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Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/profile/blog/sybaritescribe
Rated: GC · Book · Personal · #1503918

A blog of no uncertain musings. What goes on in my mind is often a source of wonder to me.

My mind and my life are wondrous things ... as are yours, I'm sure. I have more slips of paper and pages of notebooks with musings and thoughts than I really know what to do with. Someone, actually several someones, have suggested I start a blog ... or a journal as a means of focusing some of this mental energy.

To be honest, I don't even know what the difference between a 'journal' and 'blog' is--or if there even
is a difference. Read on, my friends, and you can judge for yourself whether it even matters.

And so ....


Mee at my daughter's wedding.


I'm JACE. Yep ... that's me! And somewhere in all my writings my last name may be posted. But I'll just leave it at Jace for right now. I'm 71 years old and heading full tilt to 72. It's strange that while I'm going through some rather serious medical issues, I still consider myself to be in the prime of my life--pretty good shape physically AND mentally, though I don't run for competition anymore *Smile*. I love to ... dang, if I put this stuff here, I won't have anything for my blog.

Guess you just have to be patient until such stuff leaks out.
*Smirk* Perhaps 2026, having embraced my retirement, will see more participation in my journaling efforts.

Well, one can hope....
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February 25, 2026 at 11:40am
February 25, 2026 at 11:40am
#1109240
I admit it! I didn't watch all one hour, forty-eight minutes of the State Of The Union (SOTU) address last night. I mean there's only so much abuse one's mind can accept. I applaud those who watched the entire debacle.

I'm pretty sure the forty-five minutes I watched could have be placed on a loop and a viewer would have seen nothing new.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said in an interview after the SOTU that a Democratic victory in the mid-term elections would in effect mark the end of the Donald J. Trump presidency. While I will embrace that potential result, I fear the "scorched earth" policy sure to happen among what powers the President and his Cabinet are sure to seize and implement. More than they're doing currently.

Permit me to unpack a few of the president's untruths:

Gas Prices: He said: Prices are "now below $2.30 per gallon in most states, and in some places below $1.99."

Reality: As of Feb 24, only four states--Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Kansas--had a statewide average gasoline cost at or below $2.50, with Oklahoma at $2.37. According to Gas Buddy only five of 150,000 stations had a price of $1.99.

Grocery Prices: He said: Costs are down, including several grocery prices, like beef."

Reality: Costs are up across the board. Some grocery costs, like orange juice are up 30%, beef up 15%, coffee up almost 20%, and frozen fish up almost 9%. Food prices are expected to rise in 2025 by 3.3-3.4%, more than last year.

Medicare: He said: "I will always protect Medicare and Medicaid."

Reality: His 'Big Beautiful Bill' stripped away funding to Medicare, resulting in some 14 million people losing healthcare coverage. Millions more have seen their healthcare coverage costs double or more. Rural hospitals have closed because they have no funding.

In truth, I'm relying on the fact-checking of other agencies with these figures. Some of them I looked up online; some of these prices I've seen first-hand, such as gas and groceries.

Yesterday alone, I saw gas prices here jump from $2.35 to $2.69 per gallon ... in ONE DAY. And that was in an area from Lebanon to Springfield, MO. Not just 5 or 10 cents. Prices certainly don't come back down by 35 cents a day. Now I can't say that the prices jumped like this because of the SOTU address.

But I can't think of any one thing that happened to cause such a jump.

Oh, wait a minute--how about the US seizing oil tankers from Venezuela. Or, staging a military force in the Middle East at a level not seen since the Gulf War in 2003. Or, watching the European Union and Canada shut the US out of any trade deals by finding alternate sources. Or, the President throwing a fit because the Supreme Court stuck down his tariffs as a tax on the people, resulting in him imposing 15% tariffs on global imports to the US. (Note: he actually reduced that to 10% today.)

Guess who's going to see a reduction in the items we get from abroad, and an increase in cost of those items we get?

