There are no words. But there must be words.My little brother, my only sibling, my beautiful little brother, Bill Hodgson, Jr., died last week. He lost his long battle with alcoholism. It was a battle he fought hard and desperately wanted to overcome. That’s the only thing I will write about his disease. He fought it with every fiber of his being to the bitter end. He wanted to win. Bill was born when I was three. He arrived two days before Easter that year. Family legend says that I visited him in the hospital and then immediately demanded that my mother “leave that baby here and come home with me.” In truth, I don’t think my transition from being an only child to an older sister was all that difficult for me. My earliest memories of Bill were of us physically fighting each other as little kids. It wasn’t that we disliked each other. I think this was pure mammalian child behavior. Being older and bigger, I usually won, sending Bill crying to my parents to tell on me. One day, we looked at each other and decided to stop fighting. Instead, we became best friends, teammates on a quest against the discipline and rules set by our parents. We couldn’t understand why we had to clean up our messes, sit still, or be quiet. There was a world full of adventures to explore. Our childhood was filled with so many amazing memories. Bill would be better at describing them as he had a photographic memory. He could tell me what color shirt I wore to my dance recital in May 1993. He never forgot a detail. I have no idea how he had room to hold all of those things in his mind. In the summers, we spent every weekend at Lake Martin. I was a skier, but Bill was into the up-and-coming sport of wakeboarding. Before fancy boats threw massive wakes, he could jump so high in the air on his board. We spent hours pulling him behind the boat to practice. We also had adventures traveling up the dirt road to visit the neighbors, playing paintball in their yard, and hiking to the back of the creek. Lake Martin is still my favorite place on Earth, and it was Bill’s as well. Every spring break, we took a family trip out west to go snow skiing, as we Southerners call it. Bill was a speed demon on skis and never missed a chance to ski off in the trees and find jump spots. I remember a time he fell in deep powder next to a tree, and we had to rescue him by digging him out. In his early adult years, Bill spent an entire season in Big Sky, Montana, working as a bellhop at one of the resorts. It was then that he became a truly expert skier. I wish I could have seen him ski like that. During my last year of high school,

The principles of achieving financial freedom are timeless. Economies change, governments come and go, and your cable TV, The National Geographic, and Loaded magazine subscriptions give way for broadband, Netflix, and that meditation iPhone app that you’re always too busy to use. Yet while hairstyles wax and wane (I’m personally bringing back the bouffant for 2026) these words from Charles Dicken’s Mr Micawber are eternal: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result […]

Watching a baby take those first steps is exciting and a little nerve-wracking. Many parents wonder when it should happen and if their child is on track. Babies do not all walk at the same time, and that is normal. Some start early, while others take their time and focus on other skills first. I remember how confusing it can feel when comparing timelines. This guide breaks down when babies usually start walking, the milestones […]

Most parents wonder when to introduce a sippy cup and how to do it without stress. The advice online can feel confusing, especially when every baby seems different. Some babies take to a cup quickly, while others want nothing to do with it at first. That’s completely normal. I’ve noticed that understanding the right age, signs of readiness, and simple transition steps makes the process much easier. In this guide, you’ll learn when to introduce […]

Like you, I have a love/hate relationship with AI.  I love how AI helps with research and answering my questions. I hate the idea that it can do my writing for me. Not because I might become insignificant or that AI might replace me. No, I hate that AI is always there on my left shoulder, saying, “Hey bud, why won’t you let me do that writing for you?” Well, bud, it’s because I NEED […]

Starting solids is a big step, and it often comes with lots of questions. One of the most common questions parents ask is when babies can eat rice. You may hear different answers from family, friends, or even online forums, which can make things confusing. In this guide, you’ll learn when babies can eat rice, how to introduce it safely, and what to watch out for. Some babies handle rice well, while others may need […]

In my last blog post, I bored my Dear Readers stroked my chinny chin chin, pondering whether, four years after FIREing, I’m now basically voluntarily unemployable for any demanding and/or full-time work even if I ever felt an inkling to get back in the/a game. Answer: Yep.  I rattled off a few explanations for my conclusion, including that post-FIREing life is pretty much all it’s cracked up to be. At least for me it is.  […]

Oil-based perfumes are one of the easiest ways to create a natural, personalised fragrance at home. They don’t require alcohol, they’re simple to make in small batches, and they develop more slowly on the skin than spray perfumes. But something stood out to me, when I was researching on how to make a DIY perfume: many recipes using 20-30% essential oils. I get it – these blends can smell very strong and nice; however, they’re not always the best choice for your skin,. High concentrations of essential oils can increase the risk of irritation, sensitivity, or discomfort over time and with regular use. For this DIY perfume, I stay lower than that range, and I’m using around 10% essential oils, (which is still quite high) aiming for a blend that’s clearly noticeable, long-lasting, and still safe for your skin. Why oil-based perfumes? Oil perfumes are great because: feel softer and less sharp than alcohol-based perfumes evaporate slowly, so the scent unfolds gradually are easy to customise and adjust work well for small, low-waste batches I usually use almond oil or jojoba oil as a base. Both are lightweight, stable, and have little to no scent of their own, which lets the essential oils shine. Other carrier oils that can work well for oil perfumes include grapeseed oil, safflower oil, apricot kernel oil, and sunflower oil. Understanding perfume notes Not all essential oils are equal in strength. Some oils are naturally more intense on the skin, which is why certain scents work better as accents rather than main notes. Perfumes are usually built using three layers of scent, which influence how the fragrance develops over time. Top notes are the first impression. They’re fresh, bright, and evaporate quickly. Common top notes include:  Citrus oils (lemon, sweet orange, bergamot, grapefruit) Mint (peppermint, spearmint) Eucalyptus  Lemongrass Light herbs like basil Middle notes, also called heart notes, form the body of the perfume. They appear once the top notes soften and help balance the blend. Common middle notes include: Lavender Rosemary Geranium Sage Chamomile Jasmine Ylang-ylang Base notes are deeper and longer-lasting. They anchor the perfume and help it linger on the skin. Common base notes include: Vanilla Sandalwood Cedarwood Vetiver Patchouli Clove (used sparingly) A note on citrus essential oils Citrus essential oils such as sweet orange, lemon, bergamot, lime, and grapefruit are considered photosensitive. This means they can increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight. Reactions don’t always happen immediately and may develop with repeated exposure. To use citrus oils more comfortably: keep them as a smaller part of the blend avoid applying to areas exposed to strong sunlight or reserve citrus-forward perfumes for evening use Citrus oils aren’t unsafe, but they do benefit from a bit of extra awareness. Basic oil perfume formula (10%) This recipe makes one 9 ml perfume. You’ll need: 9 ml carrier oil (almond or jojoba) 18 drops of essential oils total: top notes: