement and to help protect against rising electric costs.  I went through our bills and 5 years ago our electric bill averaged $150 per month and this was during Covid and we were all home all the time.  3 years ago it average $200 per month.  Now it is averaging $300 per month, and that is with us using less electricity now than back then or even last year!

I am really digging into my frugal skills and also slowing down our living more like the 1930s.  I made a decision not to thrift shop in July, and I didn’t, and now I am extending that to August.  My new plan is to only go if I specifically need to buy something and not to browse.  There simply won’t be money for those kinds of discretionary purchases.  I look around the house and realize we have what we need.  I am doing more and more in the kitchen.  I made a dish that calls for orange juice and rather than letting the family drink the rest of it, I froze it in portions for the same recipe.  One can of concentrate makes enough juice for 4 double batches — freezing the juice for later saves $3 per double batch!  Today I shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheeses with the food processor and froze it in smaller amounts so it will stay good.  I don’t like the added ingredients in pre-shredded cheese, and it’s less expensive to do it myself.  I also found a small hunk of Gruyère that had a little white mold bloom, so I cut those pieces off and shredded it as well, to use in a quiche.  I find that I’m eating more cheese now, in place of meat

We don’t expect to have to clean out our parents’ homes.  We already helped my dad downsize 5 years ago, and now he lives far away and it won’t fall on us.  My mother-in-law lives with her daughter and will until the end.  Of course we will be willing to help my sister-in-law go through my MIL’s things, but it won’t be a burden as my SIL will keep the household items, and their house — while cluttered by my standards — is kept clean.

It is wise to take time when making those kind of decisions — keep? Sell? Fix?? It’s so confusing. Keeping the house to enjoy is wise! That means you will indeed enjoy it and maybe rest and restore! You both certainly need it after the past three years! 

Myrtle cottage looks so peaceful, I love seeing her. I felt the same way about my gardening efforts this year. The weather earlier in the season was too cold and rainy, then it switched off to extremely hot and humid. My tomatoes didn't produce and everything just seemed stunted, can't seem to find why. Finally just pulled everything up and for now I have empty pots of dirt in the front yard... but I decided to order some books on wartime England in the 1940s to distract myself  and learn how they managed back then. I think of you often and how you just keep on going and don't give up even through difficulties. Thank you for your lovely blog. Enjoy it so much and all the comments!

oh I had that same range when we lived up the river. I miss it. It was a workhorse. Yours looks great now. 
We’ve had some severe events within the past several months. It’s been pretty rough but here we are. And as you said, the sun rises again.  We are finally beginning to feel the turn around. Nothing happens quickly but if we do what we can each day, we make progress.  We have a hoarder in our family too. It’s clean but sooo much.  We do try to be gentle and firm, but it is challenging at times. 
Will sure be nice for you both when Charles retires.  He’s kinda a handy fella. You might oughta keep him around:-

Thanks you for your wonderful research, ideas, encouragement.  Working on several houses is quite a challenge.  Glad you are slowing down in the heat.

 I am a long time reader, but first time to comment. I live in hot, steamy Mississippi, widowed in December, working part time, will be 70 and start pulling Social Security in November, raised by parents who lived through the depression and were frugal and hard working.  I have written a few comments from previous posts.

First – do not be fearful, please. We can all be good stewards of what God has provided, but we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. For years now there have been dire predictions of the demise of Social Security. And now also of our various insurance options. Research your options yearly, if you use Secondary insurance or Prescription coverage, on the Medicare website.. Each state has a separate office giving free help in making these decisions. We can only use the information that is true today. Ignore all the social media and fearful news!

Conserving power - When my husband died, I unplugged all his televisions and extra refrig, and unplugged the chargers in the shop. And my electric bill stayed about the same. I turn on one light in the room I am using, and keep my house warm. Downstairs 80 to keep the mildew away, upstairs 82. I have ceiling fans in every room. In April I called the power company, and asked for an itemized bill (before I had to start using the AC). To be a customer I pay $35 a month. My power fee for that month was only $12. All the rest is taxes and company created fees $23!

Clothes - I don’t own a clothes dryer. I use my clothes line. Clothes last longer – no shrinkage or losing a handful of fibers each time you dry. I wear all natural fibers – woven cotton in the summer is much cooler than knits. I don’t wash my clothes each time I wear them. I work in the yard most mornings, at daybreak (we had 116 heat index yesterday) and wear the same yard clothes all week, and wash them at the end of the week. Then I change into a house dress, cooler than shirt and pants for me, that I only put in the laundry when needing washing. When I go town/work, I wear town clothes.