Until about 2015, I considered myself a Republican. I didn't agree with every tenet of the Republican Party. But I embraced most of them. But there was something about Donald J. Trump I didn't quite believe. Perhaps it was his TV show. He didn't come across as 'presidential.' Not then, and certainly not now. Color my kids very surprised when I voted Democrat.

Lately, I've seen some spine in some of the Republican congressional members. Not as many as I'd like to see. But it gives me hope that the Republican party may still exist. The party as it exists now is a non-starter for me.

Frankly, the political future of the US looks rather bleak to me.
February 23, 2026 at 9:03am
February 23, 2026 at 9:03am
#1109089
The Quills!

Whoo Hoo!
Didn't Jeff Author Icon and his band of helpers (I'll have to see if I can find who they are) do a fabulous job with that activity.

I found myself nominated for one category: Best Reviewer. I didn't win; that honor went to Tiggy Author Icon. I've read a few of her reviews and she deserved the win.

But I was stunned to learn I received the
2025 Quills Lifetime Achievement Award. ("Note: [Image #2333341] AND THE AWARD GOES TO.....").

I'd never won any Quills award before. I can't honestly say I've been nominated before. As far as I can remember anyhow.

Thank You to those who nominated me and voted for me. I'll always cherish this award.
February 19, 2026 at 9:27am
February 19, 2026 at 9:27am
#1108778
Today will be genre number 70 of the 96 genres on the Browse By Genre list for my current reviewing activity. Regional! That's today's genre.

Before I open the listings to select which item to review, I like to guess how many items will be displayed. I'm surprised more often than not. Which means I don't have a great track record for guessing. Today's guess was under 1000--601 is that magic number of Regional listings.

One bit of data I wish now I'd added to my Genre Review Spreadsheet was how many items I've reviewed used all three available genre settings. All I know for sure is not every person uses all three. As I update my own Port (and individual items), I find I'm guilty of the same--failing to use all three settings. I'm changing that now.

It should be obvious. Using all three genre settings places your story or poem on three different listings. Use a little ingenuity and you can find more places to showcase your item, such as
"The Shameless "Plug" PageOpen in new Window., or find a reviewer off the Most Credited Reviewer list and request a review (provided that person's Review Requests is ON).

I'm off to complete my Regional review.
February 14, 2026 at 10:14am
February 14, 2026 at 10:14am
#1108337
It's raining here today. First rain in a very long time. Rain is good--it means the weather is WARMER. Plus, listening to the rain falling is a great way to wake up. Just lying in bed, hearing the drops hitting the window is soothing. Not enough to put me back to sleep, but it does let my mind wander.

It's Valentine's Day. While Jeanette and I don't really celebrate this date, we will be heading out for dinner at her church where the youth host a Valentine's Day fund-raising dinner. They cook dinner (likely spaghetti and fixings), decorate the Fellowship Hall, serve the dinners, and clean up. We've attended for at least ten years now, truly enjoying the pampered feeling we get while allowing us to give a little back to the youth group. It's amazing to watch the kids growing up, some of whom are now acting as chaperons of the event.

And I opened WDC this morning to find an insightful and in-depth review of my Portfolio by Annette Author Icon for her writing activity
"26 Paychecks Open in new Window.. Nothing picks up your spirits better than receiving a frank, honest, and meaningful appraisal of your efforts to appeal to the member masses on this awesome site. I've been revising my Port over the past week as part of my goals outlined in this year's "Dear Me Open in new Window. letter. I still have a ways to go, including little gifts sprinkled throughout, so stay tuned. And thanks again, Annette.

Now I'm off to complete today's fifth and final daily activity--a review of a random item with
Pets as a cited genre by an author I've not reviewed on this review journey. Yesterday I completed my 64th genre, in order, as listed under Browse By Genre. Two-thirds of my way through, I have 32 genres, about one month, left to review.

And, I'm okay with the rain lasting all day.

