Monday, 14 September 2026

 

Because of the recent balance transfer, the October amount for two of my credit cards was only $97 and $78--and since the monthly charge is so low, I have enough money to pay them now. So I did that. Now there's no need to worry about those two cards until November. My monthly payments are generally among four cards, which means that next month, I'll be able to make a bigger payment to one of the bank credit cards that I want to clear off (which has some $3k on it) and reduce that balance. I also feel better knowing that if I have to, there's now enough card space available to take the $3k off the bank card altogether, and transfer it over to the credit union card. However, the "stone in my shoe" remains the fourth card: the "big" bank's credit card, which has a balance of over $19k. It's owed by a "too big to fail" bank that's at the top of the CRE list and could, indeed, fail. Worst-case scenario, it is possible to transfer the "big" bank's card onto the $3k one, but that'll come at a cost: a 25% APR and the chance that the $3k banks says "no, we won't let you do it."

Hey, remember the 26" Schwinn that I'd stored at the old school, until someone took it off the porch? ("Stole" is a harsh word, as decades of activity from the old apple orchard has let local residents know that anything put on the porch is free, so if I'd really wanted to keep it from rolling away, I should have kept it inside.) Well, it got dumped at the transfer station today, and I decided to reclaim it. At the moment, it's behind the 8x8 under a blue tarp. It seems to be all right, save for a dented rear fender and a few more scuffs and scrapes from being used by the local boys, who I imagine didn't care much for the '70s bike design. Now I have two bicycles. I'm going to keep the Schwinn behind the 8x8 until Mother decides our lawnmowing season is over, then stick it in the shed and see if it's suitable for riding next year.

The 1997 Mongoose Threshold mountain bike will be good to keep around for the winter because of its tires, which will provide much better traction than the Schwinn in order to cut through the snow. I believe the correct phrase for this is a "winter beater bike," as I'm not looking to restore it to floor-model status. The ominous reports on gas prices now are likely to reboot us back to the 1970s crises, which means that it'll behoove me to have alternate transportation available for local tasks and not waste my money on refilling the Equinox.

Speaking of which, I'm pondering the purchase of 10x20 shelter, given how brutal things were last winter. It's going to be a better alternative than fighting with a car cover in heavy snow. If I had my way, I'd put one over the driveway to not only protect my vehicle but to save us from having to shovel and snow-blow all the time--an effort that's becoming too much for both of us now. But Mother would pitch a fit if I pitched a tent and obscured her Christmas decorations and her kitchen side window view--even if the move would save us both from heart attacks. I'd like to put this next to the garage, but it would sit at an angle due to the slope of the land, plus I'd have to shovel the lawn to get in and out of it after storms. One big turn-off is that a lot of the canopy materials for sale don't look like they'd make it through a U.P. winter. I've got a $179 model in my Amazon cart at the moment, which will most likely have to go alongside the lawnmower shed where I parked most of last winter, but would provide at least one solid wall on one side. That means slipping, sliding, and trudging through snow to get to the Equinox.