Meals - It is very important when planning meals to get enough protein. Women need 25 g three times a day, men 30 grams. I have a summer menu that repeats each week, using up some of the food in my freezer. I try to take advantage of sales. My grocery allows up to 5 of a sale item, and when my husband was alive I would buy 5. Now I am eating down the excess slowly.

Healthy breakfasts – I have a glass of milk with breakfast every day, to get protein and Vitamin D. Women in my family end up disabled due to bad bones. My weekly menu includes – Sunday a muffin made with white wheat flour, nuts, and fruit, spread with ricotta cheese or plain yogurt or cottage cheese and a sausage patty Mon Wed Fri 2 medium boiled eggs (no pan to wash!) and 2 slices whole grain toast. Tues Sat oat squares with nuts and fruit (in the winter oatmeal) Thurs whole grain pancake made with nuts, topped with ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, or cottage cheese and fruit.

Baking - I bake all my bread products using whole wheat flour called White Wheat. A milder and softer result than standard whole wheat (red wheat) flour. My recipe for bread makes 4 loaves. I slice them, and freeze them, and then pull of slices as I need them. I often make a cinnamon raisin loaf – good with nut butter and jam! I bake 2 dozen muffins at a time, and freeze them. I make a batch of pancakes and freeze them!

Money savings - I am blessed to have been raised by parents that taught us skills – cooking, sewing, gardening, repairs, house construction…. That is a huge money saver. Older folks are usually happy to teach you skills they know. A local church here has a large yard sale twice a year. Usually someone will have died, and there is everything from an older person’s household – good quality furniture, kitchen items, tools…. at very low prices. I only watch, rarely, free videos on the internet.

Money - Keep track of all you spend. Finding any excess or holes in your spending is important. Probate in Mississippi is not a costly or scary thing. We have to post a notice in the paper for three weeks, to give creditors a “last chance” to make claims against the estate. I have a kind, reasonably priced attorney. Yes, you need a will, Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, Living will (what care you want when dying). If simple, these are available free online. Unless you are wealthy, you probably don’t need a trust. Anything that has a beneficiary or Payable on Death or joint ownership passes outside the will. But beware, there can be tax consequences. If I give my hosue to my daughter to avoid probate or to “qualify” for long term care paid for by the government, she receives it at the value I paid for it, years ago. If she inherits the house, she receives it at the value of my date of death.

Before you make any financial decisions, do lots of good research, from reliable sources – not Social Media!

Sorry this is so long!  Glad this is a good place to encourage each other.

Just a thought, but have you considered renting Madge's house out as an Airbnb once you get it cleaned out?  That would be a way to make money off of it while still keeping it available for family use part of the time.  

Or rent the main house out to a permanent resident, and the family could still use Myrtle as a tiny cottage. 

The weeds in my garden are above my head.  I did get in there with gloves the other day and pulled out most of the blackberry vines that were smothering everything, but even the desirable "weeds" like cup plant, milkweed, dogbane, germander, jewelweed, that I leave for pollinators are a bit much this year!

I've been seeing a normal amount of native bees, and even more butterflies than most years, so that's reassuring.  I had monarch larvae on my milkweed, and now milkweed tussock moth larvae which are so cute:)

I've cleaned out another shed (though this one had mostly stuff I'm keeping) and I'm now in the process of fixing it up.  It wasn't in horrible condition but needed the doors rehung, lots of carpenter bee holes patched, and is badly in need of a fresh coat of paint.

So, that's what I've been up to - more of the same basically.  Oh a bit of fun news, I found a GREAT swimming hole within walking distance of my house.  Rocky bottom which is unusual around here, nice clear water, and just up to my neck when I stand.

I’m glad things are turning around for you, Lady L!  We’ve had a rough time of it, starting back in 2020.  I was battling a major undiagnosed IBD flare, and only in the past several months has my health started improving enough to feel like I can function, but even then there have been so many other things!  My MIL got scammed, my dad got cancer, a close family member has been struggling with mental health issues, another family member is battling addiction and homelessness, we had two major plumbing issues, I got pneumonia, and so much more.  Just last week I was at the ER with my youngest after being called with lab results and being told to go to the emergency room immediately.  But the sun rises, and we find the resolve and strength to keep going.  My own grandmother lived through WWI, her father’s suicide, a divorce, the Great Depression, WWII, my grandfather’s job loss, plus the Korean and Vietnam wars, along with the usual health and family struggles.  She had a quiet faith that I didn’t fully appreciate until I got older and realized what she had lived through.  My grandparents are my touchstones now, the people I look to when figuring out my own life

I have a copy of the publication "Our Farm Visitor" published by Bankers Life Insurance Company, Des Moines, Iowa, January 1932.  Bankers Life Insurance held mortgages on farms and foreclosed on many of those mortgages during the Depression.  My grandparents rented one of the farms.  My mother told me that Bankers Life painted all the rented farm buildings a bright yellow/gold.  In this four-page publication there is an introduction "Welcome to 1932" which I'll attempt to type out -- my keyboard is giving me fits!