February 10, 2026 at 11:44am
February 10, 2026 at 11:44am
#1108025
Today is the 61st day (out of 96) on my Genre Review Quest (see "Genre ReviewingOpen in new Window.}} for background), featuring the Opinion genre.

I believe many of us think that an opinion should be rooted in fact. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, that's not necessarily the case. The first two definitions offered are:
1. A view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter.

2. Belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge.
But, as most of us can read in social media, in the news, and in conversations between two people meeting on the street, opinion is often couched in emotion.

Under Browse By Genre, listings with Opinion as a genre number more than 8100 items. My problem was trying to decide which item to review. I do love essays, which seems to include the Opinion genre.

I'm reminded by the old quip: "Opinions are like a**holes; everyone has one." And because of that, I resist efforts to draw me into discussions (read, arguments) on social media.

Anyway, this first journey of genre reviews will go another month or so. More to come.

February 7, 2026 at 8:35am
February 7, 2026 at 8:35am
#1107779
Did anyone watch the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics last night? It was a most impressive show!

Kudos to the Italian Olympic Committee, and the choreographer for the show, and to all those who participated.

The ceremony took place at San Siro Stadium in Milan. Additionally, there was a simultaneous ceremony in Cortina d'Ampezzo, featuring the lighting of two Olympic cauldrons: one in Milan and another in Cortina. By the way, announcers mentioned San Siro Stadium holds 80,000 plus people, and it was packed. What a sight to see thousands of phone screens waving in the darkness.

I've always loved watching the Winter Olympics. If I had a chance to attend the Winter versus the Summer, I'd bust out the jacket and long johns.

This will be my first Olympics while being retired. No scheduled appointments for the next two weeks, so the time difference should not present a problem for watching the events.

Cross Country skiing events, Bobsledding and the Luge are my favorites. What are your favorite events?
February 5, 2026 at 11:51am
February 5, 2026 at 11:51am
#1107638
I went into town earlier than normal today as I decided to stop by the car wash first and relieve my poor car of its dingy gray coating of salt, sand and grime courtesy of our recent winter storm to its picturesque maroon color. Those of you in the north country know regular winter car washes are essential to preserving one's paint job and alleviating undercarriage rust.

I suppose one winter storm will not destroy my car. But, the wash helps my peace of mind.

Now I sit at the local coffee shop doing my daily five. Four items completed and then I got sidetracked--I get distracted very easily. For some reason, cleaning up my Portfolio seemed like a good thing to do rather than my daily review. What a storm that's become.

That cleanup is long overdue and one of my "Dear Me" goals. I suppose writing that goal down placed it firmly in my mind, and I thought, 'This shouldn't take too long.' Ha!

Four hundred-fifty plus items, including more than 60 folders, groups and forums, should have been a sign. I just spent about two hours nursing my mocha, and barely dented what I was hoping to accomplish.

Anyone else in the process of organizing your Portfolio? Any tips? Other than scrapping the idea, that is.

I have fewer than half the number of items a Premium membership allows. I can't imagine what a Port with close to a thousand items will look like. I just hope the final organization allows the growth I'll need based on my stated goals this year.

I better get that review done. Busy times a-coming.
February 1, 2026 at 9:45am
February 1, 2026 at 9:45am
#1107261
I finished January having accomplished my three major goals for the month.
1. I finished and submitted my "Dear Me" letter with just seven hours remaining.

2. I ended the month as the #1 Most Credited Reviewer for December.

3. I submitted a review each day on my Genre Review quest to write a daily review of each of the 96 genres recognized by WDC, in order, with all reviews of a different author. I covered from Dark to Melodrama during January.
No. 2 capped a rather successful year of reviewing with seven Top-10 rankings on that list. Those medical issues I had from Jan to April put a real dent in my participation on WDC. And No. 3 was (and still is) a most rewarding journey. So far I've reviewed 51 items (since mid-December) for each genre from Action/Adventure to Melodrama, for 51 different authors. Forty-five to go.

So, new month, and the dang temperature is still in the single digits. We have at least two more months before warmer times ... with a few exception, of course. But, my laptop is in a warm room, and I made a fresh gallon of sweet iced tea, decaffeinated per doctor's orders. The latter should last maybe half the month as that dang doctor requires me to drink more water daily.

Still, new month! I wish you all the best on whatever writing journey you're embracing.
January 29, 2026 at 9:06am
January 29, 2026 at 9:06am
#1107073
Today, I'm just not feeling it. It's that feeling you don't want to do anything. I'm not sure from where such feelings spring.

We're no longer snowed in, so I can get out. I have plenty of topics to work on. And I'm not sick ... in the traditional sense. Just writing these few words is a chore. I keep putting off getting my "Dear Me" letter typed in. Perhaps it's just procrastination taking over.
January 28, 2026 at 9:48am
January 28, 2026 at 9:48am
#1107013
I'm actually proud of myself (as I write this yawning). I woke up at 2:22 am with some thoughts rumbling in my head. I got up (quietly), went to my office and wrote down those thoughts as they came to me. I didn't edit; I just wrote as fast as I could.

I haven't read the several pages I filled and I hope I can read my scribbling. I used abbreviations rather liberally so my pen could keep up with my mind. I hope they are apparent to me as I type them into MS-Word.

Truth be told, I got back up two more times within minutes of returning to bed as several additional points occurred to me. But I did get everything on paper ... I think. At least I was able to get back to sleep with my mind at ease.

I can't tell you how many times I've awoken with some idea or thought in my head, and I didn't get up believing I'd remember it in the morning. I KNOW many of you have done this. Maybe the urge was greater this early morning; maybe I've gotten wiser at recognizing my weak memory. Maybe a bit of both.

The sad part is now I have a third major idea penned on paper that needs to be typed in, edited and posted. And with a deadline only three days away, my "Dear Me" letter is one of those ideas.

Priorities! They can be such a b***h.
January 25, 2026 at 10:00am
January 25, 2026 at 10:00am
#1106765
Well, though not receiving the full measure the weather folk promised, we did get about six inches of snow. That will suffice my needs for the moment. Those who may not know me, know I complain about the lack of snow here in Missouri. I miss the snow we used to get in Maine. South-central Missouri just doesn't get much snow; but we often get ice. At least this storm, the ice was way south. My daughter lives just south of Dallas and she sent pics of the sleet and ice they receive. Sorry, Val, but you can keep it.

That said, now a whine. It's too dang cold to be outside shoveling snow. Usually when we get any snow, the temps are in the teens and 20's. I can bundle up for that. But right now the temp is minus 12 wind chill. And it's supposed to get colder tomorrow.

I did try out our leaf-blower on the snow last night. It works great on powder up to about two inches. Beyond that, it tends to blow the top layer which just blows back into my face. Even the path I shoveled to the mailbox is all covered over.

It's a good day to get some writing done.
January 23, 2026 at 9:31am
January 23, 2026 at 9:31am
#1106592
Today marks the 40th consecutive day of my reviewing quest to review all 96 genres as recognized by WDC. That also marks 40 different members reviewed. It isn't as hard to find members I've not reviewed on this journey as I thought. I've run the gamut in the cross-section of members from Registered Authors to Senior Moderators.

As for the genres, I'm using the list under Browse By Genre. I've had to create a spreadsheet to keep track of where I've been and who I've reviewed. Turns out I shouldn't rely on my memory, even from one day to the next, to remember what I've done.

As an update of the most and least used genres to date, I offer the following:
Most: Emotional (64,050 items), Experience (36,900), and Fantasy (36,672)
Least: Genealogy (279 items), Finance (333), and Fashion (427)


I was very surprised at the low number of Genealogy choices. I thought that topic carried broad interest.

