Some Random Pictures

I finally took an OK picture of the moon...

Our evening skies are beautiful...

Our feral cat is hot (but won't venture into our house where it is much cooler)... 

Free Books!

We were at the military base yesterday and I saw a cart labeled 'free books'. I am now the happy owner of two new (to me) free books! On a side note, I noticed that when we went to the Goodwill earlier this week people were buying up the DVD movies like crazy (myself included!).

10 Tech Things

I have always loved tech but these days. the invasive surveillance by big tech companies is seriously getting out of hand. My tech set up these days to avoid the surveillance-industrial complex...

1. I bought a Pixel 9a and "deGoogled" it (yes there is some irony there) by installing Graphene OS. It's a pretty simple process which is outlined on this YouTube channel.
2. This phone does not take the best pictures so I do have a Galaxy S26 Ultra with no sim card in it that I use for quality photos and videos. I would prefer a point-and-shoot camera but the cost for these once cheap cameras has increased by 500% over the past 20 years!
3. I use Mint mobile for my cell carrier due to their cheap $15 per month plan. For more secure calling here is an option. My life is quite boring so no super secret squirrel calls or texts for me, just a bunch of boring texts and calls between me and hubby and me and a few friends.
4. I have several laptops, one with Windows 11 for work-only stuff, one with Windows 10 which I use occasionally because it has old versions of MS Office and Adobe Photoshop on it, and two that I changed the operating systems to Linux Mint, a more privacy-focused operating system. There are lots of videos on how to do this on YouTube.
5. I also use privacy-respecting browsers (Brave, Firefox, Vanadium), free and open-source software (LibreOffice, VLC, Handbrake, etc), and secure apps (Signal, Organic Maps, etc).
6. I have gone old-school for some work things such as using a paper calendar book, a paper and pen for writing notes, and phone calls when needed (more secure than email).
7. And I am going more old-school for my entertainment options too. Hubby loves Netflix (way too much tracking) but I prefer over-the-air antenna for my dumb TV, books and DVDs from the Goodwill instead of reading everything on a Kindle, and listening to the radio instead of streaming music.
8. Other entertainment options I have tried include HAM radio, paper books of crossword and find-a-word puzzles, going outside and taking a walk, playing darts, jigsaw puzzles, and I am thinking about getting a metal detector.
9. I have pretty much closed all of my social media accounts (reddit, X, Instagram), but still have Facebook to keep in touch with the kids and grandkids (although I am looking for a way to delete this account as well).
10. While I would need to be a hermit to avoid all tracking, I am making small changes, like paying cash instead of credit card sometimes, writing letters (I have a few friends that still like to write letters), and having in-person conversations with friends.

10 Random Things

In no particular order...

1. So much eagle drama. It is fascinating to watch the eagles hatch then eventually fly on the Big Bear eagle cam. This season included an accidental fledge when one eaglet fell out of the nest and the mom eagle being found injured a couple days ago.
2. And so much bear drama on the live bear cams.
3. Here is a coupon for Great Clips.
4. And here is a warning about surveillance pricing.
5. Here are three ways the world's population may be annihilated (one, two, three).
6. Flock cameras are all over the news this week.
7. I was shopping at Walmart and not only did it offer to take the payment from my credit card cash rewards (?!?) but I also got an email survey about my shopping experience (I never provided my email address to Walmart). This constant digital surveillance is distressing!
8. As of yesterday people can no longer access old.reddit (I closed my reddit account a few years ago but still like to read through threads without being logged in). I can still access regular reddit.com but their new layout is atrocious. 
9. I saw this video on YouTube and now I am worried about my later years...so many things to consider as you age!
10. Finally, I just love these kind of old photos!

10 Summer Money Saving Tips

Our favorite Mexican place has either acquired some new decor or they are already decorating for Halloween! Here are some quick, money-saving tips...

1. Stock up on stamps before the price increases on Sunday.
2. I just checked the Target ad for next week and they have some steep discounts on school supplies. Now would be a great time for parents to start stocking up on these items.
3. Ditto early school clothes shopping by hitting up thrift stores, garage sales, checking the sale racks at Walmart and Ross, etc. For new items like shoes, socks, etc, I like sierra.com
4. July is also the time to sign up for/plan to attend free school supply events (here is an example for my local area) for families in need.
5. If I was single (it's hard for a family to do this) and broke, I would get rid of my car and buy a $60 monthly bus pass. You can't even buy a tank of gas for $60 these days!
6. Now is a great time to forage for wild black berries, huckleberries, etc. We went to a casino yesterday that grows champagne grapes and their grapes were ready to pick! Here are other things to forage for in the summer.
7. If you are looking for free or inexpensive ways to keep your kids busy for the rest of the summer, here are a bunch of ideas.
8. One of the best places for kids in our area is the library! Our library system offers free meals, movies, activities, events, etc. for kids all summer long.
9. If you are looking for last-minute vacation ideas, Kayak Explore lets you search a map of the US and world by cheap airline prices.
10. If you can't afford a new computer for your kids (memory prices are sky high these days), consider rehabbing an old or used laptop by installing Linux. It's easy, free, and better than Windows IMHO. Plus it includes a bunch of free software like LibreOffice, VLC, etc.

Happy 4th of July!

I wish you all a happy and safe 4th of July! FYI, I used Gemini AI to create the above  picture. I said 'please make me a picture of a flag with 1776-2026 to celebrate the 4th of July'. It took about 30 seconds for it to generate the picture. I said 'thank you that's perfect', and it answered back 'you are welcome, please have a happy and safe 4th of July'.  It's a tad bit eerie that this is just the beginning of AI yet it can take a basic command and come up with this photo plus it wished me a happy holiday. eeekkk

Grocery Prices eeekkk

Food prices are out of control! Yesterday was the first time we went into a restaurant for lunch (our favorite Hawaiian place), saw the updated prices ($19.95 for one plate lunch) then turned around and left. For a basic lunch of rice, macaroni salad, three shrimp, a small fried fish, and a small portion of kalbi, I will make it myself for a quarter of the price. Then we did our usual weekly grocery shopping trip today and again, I was shocked at how expensive many things were (that single USA balloon was $18.99 and the bags of chips were half the usual size!)...