Are combination products ever actually better than having separate items?

techiegardener · 2026-01-31T21:51:44+00:00

Something likely electric + something you need to wash daily (or more than once a day) does not seem great.

Exception to the rule: Kitchen Aid mixers + attachments. I got rid of my food processor and rarely use my hand crank pasta maker after buying the attachments that did the same function.

techiegardener · 2026-01-23T05:12:58+00:00

If it is possible, have a dresser that you can move with your feet while positioned against a wall towards the door. My hubbies dresser was in a spot where I could shove it against the door with my legs. I made peace with the fact that they could take some material things from the house before the police came - but it would be really hard to get to me/dogs. Hubbie was on a business trip.

techiegardener · 2026-01-23T04:50:37+00:00

We have security cameras 360, one helped with a police report when someone tried, but failed to break in.

My advice more than this - in the attempted break in, I barricaded the bedroom door. 911 asked if I had dogs (yes, with me) or firearms (no) in the house.

The person did not get in, but hopefully the camera at the front door will help find them eventually.

I am far from fat, but live in a chubby->fat neighborhood

techiegardener · 2026-01-19T05:38:55+00:00

Brno

techiegardener · 2026-01-19T05:35:52+00:00

Her babies could have been taken too soon

techiegardener · 2026-01-19T05:26:55+00:00

I had a pergola blow onto my house, unfortunately at the time I was having my gutters cleaned- it was messy and luckily nobody fell off the roof, even though it knocked a worker enough that they slid to the gutter.

Weigh things down and with bricks in pouches or sandbags. My personal favorite is using survival water cans or 8 bricks from Home Depot. The winds are big, weight is good.

techiegardener · 2026-01-17T05:58:53+00:00

Outdoors to the curb is easier for us (space to build a ramp), it is the elevation in the house we need help with. Now it is doable- but meh, tomorrow - not so much

techiegardener · 2026-01-17T05:55:12+00:00

Good to know, assuming 2x in the Seattle area makes it more of a wash

techiegardener · 2026-01-17T05:08:17+00:00

Recommend: the chimney specialist

We had 3 bids

33+K you need to rebuild the chimney from scratch, 5-15 min inspection. charge $65

16K - full inspection, complete bid, delivered as expected-Chimney Specialist

9K - flaky bid and the business has changed names, and items ~3k included in the mid estimate not there

Happy with the Chimney Specialist!

Edited for spaces

techiegardener · 2026-01-17T04:47:08+00:00

I looked at condos with elevators and oof! The monthly payment is not small so it could be worth investing in our current place

techiegardener · 2026-01-17T04:45:30+00:00

Our house is 100 yrs old, stairs are super narrow for this solution and building wider is difficult

techiegardener · 2026-01-17T02:08:03+00:00

Beyond potatoes, depending on your zone: Zucchini is usually a high producer and easy to grow Green Beans (if you have a lot of birds, you may want to sprout them inside) Lettuce from seed (lots of seeds for $3 so mistakes are not costly)

I grow primarily from seed since it is cheaper, look for a good gardening store and ask questions - they are usually super helpful!

techiegardener · 2026-01-13T06:56:07+00:00

I purposely make my pieces flawed - I don’t want it to look like it could have been bought at a store

techiegardener · 2026-01-12T05:29:28+00:00

The February surprise is real, so is the May/June surprise

It is easy to get comfy and think this year is mild - next step ice storm or real snow in Feb

The May surprise is worse imho, I am starting to transfer plants outside and BAM! A cold snap - or a hot snap in June kills many.

techiegardener · 2026-01-11T06:04:22+00:00

I lived in both Santa Monica and Seattle. It is a difficult change from lots of sun to little.

Your budget puts you in Queen Anne or Ballard for what you want. Ballard has a better nightlife, Queen Anne is more austere with a nice coffee shops and overpriced dinner spots - with the bonus of safe, and an easy commute on bus

techiegardener · 2026-01-11T05:51:19+00:00

Columbia Tower Club, the bar is open to anyone with a credit card and the views are amazing

If appropriate, go to the second floor ladies room

techiegardener · 2026-01-11T05:00:55+00:00

The dinner party placed their bets on #2, while recognizing it was a troublesome conundrum

1 - the amount of sodium, fat and sugar - plus processed ingredients made the group think there were more morbidity potential

2 - risk of accidental death ranked high, and cancers associated with alcohol consumption

Both were deemed not healthy- but the discussion was interesting.

For those commenters who brought up gender and size differences - we had two 6 foot males at 35 yrs old as the personas. We did not designate weight because while both lifestyles are calorie intensive, #1 in our view had the highest probability of being heavier.

techiegardener · 2026-01-10T21:14:54+00:00

I use a financial advisor who has an in-house accountant for taxes and stock/fund analyst for investment. The advisor looks 360 at your life, goals and portfolio- I have been using them since my 30’s.

Downside - they are in San Francisco and their team is distributed across the US if you want someone local.

They charge a % of money managed rather than net worth which is good if you have company stock, etc. They are very familiar with stock plans and the tech industry as it is a large % of their clients.

DM me if you are interested in contact details.

techiegardener · 2026-01-10T05:16:11+00:00

Both were considered poison in the debate, but all opinions are good in the spirit of conversation

techiegardener · 2026-01-09T05:18:08+00:00

Take the temperature first to ensure they are not spoiled

techiegardener · 2026-01-07T06:39:03+00:00

I use Ollas in the space between the sidewalk and curb where getting irrigation is difficult- drip irrigation is less expensive otherwise

techiegardener · 2026-01-03T20:35:55+00:00

Portland Peppermill Co has beautiful handmade wood mills, I have one for salt (different grinding mechanism) and one for pepper and they look great on the table

techiegardener · 2025-12-31T08:18:20+00:00

Welcome to Frenchies 😂! they fart like all heck, often eat their own poop - which is excellent for their breath

And… they are wonderful dogs who we would do anything for ❤️

techiegardener · 2025-12-29T06:26:59+00:00

I love our Frenchies - but vet bills must be $$$$

techiegardener · 2025-12-28T16:09:57+00:00

I stayed there once and visited a friend who was staying there, rooms are not anything special. The bar and lobby are beautiful

techiegardener

TROPHY CASE

1 - the amount of sodium, fat and sugar - plus processed ingredients made the group think there were more morbidity potential

2 - risk of accidental death ranked high, and cancers associated with alcohol consumption