Today will be one of my favorite genres--History. So, I better get to it.
January 16, 2026 at 9:46am
January 16, 2026 at 9:46am
#1106112
It's been four days since my last entry here. Man, a lot can happen, even overnight, in just one day. (No, I'm not going to list all the headlines. They're probably just depress you.

But we did watch the national news last night, particularly the weather report. Apparently, there's some major snow heading across Chicago heading toward the northeast and the Atlantic coast. Some places, like New York, already had major traffic issues, including serious crashes with injuries.

What I noticed was the wispy snow-laden clouds that passed quickly across Missouri on the national map. This morning I got up just as some snow started falling here. We don't expect much ... but it sure looks peaceful as the big flakes fall.

Our cat doesn't like snow and was waiting by the door to come in. I read just the other day that cats sleep 13-16 hours per day to store energy for prowling. Guess that's what he'll be doing today. He's eaten breakfast, drank some water and is now curled up in a corner.

And I've got some writing to do--my daily review (under the Food/Cooking genre), Task 2 for
"26 Paychecks Open in new Window., and my "Dear Me: Official WDC ContestOpen in new Window. letter.

Busy day ahead.
January 13, 2026 at 10:16am
January 13, 2026 at 10:16am
#1105898
Well, the first round of NFL playoffs are in the books.

As a Kansas City Chief's fan, it was a particularly difficult year, especially seeing Mahomes going out with a serious injury in the last weeks of the season. But our demise was foreseen, like small cracks in a dam that eventually give way. Our O-line (offensive line) has been hit or miss for some time. With a no. 9 pick in the Draft this April, it will be our first single-digit pick since a no. 1 pick in 2013 after a 2-14 season.

Fact, we've been riding high winning the AFC West Division for the past nine seasons. In fact, since 2010, the Chief's have won ten division titles with the Broncos winning the remaining five. Time to re-build--that's the word teams use after having a down season. Whatever one uses, some changes must be made.

With the exception of the Los Angeles Chargers losing to the New England Patriots, every game went the way I hoped. The Chicago Bears, making their first playoffs since 2010, beat the Green Bay Packers. (My daughter loves the Bears, so I have to root for them ... a little); the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the San Francisco 49'ers (had to root against them for that little rout in last year's Super Bowl); and the Houston Texans whipped up on Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburg Steelers.

I guess it was nice to see Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills finally pull off a playoff game win on the road. But then Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrows, and Patrick Mahomes were not in the playoffs this year. Allen always plays well in playoff games ... he just can't get that W.

With the Chief's out of the picture, it's a toss-up who to root for. My wife is going for the Denver Broncos (that traitor). She says it's to keep the Super Bowl in our division and for her good friend who was a Broncos fan even when we beat them up badly over the years (Shari passed last year). Honestly, I like the Bears (for my daughter), though I think they'll have to bring their defense with them to the game--they gave up the most points of any team in the playoffs and were eighth of 14 teams in offensive scoring.

So, Broncos vs Bears in the Super Bowl. Any thoughts?
January 11, 2026 at 9:34am
January 11, 2026 at 9:34am
#1105741
Yesterday I completed my 28th review in pursuit of doing a review for each of the 96 genres as recognized by Writing.Com and listed in the Browse By Genre feature. I’m doing them in the order listed. For an item to chosen by me, the author must fill in at least one of the three genre spots when creating or editing their offering.

I’m almost one month in, and would like to offer a few insights into this journey.

First, you probably know that selecting the
Browse By Genre link in the Navigation Menu (on the left side of your page), you will see a list of 96 genres in alphabetical order. You’ll have to scroll down to see them all. Clicking on any one genre will open a page that lists items containing that specific genre. There may be many pages of items from which to choose.

For example, of the 28 genres I have reviewed, the most often used genre is
Emotional, with more than 64,000 items listed. Rounding out the top spots are Experience with 37,000 and both Dark and Drama (tied) with 26,000 items listed. Featured on the other end of the spectrum are Computers with 750, Business with 1550, and Career with 1750 items listed.

