As regular readers of these pages probably recall, I have been having some uncertainty about the future of what I am going to be doing for *"a living."* 

Or a *"profession,"* if you will.

It was my hope — well, *our* hope, because Mrs. Denmarkguy is part of the picture — that we be able to continue the path of self-employment. Problem was (to recap) that we had too many home businesses that were in a state of slow decline, meeting too many bills that were rising at a rate greater than *"inflation,"* year over year.

![0804-IslandView.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRhV83KnwGo4bfJ8kjJ2V4WgZMHVUjracFiADuMscdzkn/0804-IslandView.jpg)
*View across the bay*

## *I Used to Be a Book Editor...*

... and now it appears that I am going to go *back* being an editor.

It's something I *know* how to do, and it is something I am *really good* at... but I am not sure how I feel about getting back into something that is — quite truthfully — yet another "shrinking" profession that is gradually being replaced by automation. 

My guess is that there probably won't *be" much of a need for (human) book editors in another 10-15 years. Grammarly can already do pretty effective editing, and I'm only able to sustain (for the time being, anyway) because I am specialized in certain types of non-fiction that are *still* best handled by a real live person.

![0812-Thistle.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYz5oZ1dYXqVBy8b5zi8BxVeppeCfbHj3xtzatJeVmC9D/0812-Thistle.jpg)
*Late blooming thistles*

## *"Learn to Code," My Arse!*

I find it ironic that the old "slur" thrown at people complaining that they were being made obsolete by technology — *"learn to code"* — is quickly becoming an oxymoron.

More and more code is being written by artificial intelligence, making human coders more and more obsolete. Retraining yourself to do something that won't still *be* a job in another ten years seems like an exercise in futility... at least to me.

So I am glad I didn't go that route!

In the meantime, it seems that our world is still a *long* way from *functionally* figuring out how to help the millions being displaced by automation.

Simply saying *"they should help THEMSELVES!"* is really not that useful, because we live in a system that largely depends on people being able to *"consume stuff"* in order to sustain itself... and in order to *consume stuff,* you (at least at present) have to have *money.*

And that stuff doesn't grow on trees, last I checked!

![0854-Fleurs.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQzidw89KHCiGYg2Ek7e4XLHqREY58FRL7dvv2XBqqboC/0854-Fleurs.jpg)
*Flowers in the pot...*

## *Becoming More Self-sustaining: Grow Your Own Food!*

One of the steps we had to take around here was to *really* dig down deep into just *where* our cost of living comes from.

Aside from being able to combine things like our phones and internet to a single provider in a *"bundle,"* our greatest cost of living comes from *food* and consumable household expenses.

So we're back to the old-fashioned ways of growing more and more of our own food, *as well as* old-time standbys like using washable rags for cleaning rather than paper towels and such.

It's surprising how much money we *"bleed,"* in tiny amounts at a time!

Alas, increasing income seems a *lot* harder than just cutting expenses. One of the things we've come to realize is that our little network of home businesses have as *customers* fellow people who *also* are struggling financially. So it's a case of *"the penniless trying to support the penniless."* But we're working to try to change that equation...

![0884-Fall.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmd6GkuuSZySN7EYRiuz1QhNuQozQNAXWHNDdwcUBGUkPz/0884-Fall.jpg)
*More fall foliage*

## *Childhood Irony, Revisited...*

When I was a teenager, we used to say (in a somewhat histrionic and dramatic way!) that we would become *"that generation"* who would end up being worse off — financially — than our parents. 

Although it was a joke at the time *(in the 1970s),* that particular situation *does* seem to have come true. I don't say that as a point of self-pity, merely as an *observation* for the history books.

Anyway, it is time to move onward and forward!

I find myself grateful to have this *"outlet"* in which to blog about the experience! And I'm also feeling grateful that it is still possible to make at least *a couple* of dollars for writing a post here... because every penny counts!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you've all had a great weekend!

*(Another **#creativecoin** creative non-fiction post)*

***Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!***

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*(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for this platform.)
Created at 191028 00:18 PDT*
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