Understanding the System

Good grief! Yesterday, I opened an email saying I had a new credit score...I'll come back to this.

Frank's fortieth year - 1994 - a disastrous year financially. In January, his truck slid on an icy highway into a vehicle that turned in front of him. The damage was minimal, but the truck was old (1984) and the insurance company totaled it. 

In February, while still driving the truck until we could track down another one, the front wheels grabbed pavement on the icy highway, and the truck went end over end into a ditch. No seatbelts. Seth had a concussion and Frank was unhurt. Thank God for the guys from Wheatland Energy who stopped and pulled them out. 

It was about this time the stock market went crazy, and Frank lost about 40% of his 401K. 

In March, we were notified that his car insurance was cancelled because he was driving a totaled vehicle, and the accidents were just two weeks apart. Now in 1994, our monthly car insurance was about $200. With the stroke of the electronic pen, our insurance went from $200 to $1000 PER MONTH. This was to last for 36 months.  And that was the month Frank finally had to have his separated shoulder repaired!

Good Lord! Frank was a farm tech and I was a schoolteacher. We were already spread as far as we could be, and we had to get a vehicle, another payment! How are we going to do this?  We checked our commitments and realized there wasn't much to cut. No more extras at the grocery store. No traveling, even to see family (and fuel was below $2.00 a gallon!) No extras, regardless. I had a school pal who wanted a housekeeper, and I started cleaning again after school. I checked the thrift store before buying anything new. And, we "borrowed" from our savings, depleting our backup. Bottom line, for the next two years, we used credit. We tried hard not to spend more than absolutely necessary, but we were buying underwear, groceries, and paying medical bills with borrowed money. The interest rates were lower then, but just the same... 

I remember Suzy Whoos-it, a financial lady on TV, but her solutions were not going to work for us. I don't think Dave Ramsey was a thing then. One day, we decided to see if we could possibly procure a second mortgage. Of course we didn't! But that woman taught us a valuable lesson that led us out of the Hole of Debt. Remember when the mail was full of offers for zero interest for 18 months, then 5% after?  "Apply for those," she said. "Put as much on a card as you can, pay attention to when it is going to start charging interest. Then apply for something else." She told us to line up our credit by interest charged, then start with the least interest and concentrate on it, with minimums on the others. When one is paid off, add that payment amount to the next balance, and pay it off, and keep going like that, until it is all gone.

Those are pretty common solutions, but when living in the Hole of Debt, there is no guiding light, and we were overwhelmed and worried Because we still had at least 18 months to go on the insurance punishment, we were still counting pennies and paying Peter before Paul could show up. It was 2000 before we had paid off old debt, and we managed to help our daughter with college. 

In 2002, we changed jobs and our income was better. We could pay off any charges every month. In 2006, our second went to college and we could help him. With only mortgage and car payments, we started paying cash for fuel. We had worked really hard, and had finally driven our credit score over 800. I bought a car with nothing but my credit score to show I was a good risk!

So...yesterday, what was our credit score? UNDER 700. WTH???  Our only debt is a car payment that will be done in a few months.  I dug in...I wanted to know what the hell was going on. Seems that if we don't owe anyone and close accounts to clear our plate, our score dropped. We're SOLVENT! 

What a full circle moment! When we were deep in the Hole of Debt, we still had a credit score of mid 400's, "Fair." Now that we are comfortable, we are "Good" when we had already earned "Exceptional" and yet the score had gone backwards.  Then I learned this - Credit scoring models are based on the credit mix, accounts, age, revolving balances, and utilization.  You mean to say that if I had more debt, my score would be higher?  No, but when one makes consistent payments, it shows that one is a reliable financial manager and the score rises. Having no debt and making no payments, the score will most likely drop. One financial manager said to use debt as part of our financial package, to our advantage. Regardless of my research that said not using debt will not affect credit score, it appears that without utilization of credit (and perhaps our age??) our score has gone down. 

The rant is over. Maybe it was too-much-TMI, but it is a life lesson that has guided us through many decisions (and debates 🌞) over our marriage, and into our golden years.  We are relieved with our retirement budget and our borrowing days are over! 

Fake Farming and Weather

I grew up around farmers - always listening to the weather and planning around it. My grandpa listened every day at 7:00 and 12:00, religiously, but he knew to watch the skies and pay attention to the wind.

Farmer Frank is a weather nut - long before we took up 'farming.' He is fascinated (and somewhat leery) of the power of wind. He is amazed by wind chill, and the last few days, it is the wind that has made everyone miserable!

Anywhoo, we grew up in different weather regions. Of course, we have wind, tornados, ice storms, and blizzards. In South Carolina, they have rain, ice storms, hurricanes, and the effects of hurricanes and they HATE the cold. I packed way wrong for my first trip to South Carolina; after all, it was winter. However, on Christmas Day, we were shooting off fireworks and drinking beer, me in a borrowed pair of shorts! Other times, I've teased them about wearing coats when it is 50 degrees out! 

One funny story: When we lived in Scott City, we experienced several outstanding blizzards (which I LOVE). I think it was Christmas, and we were coming home from my parents in Ellsworth. Frank had called the boss in SC, and he said it was just beginning to snow, but it was predicted to move fast. Frank said, "We're going home." (Way before cell phones) The trip was slow, but by the time we got to Dighton, 23 miles from home, we were fighting the windshield freezing up at 15 miles an hour while following a semi to stay in his tracks. An hour later, we pulled into our garage, and the kids and I bailed out for bathroom and cocoa. Frank was stunned, quiet, and didn't have much to say. One day the following week, I asked if he had learned his lesson. "Yes" and nothing more. 

I have digressed...

As Frank has aged, he has watched the weather with a passion (obsession) I only partially understand. If I ask if it is a cold morning, because he's already been out to do chores and I need to know which coat I'll need for recess, he opens the weather app to quote me the day's predictions. I bought him an indoor-outdoor thermometer so he could see the temps, and every time he passes the monitor, he reports. He's a planner, and on mowing week, he not only checks temperature, but humidity and dew point. Now, in the summertime especially, I respect his awareness of the heat. He knows when to work and often checks the animals' waterers. He also has lawn chairs strategically stashed in shady spots for rest and to avoid being yelled at! I supply the Gatorade and frozen treats. 

On the other hand, he uses the weather to prod my day.                            "Tomorrow is supposed to be cool until about 10:00" is code for "Are you going to work in the garden?"                    "The chickens are pretty hot," i.e., "Are you going to make ice rings for the chickens?"                                      "What are you doing in the morning?" is a warning I'm needed outside for whatever!                                        

Please don't worry about him. He is completely outfitted for all seasons: insulated bibs, Carhart insulated and uninsulated hooded coats, Carhart insulated hoodie, Carhart sherpa vest, insulated boots, stocking masks, cotton gloves, leather gloves, wet gloves, insulated wet gloves, Frog wraps, sunscreen, bug spray, tick spray, cargo shorts, ratty mowing shoes, and chicken Crocs.

Weather is Frank's thing and sometimes it makes me laugh, and, at times, it is really annoying. HOWEVER, I am grateful that he is looking out for me, the pets, the animals, and taking care of the farm.

p.s. This blog's memory has been edited!

I love to read!

I'm a reader. I can't think of a time when I haven't had something to read with me - hardcover, on my phone, on paper. Heck, I have been known to take the magazine I was reading when the nurse calls my name! 

My parents read, but not voraciously. I don't remember how or when I learned to read or to love it. My mom said I could recognize words before I went to school, and reading came to me easily. As an elementary student, I read every book in our classroom library every year. 

I much prefer real books, mostly because it sends me back to childhood memories of the library in my hometown. The library had a specific smell, and when I opened a book, the book smelled that way, too. I read The Happy Hollisters, The Boxcar Children, and Irish Queen. I seldom had to pick a book because the librarian had a stack for me every time I came to visit. Something about that smell, that atmosphere, and the librarian started my long relationship with libraries. 

We moved often, and I always needed a new library. Several towns didn't have one, so I relied on the school library. Thank God for the Hutchinson Library and their bookmobile that came to our small community once a month. I could check out four books by the rules, but that librarian knew I'd bring them back, so I usually checked out eight. She, too, was always ready with a stack for me to choose from!

By the time I was in college and a new mom, I could check out books for my children and me at the university library. During my years as a middle school English teacher, I read the entire William Allen White YAL list from inception to 2002, and wrote recommendations my students could access. I developed deep relationships with John Grisham, Patricia Cornwell, Pat Conroy, and all writers of crime and mystery. I tried audio books because I commuted and seriously failed. I'm easily distracted and had to keep rewinding!

In 2002, I entered the world of administration. I tried to read for pleasure, but time was very limited. I was reading reports and state manuals, only reading numbered lists, bulleted points, red print and underlined words. I don't think I read 50 works of literature in the 19 years I was a working administrator. 

Good Reads was the first app I tried. I remember recording all the books I'd read during college, the required texts that are considered the classics. Once in a while I'd record the latest Grisham or Cornwell, but I didn't really keep up. In just a couple of years, I had a Kindle original. There are still books on it I haven't read. I downloaded many books from Amazon free reads, and they are on my phone, just in case I need a book. Enter "the" spreadsheet. Since 2002, I have been recording books I wanted to read, predominantly historical fiction and non-fiction. 

2022 was my first summer without a job. One of my retirement goals was to begin reading again. I missed it, and I had a great list. I went to town, got a library card from that very first library, and picked out three books from the TBR spreadsheet. Those first three books were torture, boring, too romancy. Stories seemed a slog. I had to read every word, and I couldn't skip pages. I had to retrain myself to read literature as opposed to school documents! Back to the library for three more books, and this time, I started to think of how I instructed my students to interpret and understand a novel. Within no time at all, I began to revel in the works of talented people, again. 

 

Because I really love data AND I compete with myself, I decided to keep track of the books I finished. In 2023 I read 13 books; 2024 I shot up to 30. In 2025, I got ridiculously obsessed with tracking. First, I added columns to the TBR spreadsheet for genre, comments, and stars. I added another app called Bookmory to my phone. It is full of options for data tracking! I set a goal of five books a month for 2025 and I missed it by 7! So, 2026 I'll try the same goal, and at least this month, I'm on track. LOL.

I can't imagine what my life would have been without books - what I've learned, where I've traveled, and what centuries I've lived in. I love getting lost in a story, curled up in a chair with a cup of coffee and at least one animal in my lap. I give all the credit to those librarians who took notice and nurtured my love of books! Thanks to God for my love of words and thanks to adults who fostered my obsession with reading!