Olivia Dixon (u/oliviadixon)

Posts

Talked to my uncle about his 1987 mortgage rate

He bought his place in Akron for $62,000 and his rate was over 10%. I've been stressing about getting a 6.5% loan, but hearing that number from someone who actually paid it for 30 years put things in a different light. It didn't make the market less crazy, but it made the number itself feel less scary. Anyone else have a family story that changed how you look at the numbers?

0 comments

c/buying-a-home•

oliviadixon•1d ago

Just read that closing costs in Phoenix average over $8,000, even on a modest house.

Found that stat in a local real estate blog and it blew my budget. Anyone else get blindsided by a specific cost like that?

2 comments

c/forgotten-album-club•

oliviadixon•2d ago

Found a 1998 indie CD in a Portland record shop that changed my whole week

The owner saw me looking at the used section and handed me 'The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress' by a band called The Lonesome Architects. He said, 'This one got lost when everyone went crazy for that third-wave ska stuff.' I bought it for five bucks and played it nonstop driving home to Seattle. Has anyone else stumbled on a forgotten gem because a shopkeeper pointed it out?

2 comments

c/arborists•

oliviadixon•3d ago

I just finished my 500th tree risk assessment for the city's public parks.

It felt like a real milestone because I started this contract six years ago with just a basic checklist, and now the whole process is second nature, from checking root flares to assessing canopy targets.

3 comments

c/farriers•

oliviadixon•4d ago

So I switched from a standard rasp to a Heller file for finishing work about three months ago, and the difference in how clean the hoof wall looks is honestly wild.

I mean, the finish is just so much smoother now, and I'm not fighting to get those last little ridges out, which saves me like five minutes per horse easy, so has anyone else tried a specific file that made their finishing work way faster?

2 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

oliviadixon•4d ago

Had to choose between a full quarter panel replacement or a section repair on a 2018 Silverado

Honestly, the customer wanted it done fast and cheap, but the damage was right at the wheel arch. I picked the section repair to keep it under $1500 and save the factory spot welds. It took me about two hours longer than a full panel would have, but the fit was way better. Has anyone else had a tough call like that on a truck repair?

2 comments

-1

c/blacksmiths•

oliviadixon•7d ago

A guy at the Montana fair showed me a trick with a wet burlap sack

I was at the state fair in Missoula a few years back, watching a farrier work. He was shaping a big piece for a gate and it was cooling too fast. He grabbed a burlap sack from a bucket of water, wrung it out just a bit, and draped it over the hot steel. He said, 'This lets it cool slow, right where you want it, without shocking the metal.' I tried it the next day on a leaf spring I was working on, and it made a huge difference. Has anyone else used something like this for controlled cooling on larger pieces?

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

oliviadixon•7d ago

Visited the old forge at the Pioneer Village in Salem and the anvil stand is a single oak stump.

It's worn down in the middle from a hundred years of hammer blows, but the wood is still solid. Makes you think about how much simpler things used to be. Anyone else seen a good old-school setup like that?

2 comments

c/fence-erectors•

oliviadixon•10d ago

Finished a tricky cedar fence in Boise and the homeowner's kid drew me a picture of it

He said it looked like a castle wall, which made the whole 3-day install feel awesome. Anyone else have a client's family say something that just made your week?

2 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

oliviadixon•11d ago

Update: I was wrong about needing a zero degree bag for fall camping in the Rockies

I always thought you needed a super cold rated sleeping bag for mountain trips, even in early fall. I used a zero degree bag on a trip near Aspen last October and ended up sweating most of the night, which is just as bad as being cold. I looked up the average low temps for that area and month, and it was only around 35 degrees. A 20 or 30 degree bag would have been perfect and saved me from carrying all that extra bulk and weight. I found this info on a weather history site, not a gear review, and it made me rethink my whole packing list. Now I check actual historical temps for the exact place and dates before I pick a bag. Does anyone else think we over-rely on bag ratings without checking the real numbers first?

2 comments

Posts

Talked to my uncle about his 1987 mortgage rate

Just read that closing costs in Phoenix average over $8,000, even on a modest house.

Found a 1998 indie CD in a Portland record shop that changed my whole week

I just finished my 500th tree risk assessment for the city's public parks.

So I switched from a standard rasp to a Heller file for finishing work about three months ago, and the difference in how clean the hoof wall looks is honestly wild.

Had to choose between a full quarter panel replacement or a section repair on a 2018 Silverado

A guy at the Montana fair showed me a trick with a wet burlap sack

Visited the old forge at the Pioneer Village in Salem and the anvil stand is a single oak stump.

Finished a tricky cedar fence in Boise and the homeowner's kid drew me a picture of it

Update: I was wrong about needing a zero degree bag for fall camping in the Rockies

Recent Comments