"That's No Moon"

The weekend of the 25th and 26th was Baby Shower weekend for Jean and Joel.  On Saturday, it was a time for friends.  Charis stayed home with Grandpa Dick and Grandma Nancy while big sister Annie put on the shower.  The next day, our clan and friends gathered for a family-oriented shower.

Jean's due date for Sitte Boy is November 8th.  Nobody in the family has been born in November.  My guesses are Halloween and 8 lbs. 1 oz., although both Joel and Jean were heavier.

All the young families in attendance on Sunday hinted at more babies to come, but all attention right now on Mr. Sitte.  

We saw Valerie take two steps, and we heard that Reuben was beginning to talk, at least now saying "Momma."

I got instructions on how to take care of Luna while Jean and Joel head up to Evergreen Medical Center in Kirkland when the baby demands to be born. 

I was happy to receive loan repayments from Joel and Nathanael totaling $10,414.  Our half-yearly property taxes due at the end of October are $10,225.  I'll be able to relax about finances in October.  Also in October, the Sleight house in east Auburn will sell.  So when that happens, we will receive the remaining outstanding loan balance on the house and the windows upgrade.  That will be nearly $160,000, and will keep us quite solvent well into the years when we begin to receive Social Security.

Visits to the Eby/Sleight House

On the 12th, we all visited the new Eby/Sleight home in south Auburn.  David and Helen were just heading back to Portland.  David had some medical appointments scheduled.

Having only been in the house two weeks, the garage and rooms were mostly full of boxes. 
We enjoyed the full tour.

The master suite on the main floor is for Nathanael and Cynthia.  It is larger than ours in Bellevue.  David and Helen have claimed the basement with is second master-style bedroom/bathroom/walk-in closet arrangement.  They also have what would otherwise be considered the rec room set up as two offices.

The living room on the main floor is more aptly called the music room as it includes the Eby's grand piano.

The upstairs has a third full bath, three bedrooms, and a second living room-type space which corrals Jonny and Reuben's toys.

The backyard is not large but it has a variety of fruit trees and a diverse and elegant garden including a large strawberry patch.

A deck off of the main floor is over a similar sized patio below it.  That patio has an outdoor gas fireplace.

I returned on Tuesday the 14th to complete the replacement of two ceiling fans with LED ceiling lights in the children's bedrooms.   

Although the distance from Jean and Joel's house to this new Eby/Sleight house is longer than to the old house, taking Highway 18 between Covington and Auburn is convenient.  The trip from Bellevue to Auburn is just a bit shorter time-wise than to their old house.

(Right) Jonny says his cheese, "Looks like an H and an O."  Cynthia is actively teaching both Jonny and Reuben.

Bob and Kim Disher had been visiting us and stopped to see the Eby/Sleight house on their way back to Dallas, Oregon.

The overpopulation of Endler's fry called for attention.  I moved the seven Gold Barbs to the 20-gallon tank with the hope that they would prey on the small fry, which apparently they have.  Without the Gold Barbs in the 29-gallon tank, where they were the largest and most active school, the other fish seem more relaxed.

I've been moving the male Endler's (left) to the 10-gallon tank as they mature and begin to show color.  A few of these are more elegant than their father, with a splash of blue to go with their father's orange.  They are now a beautiful school of brothers.

Undesirable snails that have hitchhiked on plants have become a problem.  I move those I find to the 1-gallon tank which I will later clean out. 

Early in the month, I again put the four mature White Clouds into a 5-gallon bucket with some green acrylic yarn as a spawning mop.  In my earlier attempt to breed White Clouds, I gained three fry who were moved this month in with their parents.  So far, I've counted over a dozen tiny new fry (right) in this second batch.  I am a very pleased, and doting fish breeder.

Harvest Time

I knew I'd planted Oregano, but all I'd seen come up was the thriving Basil.  I'd forgotten about the Oregano until I saw a large plant growing next to the Basil.  A search of Google for pictures showed me I'd grown more Oregano than I could ever use.  It is a staple on the pizzas we enjoy regularly.  Basil, Oregano, and Parsley, all of which I grow now, top all our pizzas.  The family has finished off the first harvest of Oregano, and a second batch has been cut.  Charis helps me separate the leaves from the stems.

As tomatoes, peppers, herbs, cucumbers, and onions continue to be harvested, four pots containing Thai Basil seeds (purchased for Jean via EBay), and another batch of onions from seeds are just coming up.  I gave the largest Thai Basil pot to Jean at her baby shower. 

This season, the bulb onions were planted in a bad location without sufficient attention to the soil.  And no pumpkins appeared on the three long vines.  But now that I am retired, I have plans to remake the southeast corner of our yard over the fall and winter to expand and improve my growing garden.

I have researched growing blueberries from seeds and intend it give them a try. I understand this is a many-year process as they are slow growing.  The blueberry patch will go in north of the tomatoes.  I have blueberries in the freezer, training them to think it's Winter, and will harvest and plant their seeds indoors in October.

Nancy has given me permission to install tiered shelves for growing starts from seeds on the window bench in the living room.

Bits and Pieces 

Timing the Stock Market is risky business.  The volatility and political strife this month encouraged me to finish going to cash again.  I sold my four S&P index funds that I had held for 198 days.  I had put $3,700 into each of four Schwab funds at TD Ameritrade. On an annualized basis, I made 2%, 20%, 28%, and 36% returns, an average return of 21.5%.  If I were to sell them within the first 180 days, I would have been required to pay significant fees.  Once again I do not feel good about the Stock Market in October.  Time will tell. 

I hope to add time for daily market research once the Auburn house sells and much of the money loaned on it is returned to my Charles Schwab account.  I will also be able to add significant funds from my TIAA accounts, especially the money saved while I was at the University of Washington.  For now, I will leave my other investments at Transamerica.

Every day includes some time with Charis and Valerie.  On the one hand, I feel very unproductive in my first three months of retirement, yet it seems I've done all that is necessary.

My weight remains near 180 instead of 170 as another month ends.  Every morning I record my weight, my blood sugar number, and what, if anything, I did to cheat on my diet the day before.

My Quote from September