I was full time remote from March 2020 through April 2022. I loved it. My employer started bringing people back in the office then with our policy expecting people in the office at least three days a week. At the time I grumbled a little, but once in the office I found value in being here rather than home. Not value to the company, value to what I want out of my career.

I think our policy is reasonable. We're a small enough company the individual relationships are significant. It also provides flexibility. Need to be home to let a plumber in? Just do it, no need to even inform your boss other than letting them know you'll be on Teams not in a meeting room.

The most important thing about our policy is it's been consistent. It's what they were saying for months before being implemented, and it's been unchanged ever since. I can plan my life around this.

My old job went to full remote. I've talked to people there who are all-in on remote, and one joked if they bring people back to the office he'll be looking for a job, and I believe him. I talked to another guy who said he's usually in the office and it's odd having a mix of people he sees every day and people, including his staff, who he never sees. I think they'll start bringing people back and create a lot of angst because of the change.

After change, I think people are upset that salaries are up 2% while corporate profits are up 8% with inflation of 5%.

Did my fourth 70.3 distance triathlon today. Amazing weather lead to a small overall PR and a big run PR. I really tried to keep the run pace slow to not blow up and end up run/walking most of the course.

She said she envisioned herself in a hard hat, wielding a chisel and “going to town, trying to make it a dust pile while I am in there.”

I do Body Pump every Sunday, and sometimes the lunge track has pulsing where you get into a lunge and go halfway up like eight, maybe sixteen times. It's always near the end of the workout, and I find it really hard. I often close my eyes and imagine the finish line of a marathon or 70.3 because to date no matter how tough it is I've always been able to run through the chute to the finish line.

I need to work on pushing through the pain cave in the middle of a race and not just the end. I always end up walking a bit when I want to keep running.

Relevant: https://run247.com/running-news/trail/utmb-2023-results-women-courtney-dauwalter-triple-crown-treble-history

Yeah expansion and warping are concerns. Seems like higher quality wood at least helps that. I've seen comments that people will leave the wood inside for a few weeks since my house temperature and humidity will be different than the lumber store.

Thanks for the encouragement! I've never tried anything quite like this, but I've tried other things I'd never done that worked out well. I figure an average hand built wood door is better than the decades old generic ones I have.

I'm toying with the idea of trying woodworking. It started when looking at my crappy hollow core doors from the '80s. Could I build my own doors? I kind of think I could.

I also want to replace trim, so that means miter saw anyway. Just need to add a planer and jointer for big tools. It's all expensive but after replacing my roof nothing feels that expensive anymore.

This planet is lousy with life. So many invasive plants in my garden I'm trying to hold at bay. The native ones I planted got mowed down by bunnies and kept growing back until I fenced them, and now those are over a foot high. One is milkweed that's important for butterflies.

I see bluejays and cardinals in my garden. I've seen lightning bugs and what I think are soldier beetles.

There's a maple sapling at my fence I'm going to try to dig up this fall and put in my yard.

Getting my roof replaced tomorrow.

Yeah I need to look into that because my utility is changing rules soon. I think installed before April 1 I'd be grandfathered in on full retail net metering. I'm not sure I'll have the budget for it but I need to work out what options I have.

Also I upgraded my electric panel last winter. The old one was trash and would have needed to be replaced. But now I'm in good shape there, too.

I got one bid at $12,700 and another at $16,600. Both highly reviewed on Google. Hard for me to see the additional $4000 from the second. It's a pretty simple roof, not hard to see how a complicated one could be a lot more!

So a new roof is expensive. Also absolutely essential and I have the opportunity and budget to do it right. Still.

I'd hoped to limp along with this roof until the house was paid off, but I guess doing it now and having my mortgage a year longer is financially similar to paying off the house a year earlier and then replacing the roof.

I got one bid this morning and am expecting another this afternoon.

Thanks I have someone coming by Monday. The question I'm asking myself now is if I take the opportunity to remove my chimney. It currently only exhausts the hot water heater which could probably be modified to exit out the side.

Change hot water heater exhaust. Remove chimney. Replace roof?

One year to the day in my house. Found a roof leak tonight. It must only leak when it's windy at a specific angle because it was obvious when it happened, and this is hardly the first time it's rained. wasoxygen when I bought it I think you told me home ownership is a fight against water. Seems to be true!

I'm fortunate that it seems minor and I'm able to manage the expense.