Food Gozo, Food

Things move slow—and then fast—in modelspace. When we told you several years back that it was time to build on-site food production—even something like a sun porch container garden—you probably laughed your ass off thinking, “My, that old man Ure in the woods of East Texas has really lost it!” Then, when we began using … Read More

Mondacious: Retire, Rituals, and Reclininmg

If you haven’t figured out what “Mondacious” means, go look at a calendar and get back to us. This week is mostly a nothingburger – which is fine with us.  Dow futures are down 51 early, Ess and Pee down less than 6. And honestly, with the week’s load of Treasury buybacks, we’re glad to … Read More

ShopTalk Retired: Lazy Ways of Old Men

A new leather recliner showed up this week.  One picked up about 4-5 years ago just isn’t cutting it, so a new one. Problem is, it came via FedEx and they don’t move things into living rooms.  As it turned out, I didn’t see the truck on the security cams, either, so I couldn’t go … Read More

Bonds, Wars, Weather, and the 2027 Splice

Peoplenomics Saturday: When the Atoms Start to Line Up The charts are calling higher. The bond market is throwing warning flares. Oil, food, weather and war are running on different clocks — and our latest Over-the-Horizon scan says several of those clocks may begin striking together as we move toward 2027. This weekend we connect … Read More

Jobs, Hardware, Future Ballistics, Yardening

Retirement is looking a lot better organized than it did a week or two back.  I’m starting to catch up on things and soon, the long-held projects list will be ripe for attack. In the meantime, “dangerous flooding” didn’t show up in our part of Texas overnight. A measly 0.75-inch in the gauge.  Our weather … Read More

Cuts Look Good, Futures Up, Retirement Landmark, New Book Out

Challenger Job Cuts looked really good today: “Job Cuts Fall in September; Hiring Plans Up 3% Over 2025 On Weak Early Seasonal Hiring. “SEPTEMBER LAYOFF PLANS FALL TO 43,281; TYPICAL SURGE IN SEASONAL HIRING PLANS ABSENT, BUT HIRING REMAINS ABOVE 2025 U.S.-based employers announced 43,281 job cuts in September, down 18% from the 52,881 announced … Read More

Behind the Numbers: What Does Life Really Cost?

Forget inflation percentages for a minute. What if we priced things in the one currency none of us can print more of — hours of human life? In 1966, a cheeseburger cost me 19 cents. Today, something comparable might be $3.50. Sounds terrible until you ask how many minutes you had to work to buy … Read More

Housing Data: Rate Rises a Bit

Just out from S&P/Cotality: Data through July 2026 reveals the following: Year-Over-Year The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 1.9% annual gain in July, up from a 1.6% rise in the previous month. The 10-City Composite saw an annual increase of 3.4%, up from a … Read More

Change, Housing, JOLTS and Using AI to Pick Medicare Plans?

Today’s column almost wrote itself after Elaine and I had a peaceful lunch following a morning of chores Monday. The general flow of events was clear, even if the specifics were still drifting. Semi-retired is a great thing. News Compressor: ON Let’s begin with the specific drift overnight…because we’re in Day One of a four-day … Read More

Domain Zoom Levels Monday, Shop Simpleton

We need to begin with the zoom-in today.  Because the rest of the week is likely to blur. That’s because tomorrow is the Case-Shiller housing report. Then, an hour later, Labor’s JOLTS report will pop – and that launches up into the Employment package into Friday. ADP, Challenger Cuts, and federal numbers. Unfortunately, markets are … Read More

Sitrep Sunday: Coffee and Callouses

News Compressor: ON Our OTH lookahead software points to “clustering” as the major risk for fall and into winter.  Usually, you will have a “named risk” (like the Radio Trust blowing up) when there’s a possible Depression brewing up. On closer inspection, though, it’s always a multivariate mess. You have your runaway consumer spending (“buy … Read More

The September Yammer Festival, Slowed and Mowed

Today’s column may sound a bit direct and maybe even harsh. But the weather has finally broken out of the heat wave, so I can get my “game back on.” Digital Data Roundup Here’s what the taskers are reporting in – and this should explain the “yammer” caption. Source-Access Audit 63 unique deduplicated story clusters … Read More