Do you have a company-provided/operated pension program? Some do, but an increasing percentage of all workers don't, any more. And many companies are getting out of the game of providing for health-care for their retirees, which quite a few did, formerly. Many claim that Social Security cannot continue at current levels of benefits, when the great wave of the Boomer generation is receiving benefits and there are many fewer members paying in than in earlier years - in other words, they'll run out of money, unless they reduce benefit levels. Figure out what your current income is. Then calculate what level of income you can expect in retirement, under current circumstances. Consider also what level, if any, is provided for an increase in benefit levels to allow for inflation. Many claim that a number of retirees will be able to live at a similar lifestyle level as currently if they have retirement income about 70% of their income level at retirement, as there'll be reduced income tax, less need to commute, have upstyle clothing, cosmetics, etc. But don't forget - that with free time, you may want to travel about as much per week as you did when driving to work. Do some calculations to see whether that 70% level might apply, in your situation: maybe not. Do you have enough potential income at retirement to suit you? Plus adequate provision to offset inflation? Either soon after, or later, you may choose to downsize your housing level, and use less than the full oproceeds to buy a smaller home, or a condo, possibly in a less expensive area, leaving some extra to invest to produce enhanced income. Or you might choose to withdraw some of the value of yur home using a reverse mortgage, though some prefer to arrange something similar to a regular mortgage, or a Home Equity Line of Credit, in order to avoid some of the strat-jacketing involved with a reverse mortgage. If you lack sufficient projected income, you'll need to set up an investment program, preferably now, but at least, soon, to provide increased income following retirement. Good wishes for arranging things so that you have slightly more than needed ... rather than slightly (or, horror of horrors, substantially) less than adequate. Eating turnips twice daily of necessity is no fun. ole joyful

Woodpeckers can drill holes through Hardie board and vinyl siding too. What about adding some texture like corrugated metal? There are faux rock panels that can be used. I don’t know how well they work so you might want to research customer reviews.https://www.fauxpanels.com/

I found this article today on Yahoo News. I think it speaks to some of the pitfalls of job searching today. It is about how "recruiters" lie to job applicants, but it also applies even if the "recruiter" is an online job board like Indeed, Monster, Careerbuilder, etc. As many have pointed out, the key to getting a job is checking off all the boxes that say you are perfect for that job. Considering the time and effort that goes into that, you don't want to waste your time chasing false hopes or ephemeral jobs (the kind where people burn out in a matter of weeks so there is always an opening at the company). Also, there are a lot of sales jobs where all they are trying to do is get you to sell to your friends and family and then when you have exhausted your contacts, you're done. Very few of the "sales" positions end up being permanent, it's the recruiters that put people into sales that are permanent, and they are managing a constantly rotating group of "sellers." There are even job applications that are straight fishing for marketing information and filling out their forms will do nothing but get you on a list for tons of junk e-mails, snail mails and calls trying to sell you things. These sites are OK for finding leads, but be selective. Best leads don't often come from there, although I have found some that I have checked out in "real time" to see what's going on at the company, even if the information is up to date and the position still exists. Sometimes things have a life online that is way beyond what's happening for real, with the ease of "cut and paste." Good companies recruit through more personal contact, in the end. They may have a system, but they use it only as part of their tool kit, and often not that much. www3.forbes.com/leadership/ten-lies-recruiters-tell-job-seekers/?utm_source=related&utm_medium=referral

Just bumped into the same look x2 from another Toronto architect often appearing in Dezeen. arch.Drew Mandel From a longer viewpoint, this is only the final step in the 40-year long assault on Toronto's traditional semi-attached and single family architecture. As the affluent baby-boomers came back downtown, they couldn't bear to leave well enough alone. First, it was simply sandblasting and opening the interiors, then removing porches, replacing traditional windows with big blank eyes on the world. Next came amateurish re-facading. Capping it all, came the pricey architects with their usual overblown verbiage. Has there ever been one who doesn't elevate "big rooms" to "large volumes"? There goes the neighbourhood. Surely, this progression isn't just local.