Greetings SNH’ers,
It has been a while since a post, mostly because a lot has been happening in real life! As the corona virus makes it’s mark upon the world, it is undoubtedly affecting you or someone you know. Since this blog focuses on finances, gardening and eventually the occasional fishing report it might be time to explore how I and the SNH family are dealing with it.
You may have
noticed that food is in short supply at the grocery stores due to the
panic caused by corona virus. It seems a run on toilet paper is in
effct and you might not have gel alcohol based hand sanitizer. What
are we to do!
Hopefully you had a
great planting of winter vegetables and are seeing a harvest from
your cold frames if you are in a cold climate. If you are in a
subtropical as I am here in Florida, the oranges are in harvest and
your spring garden should be in full swing! I am not yet harvesting
anything out of it, but still maintain the goal that when we get to
our permanent house we will produce about 1/3 of our own family food
needs. In the meantime, find out if there are local farms that you
might be able to get some fresh produce instead of your typical
grocery channel. They can have great deals, don’t gouge and it
supports your locals. We were able to score some great Oranges the
other day from an ex-sunkist farm.
Just for fun, these
are things we have growing: Bell peppers, Italian sweet peppers,
blueberries, turnips, cantelope, a single zuchini, tomatoes, a few
failing bush beans and cabbage. Oh, there are also a few bulb onions
growing in a bin that we planted the other day as well as a handful
of bunching onions that I threw into a grow bag with a blackberry
bush. The truth is that the volume of these items is very small and
we have poor soil, so if there was a genuine food storage issue, we
would not be able to cover the need for the 6 people in our house.
It is good practice for the next time. I’ll continue to learn how
to read plants and ammend soil when it is “go time” for the
bigger effort.
On the upside, the
stock market crash has taken a huge tumble which represents a great
buying opportunity! I can’t wait to get a big discount on some my
steady dividend REITS and equity REITS. I am personally looking at
putting into OHI, STOR or STAG as great stocks that kick out high
dividends and have good upside potential. I also thought about O or
FRT, but I still think O is overvalued even with the dip and FRT
while attractively valued doesn’t match my growth need. Those two
will make great income generators when I get close to retirement, but
not now with my 30 year horizon to market exit. You might also be
able to get into a good solar stock since solar is now a requirement
in California for new buildings and you get to buy in at a low low
rate!
While CV19 might be
on your mind, remember to keep your wits about you, keep building,
investing and growing. Think of fun ways to stay busy if you are on
lockdown and help others when you can.
Wash your hands and say your prayers because Jesus and germs are everywhere.
Mr. SNH.