Of course, I still have a long way to go. And consider that since up to three genres may be listed for each item, there are significant duplicates among these numbers given that authors may choose up to three genres.

Second, I’ve tried to avoid reviewing the same author in my quest. This allows me to read a good cross-section of stories, essays and poems, as well as authors I may have missed before. I’ve discovered a few gems to read, and I don’t pick the first item on each list. I shy away from chapters, interactives, and book entries, as well as longer items exceeding 25K.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of the genres I would normally pass by, such as
Arts, Computers, and yes, Dark. All in all, selecting a genre each day to review has made my daily reviewing more fun.

I wonder where subsequent genres will take me.
January 9, 2026 at 12:09pm
January 9, 2026 at 12:09pm
#1105520
Jeanette and I did, in fact, arrive home last night at 11:35 pm, well after the daily deadline for the my Reviewing achievement. The sad part is that when I was preparing to travel TO Colorado, I did a couple reviews before leaving, and saved them in my Review Tool for when I would have Wi-Fi access, but little time. Unfortunately, we decided rather quickly to pack up and leave for home because of an incoming snowstorm. I didn't have the opportunity to bank a couple reviews.

Watching everyone in and around Crested Butte zipping along on snow-covered roads in their four-wheel drive vehicles--emphasis on zipping--was a bit daunting with me and my front-wheel drive Toyota.

We had tried going into town (about four miles away) after an inch and a half snowfall the first night we were there. The town and state does a great job of clearing the roads. But, a plow will not completely clean the rode; some snow (and ice) remains until the combination of sun and the work crews use of magnesium-chloride and sand puts the roads in the condition my humble Toyota can appreciate.

We made that first trip about from the house to the main road with a bit of sliding along the way. After seeing the main road was not much better, we turned around. The little ice we already experienced was not worth the piece of mind we would lose trying to drive to town. Four hours made all the difference, and we made it to town for some well deserved sight-seeing.

Coming home we made ... well, I made two tactical decisions. The first was to leave at 3:30 pm, which allowed us to drive only 180 miles before the dark forced me to stop for the night. Night driving is much harder for me these days. While we didn't get out of Colorado, we did make it over the Monarch Mtn. pass (more than 11,000 ft) to the considerably flatter plains of eastern Colorado.

The second decision was to drive the rest of the way home without stopping again for the night. That was more than 770 miles over a 15-hour period. Numerous stops were required, including a stop along side of the Arkansas River, from which Jeanette wanted a rock to bring home to her rock garden. Though we tried several places, we couldn't get close enough to the river through the snowy fields and steep banks. Sorry, Jeanette.

We stopped at Dodge City to check out the attractions. After getting a brochure of the layout of the attractions and seeing how much walking and time would be needed to "do the place right," we decided to make this a long weekend trip some time in June. The 42 deg temp and 24 mph winds helped make that decision an easy one.

Several hours of night driving in Kansas to reach I-44 at the Missouri line really upped my driving stress level and tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Much of the latter Kansas driving was two-lane with a few passing lanes sprinkled in. The four-lane, 70 mph I-44 was a welcome relief for the final two and a half hour drive.

I'm flying to my next vacation destination.
January 8, 2026 at 8:10pm
January 8, 2026 at 8:10pm
#1105463
We left Crested Butte early as they were expecting a significant snow storm and my Corolla would be little better than a sled. So sorry we missed it. Not!

But our traveling today with trying to make it home will mean my daily reviews will come to an end. We won't arrive home until after 11pm (CST) tonight. Starting back tomorrow.

I'm finishing this little manifesto while eating at a great local spot in a small Kansas town on my phone.

I have a new-found appreciation for those members who navigate WDC on their phones. You go, guys!
January 6, 2026 at 10:08am
January 6, 2026 at 10:08am
#1105279
I do not understand!

