If anyone would like to see my spreadsheet, I’d be happy to share

I dump it all in one Ing account, but keep a spreadsheet (one row for each deposit or withdrawal; one column for each category of savings).

So at a payday (unsecured personal loans fair credit) I may deposit $1500 but I itemize in my spreadsheet that $17 is for car registration, $250 is for my IRA, $50 is for lake cabin fees, $150 for car replacement, -$100 for pet expenses, etc.

Personally, I like to know that twice a year, I’ll have $600 set aside for the cabin; in April, I’ll have $6000 for my IRA, etc. Without “naming” the funds, I think I’d tend to “borrow” without any intention of repayment. (I’ve been known to borrow from one sinking fund for another, but the glaring negative value in Excel makes me repay the proper fund quickly.

We will be spending the day around the house

I am thinking dh may still have a few things to do to finish up his part of the kitchen work. He is increasing the number of outlets, running water and electric for a garbage disposal, etc. He is very handy and experienced at this, though not licensed. He learned a lot of this from his dad who was a licensed electrician.

We will probably have a couple over for burgers. They have faced some health difficulties and probably need a break. If it doesn’t rain, we may get some swimming.

We won’t have much of a holiday tomorrow or Friday, but maybe later this weekend

Tomorrow will be spent moving hundreds of hay bales, from the field into the hay loft. Generally hot, dusty, sweaty, tiring work. But it always feels good to get the harvest out of the field and into storage. Plus, the weather tomorrow will be low-mid 70’s which is a heckuva lot more comfortable than last year’s mid-90’s for the same task.

Tomorrow night, I’ll be sitting up with one of our livestock dogs, who is absolutely terrified of fireworks. We’re rural enough that many of our neighbors put on their own sound and lights show, and that sends our Cougar into fits of trembling and cowering at the back of his field shelter. So we’ve got a routine now where I’ll go outside and sit with him under his favorite maple tree, and sing to him and let him know it’s going to be OK. He still trembles some, but he lays his big head in my lap and gives big sighs of “I’ll be glad when this is over.”, and wags his tail occasionally. Doesn’t sound very entertaining but in an odd way it’s very pleasant. He’s one of our rescue dogs and he and I have a special relationship, forged when he was at the very edge of giving up on people entirely. So it’s a good excuse to sit under a big maple tree with him for two hours on a nice summer’s evening. Yea, that works just fine.

The 4th of July is almost over

and I’m always relieved when the sound and light show comes to an end. Such a practical person, I’m always worried about injuries and spooked animals and fire and such. But somehow, tonight I was able to enjoy some of the fireworks, even while I sat with our dog to calm him, and as I walked the farm to check on everyone else. And I got to thinking about all the things we can be grateful for, here in our beloved country. No, it’s not perfect, but it’s ours and it’ll be whatever we make it to be. That’s the promise and the burden of living in a country like ours.

When I got back inside, I was in a reflective mood and I went looking for some music videos that captured what I was feeling. Most of them are very familiar to those folks who already listen to Country/Western, but I think the lyrics and images speak to everyone. After watching almost an hour’s worth, I thought maybe I’d share some of my favorites. Ignore the following list if you wish, but try some of these on for size if you’re willing. Some are proud, some are somber, some are encouraging, some are comforting. And maybe some would have been better suited to Memorial Day but they came to mind for me tonight for whatever reason.