Monday Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: He Did It!

A human has broken the speed of sound -- without a plane! Felix Baumgartner jumped more than 24 miles up from a capsule attached to a weather balloon -- and landed safely, thanks to his pressurized suit, a lot of chutzpah and the grace of God. Wow. Read all about it here. 
  

These tidbits from the Internet are more down to earth...but I found them interesting:

  18 Spooky Facts You Didn't Know About the National Debt, courtesy of Len Penzo. You might not be happy you found these out, either...

Making your own herbal vitamin and mineral tincture. I don't know whether to be grossed out, or intrigued. (Growing up on a farm, and haying every summer, has given me a totally different perspective on putting alfalfa in anything. ) The Brick is a huge vitamin-taker; maybe a shot of this would cut down on all the pills. (Thanks, Keeper of the Home.)

Halloween tombstones that have become masterpieces. (via the Chicken Blog.) These are amazingly realistic. 

What's the stupidest thing you ever spent money on? Gather Little by Little has some ideas..an oldie but goodie.

A trip to George Nakashima's studio. If you love wood or Japanese-influenced eclectic design, you're going to really enjoy this.  Part 1 is here; part 2 is here.

31 days to make extra money for Christmas. Some of these are a tad wacky, but hey, one should strike a responding chord. The link will take you to Day #4's offering, but they're running all month. (Thanks, Money Saving Mom.) 

An insanely cool hydroponics system from Yes, I am Cheap. In other words, the plants feed the fish, whose waste feeds the plants...and so on. Mother Earth News had a similar system for this, incorporating rabbits and chickens. (Yes, I've thought about doing it. Greenhouses don't fare very well out here, thanks to Colorado's high winds and hailstorms. My last greenhouse literally ripped off its foundation. Maybe it's time to try again...)

Four life lessons we need to learn. I wasn't surprised at the lessons -- I was surprised that Martha Beck, a national figure on Oprah's network, was advocating them. (Especially the one that argued 'fitting in' wasn't that important. Oprahites are big-time conformers to her status quo.) Interesting, nonetheless. Even better, read:

Ten life lessons you should unlearn. These make sense. (So do the others.)

Staying warm this winter. The basics, from yours truly, at my other job (Midlife Finance). Including a link to a surprisingly easy way to stay warm, a kotatsu table. 

Seven amazing animal rescues -- by other animals!

And off we go, for an interesting week...