The average snowfall in Crested Butte, CO for January over the past 10 years is 37.7 inches. And our host for the Air B&B we're staying in left us NO snow shovel. Good thing it only snowed 2-3 inches last night. At least the powers that plow the driveways are on the ball.

And the forecast today is for sunny skies and no snow. Yesterday morning while Jeanette and I were in town taking in the sights, it snowed as we arrived, turned sunny as we walked from store to store, turned cloudy and snowed heavily while we ate lunch. I thought we were back in Missouri with the changes happening so often.

Then I found out the local brewery doesn't open until 3pm. Bummer. Rather than wait another three hours, we headed home to rest. It turns out the 8900 ft. elevation can really take the wind out of two old folks walking around town. We'll go back later this afternoon to check out the brewery.

For now, we'll enjoy the fabulous sights of the sun on the snow-covered mountains.

January 5, 2026 at 9:36am
January 5, 2026 at 9:36am
#1105198
We arrived at our vacation destination yesterday afternoon--Crested Butte, CO. Both travel days were sunny and in the 60's for most of the trip. As we started gaining altitude, the temp started dropping. This morning, we awoke to 26 degrees and a light dusting of snow.

The ski slopes rise up to 12,000 ft. The youngsters will be hitting the slopes shortly. I, on the other hand, will be searching the town for a brewery and some find local brews, and a good coffee shop, not necessarily in that order. I did find that the 8900 ft elevation for Crested Butte made a difference for my breathing. Yep, the more sedate life is for me the rest of the week here.

What a difference a day makes in the mountains.
January 2, 2026 at 2:23pm
January 2, 2026 at 2:23pm
#1104934
Tomorrow we set out for Crested Butte, CO, for a week-long family ski outing. They will be doing the skiing; I will be sitting in a coffee shop enjoying the warmth and an iced mocha (my tribute to the cold weather).

My days of skiing ended when I left college for a couple reasons. One, I spent so much time working, I rarely had time for a skiing vacation. My family didn't embrace the skiing mentality. That worked out well for our pocketbook, and left time for other vacations we enjoyed.

And two, my college days of skiing included lots of alcohol and a feeling of invincibility that often manifested in ways I felt that God does indeed lookout for fools. I survived those wonderful times, that I'm not certain I completely remember.

Anyway, getting ready for the drive, I got the car washed and filled up with gas. One of the features on my 2022 Toyota Corolla displays how many miles I can go on a tank of gas. Today upon filling up, the car declared I could travel 445 miles on my full tank. Of course, I don't completely believe it and would never test that limit (on purpose). During the summer, a fill up allows me to drive up to 516 miles on a full tank. That difference is due to using winterized gasoline.

Either summer gas compacts better in my tank allowing me two more gallons of gas (at 35 mpg)--which is not true, of course--or the winterized gas is not as efficient as summer gas.

Doing, ding, ding! Neither is actually correct.

Winterized gasoline is chemically distinct from its summer counterpart adding chemicals that increase volatility for starting and operating in colder temperatures. They prevent fuel lines from freezing and improve engine performance in lower temps. In the summertime, such additional chemicals are not needed.

Interestingly, the winter blends cost less to refine resulting in lower costs in the winter, generally. Lower prices also factor in reduced driving because of the colder weather. Also, in the bummer category, the state gas tax in MO, KS and CO is 29.5 cents/gal, 24 cents/gal, and 22 cents/gal, respectively, and yet, the cost of fuel rises as we head west--less in MO, more in CO.

Suck it up, Jace; you're going on this trip.

Did you know the EPA allows the sale of winter blends on 16 Sep? Though the actual date you may see the blend depends on the region and climate conditions.

As for the trip, I worry about one thing--weather. I'm sure my Corolla isn't the best on wet, snowy roads. Snow showers are not what I want to see in my future. I know my limitations; I don't know what that other guy is thinking.






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