Oh totally! That's such a good point. I learned the hard way cleaning an old lens, left a weird haze on the inside element that was a pain to get off. Now I just use a rocket blower for dust and a brush for anything sticky. The canned air stuff can really gunk things up more than it helps.

Ah, the IRS... my favorite pen pal.

The freeze-thaw cycle on that north wall is brutal. That cheap sealant can't flex enough when the adobe itself moves with the temperature. You're basically just gluing the crack shut while the wall keeps working underneath it. A full repoint with the right mud mix lets the whole section move as one unit.

Shouldn't you already be thinking..." Yeah, I thought that too.

You know, when people say a list limits meal ideas, I totally disagree. Sticking to a list is what lets me breathe easy with my budget. It's like putting up guardrails so I don't crash my finances. I notice this in lots of things, where having a plan makes room for more creativity, not less. If I go to the store without a list, I buy random stuff that ends up rotting. Then I'm stressed about money and eating the same boring things anyway.