Welcome to 1932

The year ended has not been a prosperous one for American farmers.  Neither has it been a prosperous one for other industries in the United States or in any other country in the world.  Nineteen thirty-one had but a few mourners when it passed into history and 1932 was welcomed with more than usual warmth and with fervent hopes that it will prove a happier year than 1931.

Nineteen thirty-one had many discouraging factors for farmers:  low prices for practically every farm product extending through almost all the year with only partially compensating reductions in the commodities which farmers must buy; decreased valuations on land and as high or higher taxes than ever before; drought and grasshopper losses in much of the territory in which Our Farm Visitor readers live.  We can feel, if we want to feel that way, that we have had a hard and discouraging year, that the farmer's life isn't much worth use struggling anyway.

On the other hand, what the depression really means for almost everyone of us is giving up things which our fathers and mothers never had.

It is but a scant hundred years since the beginning of Iowa and the adjacent states to the northwest.  The fathers and mothers of many of us, the grandmothers and grandfathers of more of us were the early settlers in these states.  Have we so soon lost the desire for adventure, the physical endurance, the ability to bear pain and misfortune without flinching, the self-reliance, the courage which, unless we are entirely false to our inheritance we must show in times of adversity and hard living?    We all like to brag about our ancestors, but what would they think about us?  What kind of ancestors are we, if a few years of depression destroy all our morale and make grumbling, whining men and women out of us?

Did we learn lessons on thrift in 1931?  Did we learn that spending can be made to balance earnings?  Did we learn there are values in life which money does not pay for?  If we did, 1931 was a good year for us, not a bad one.

Our Farm Visitor believes that 1932 will be a better year for farmers, that there is a silver lining to the cloud of depression and that the edges of lining are almost visible.  All of us will appreciate the silver lining more, will be better prepared for prosperity if the years of depression have stiffened our backbones and have renewed in us some of the courage and fighting spirit of our pioneer ancestors.  

Greeting to 1932!  It will be a better year for all of us IF WE MAKE IT SO.

This issue also published contest entries from 10 farmers living on Bankers Life properties with three winners.  If anyone is interested, I will type those out in future posts.  My paternal grandmother wrote one of the letters about which my father said it bore little resemblance to what he recalled.   The contest was to answer the question Why I Live on the Farm.

Grandma Donna, you are such an amazing example to follow! You just keep going and going and going! I love Myrtle. I can imagine the simple, happy life that could be lived there. :) Thank you for the update. 

I was caught up in a lot of worry lately, but then I got my budget finished, and I amazed myself with how much I cut down our spending. Now I feel that I am in control of my money instead of the high prices being in control of my money. My husband's company released its latest quarterly report. It's not good, but the company has enough assets to sell to keep it going through 2026. I get one more year after this one to prepare. Whew! That made my stress level go down. 

In happier 1932 news, things other than the 1932 lifestyle of wondering when the job will dry up in the bad economy :), during my latest one room proper cleaning I finally took my oven door apart and cleaned the inside. I'm finally back to my mending and altering too. Our dishwasher that came with the house is stainless steel but I bought a $7 can of white enamel appliance spray paint to paint it white. As soon as I can figure out how to take the door off, I'm going to spray paint it to match my white stove and fridge. It's part of my kitchen makeover on the cheap. Since we're painting the inside of the house this year, I wanted to take off the crown molding attached to the kitchen cabinets so that painting around it wouldn't be a nightmare, besides the fact that I don't like it and want plain, old-fashioned straight edges on my cabinets. I watched a YouTube video and found out how to take it off. The crown molding on the cabinets is so close to the ceiling that you can't get your arm over it to clean the tops of the cabinets, which is another reason I wanted to get rid it of it. When I started to take off the crown molding I discovered that the tops of the cabinets are raw, unfinished particle board. I do not understand modern building design. 

My garden has been doing pretty well, but my son takes care of it. I go out and pick something once in awhile or do a little watering, but that's all I do in this heat. Some days under the heat dome were too hot for me to hang my laundry. I used my dryer twice and resented it. :) We have a regular window air conditioner that we keep in case of a power outage. I learned that you can buy a solar window a/c, but it is very expensive, and I wondered why we couldn't convert our regular window a/c to solar. As soon as we finish reorganizing the garage, that will be our next project.

Stephanie G. -- I put newspaper on top of my cupboards so all I have to do is roll up the dust/dirt in the paper and toss it.  I then wipe down the top and put down new newspapers.  I have a collection of pottery up there, so the papers stay in place.   To make the pottery easier to clean I also stuff newspapers into the containers without lids.  Of course, the pottery is difficult to wash up but at least the tops of the cupboards are easy.

Ann W that's a very good idea! That would keep things much cleaner. I am looking forward to getting all of the crown molding off so I have room to put decorative things on top of my cabinets. The raw particle board is filthy with dust and the grease from my stove hood that doesn't vent outside. After I get it cleaned, I'm going to seal it and paint it. 

Thank you for typing out the Welcome to 1932. There's a lot of truth to be found in considering what kind of people we are when adversity comes. Those poor people didn't know that the worst was yet to come, but at least they were preparing themselves with the proper attitude. It was very inspiring to read. It strengthens my backbone. :) I'd love to read more from the publications. I like to hear things from that time in their own voice. 

I laughed at comment "At this very moment I feel that my ancestors did me wrong moving south"!   My ancestors lived mostly in the area I do, and summers are always humid, but not as humid as in the deep south.  I could not live there, and you will never see me retiring to Florida!  Tuesday this past week was the worst.  At one point during the day it got to 99 degrees.  We waited until sunset to walk the dogs, it was so miserable.  I joked with my husband that the humidity must be 90% right before we went out-he looked it up and it was 95% Just awful!

Because of the heat and all the rain we've received, the weeds are very lush this year!  I grew a few things in pots, but the deer got them. The hanging baskets of flowers did not do so well...I think they got to much water.  The native plants (flowers) I am growing seem to be doing better than others I have purchased, so i am learning more about native plants and trees to plant next year.   We want to put in a fenced in area for a small garden so the deer cannot get in, and also so the dogs have a safe place to run around.  My son got me 4 steel frames to use for raised beds.   So I am making plans for next year.

I have seen some bees, although not as many as in previous years, but I have seen more bees elsewhere.  Maybe they are having trouble finding the flowers at my house because the weeds are so lush!  In your garden pictures, I did not see as many flowers as I have in the past, but i am thinking that maybe yours come in earlier then mine.  Do you think that could have contributed to the lack of bees?

I looked up Jim Walter Homes.  That was an interestting read.  Do you still have the plans for Madge's house?

I want to add that I admire you and Charles for your enthusiasm, hard work, and forward progress on your many projects, despite all the upheaval going on around you and the weather this year!  When I don't want to do something, and feel overwhelmed about life and the weather is too much, I remind myself that whatever I can do is going to have to be good enough, and it's progress toward my goals.  So I thank you for your positive example in so many areas.

It has been a while since I've commented but I read every blog post and every comment. I'm always encouraged and informed! I check every day for a new post or comments. I am so happy for you, Donna, that Charles will finally be home with you full time. Your post on the budget really got me thinking and motivated.

Since May of this year, my husband has had physical difficulties culminating in a trip to the ER and 4 days in the hospital at the beginning of July. He is now on blood thinners and starting to be more active. Although he will probably not be able to return to work, he was able to go fishing with his friends in their boat yesterday. He is walking more and doing a little more yard work. Our family and neighbors have really rallied around us, helping out in various ways. We feel so blessed.

I still work full time and will continue doing so for at least 5 more years when I am at full retirement age. Our company continues to downsize and make cuts. Out of the 7 people in our department we have lost 3 so far in the last couple of months. The added workload on us 4 that are remaining has been significant. I'm grateful that I can exclusively work from home right now. Not only am I able to be here with my husband, but we are saving wear and tear on the car along with gas costs.

Our garden hasn't done very well this summer like it usually does. I think it's a mixture of negligence, weather, and not as many bees. Our zucchini plant produced 2 zucchinis and then died, although we have gotten some tomatoes and peppers.

I think my favorite part of the publication you shared is that it basically accuses the generation that lived through the Great Depression as young asults of being soft, while today they're thought of as among the toughest!  I mean, those are the strong ancestors that today's young people are so often and unfavorably compared to.

I'd love for you to share the book titles!  I'll be happy to share some that I enjoyed.