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You are so right , wisteria. As soon as Kelsey is settled, I am planning on putting my house on the market and moving. Someplace warm, that's for sure & the west sounds just fine . ( It's 20 degrees here today ). I still have dreams of those cozy cottages surrounded by flowers and winding paths . Where, oh where is our millionaire benefactor?
(Probably as decimated as we are by this economy)
Bernie Madoff? We know where he is - 3 hots and a cot is his retirement plan.
Wisteria, re: your most recent post, above----I congratulate you on your gumption. To me IMHO, seems like you're making a good decision. Maybe with women like you to forge the way, the rest of us will be emboldened to make that necessary step to the next place. YOu're right, it does take courage, and follow-thru. But as that guy what's his name on PBS says...oh, Chris Martenson ("Crash Course" - Chris Martenson | Information on the global economy, environment, and our energy challenges. Real estate, oil, community, homes, money.), we have to trust ourselves, trust our instincts, in this global disaster. No one else can tell us what to do, there's no one size fits all advice anymore. I don't even listen to mainstream recommendations anymore. I've tried to suggest to friends that they bail of out the SM asap, but they stubbornly believe the old thing that the market's poised to come back any time now...
The only good decision I ever made, other than to buy a house in the 90s, was not to get into the SM. I sincerely wish everyone the best in that arena. Also, fyi, a realtor who looked at my house recently advised me to not to sink any more money into it, just get it clutter-free. Location is everything, much more than granite countertops or even a repaint on the interior. Anyone who wants your house is going to want it no matter whether it's fixed up to the way you want to see it, or not. Good luck with your plans! Keep us posted...
Hi to all... I too am single (actually divorced) and getting ready to retire. Living in South Central PA - originally from upstate NY (Finger Lakes area). Grew up in the snow and cold and never really liked it, although NY is a beautiful state - the taxes will kill you! It has been a cold winter in PA and I've decided that I no longer want to put up with the cold... on the other hand, I've been to California and Florida and don't care for either. I do have family, but never really been close so I'll probably be on my own, but I enjoy life, so alone isn't really that bad. Are any of you afraid that you will move somewhere and then decide that you don't really like it... that's me. I only want to move one more time and that will be my retirement dream home.
Well.. I think I feel asleep last night in the middle of writing a post since i dont' see it on here.
Newengland girl - I am from the far north - Alaska. Like DDT1947, I am originally from the finger lakes area in NY. It is a beautiful area but I have no desire to live there again. In ways, I understand your comments about feeling different about change now than in our younger years when everything was an adventure. I like to travel and have new adventures but I definitely like to come home. One thing I worry about with moving some place else ... will I always be waiting to come home?
Knox - your pictures are breathtaking - especially when I wake up to a foot of new snow everyday. It is hard for me to believe that people are actually living in places that are warm, springlike and with flowers starting to bloom! My goodness ... if we are lucky that will be June and July here - lol!
So ... I think I'm a multiple personality because I want my home here (although I am a renter) ... but then I see Knox's pictures and hear people talk of other places ... and I think... maybe I want that.
It seems I can have a new plan everyday - work or not work, move or not move.
Mmm.. one thing I really don't want to do is to move to the east coast ... and yet that is the likely thing that will happen one day because my daughter is there... and both of us want to live where we can see and do things together more frequently. So .. there I go again... half of me yes, half of me no.
Hi to all... I too am single (actually divorced) and getting ready to retire. Living in South Central PA - originally from upstate NY (Finger Lakes area). Grew up in the snow and cold and never really liked it, although NY is a beautiful state - the taxes will kill you! It has been a cold winter in PA and I've decided that I no longer want to put up with the cold... on the other hand, I've been to California and Florida and don't care for either. I do have family, but never really been close so I'll probably be on my own, but I enjoy life, so alone isn't really that bad. Are any of you afraid that you will move somewhere and then decide that you don't really like it... that's me. I only want to move one more time and that will be my retirement dream home.
Interesting that you are in Southern PA...I have a sister not far from there, in Maryland, so I figured maybe your area is a good bet (Carlisle area), but went on a research trip there to check it out and found the area comfortingly like New England but on such a big scale (city, highways, unbelievable traffic) that I have to rule it out. Plus it's just as cold w long winters as it is where I am.
Is anyone in a position of still having to work somewhat in retirement...like a part-time job or freelance? I will need to freelance for the next 10 yaers or so, maybe till age 70.....so where I relocate to can't be out in the boondocks for that reason and also I really and truly want to be in the center of things where transportation, med facilities, and social networking are readily available.
The most interesting place so far, given by posters on this thread, is Knoxville. I'm not a high fallutin' Northerner, have lived in the Midwest twice...but I still wonder if a Northerner can transplant easily to a southern place. Mostly in terms of general relocation issues...how to get networked, how to meet people and not feel alone, etc. But also in terms of regional differences in attititudes...are they that different in this day and age? See,ms like a general "American culture" has permeated the entire US, wherever you are...
On another note, I'm very concerned about safety issues at my age. There is a large crime wave in cities (even some towns) up here, and more potential as the economy worsens. I want a place that has good police force, neighbors looking out for each other, etc. I learned that you are no safer in the burbs than you are in the city, so in some ways, the small city may be safer for women our age.
Question to all: Has anyone considered/checked out the Midwest states? For nice small cities/ towns and affordability?
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Are any of you afraid that you will move somewhere and then decide that you don't really like it... that's me. I only want to move one more time.
Yes, that is why we are all so hesitant in making that move. Read through the thread (when you have a spare week ) and you'll see that we are really all very much alike.
Bernie Madoff? We know where he is - 3 hots and a cot is his retirement plan.
LOL , tesaje and no one deserves it more.
__________________ ******************
People may not recall what you said to them, but they will always remember how you made them feel .
New England Girl... I am originally from upstate NY and lived and worked in Roanoke, VA. First of all, I don't think the people at work (all Southerners) really trusted me at first. By that I mean they thought I was just a stuck-up Northener. Over a very short time I learned that they are some of the nicest, kindest, friendliest people you will ever want to meet. They just wanted to be treated respectfully and they will give you the shirt off their back. REALLY GREAT PEOPLE! You can add to that GREAT FOOD too. I don't think you will have any trouble making friends or being accepted in the South.
Now about the midwest... I had friends in Indiana (both passed away) and still have friends throughout the midwest and there again, great people. Very friendly, considerate, and easy to fit in. Just good people!
The only problem there is the weather - the winters can be long and brutal.
Once retired, I may work part-time only to break up the days, meet new people, and keep my brain functioning. I am into stained-glass and could be very happy just doing that all day long - it's very relaxing and challenging and then there's the beauty... even if I'm not very good, I'm having fun.
There is a website that evaluates cities/towns and the crime rates (along with everything else you want to know about an area), but I can't find it right now - I'll keep looking and send it out when I do find it.
Last edited by DDT1947; 03-13-2009 at 03:38 PM..
Reason: hit the send key in error - sorry
Thanks for the positive message! I actually visited Roanoke for the first time last summer (had never been that far south, was on my way to NC)....and for some reason I really liked the downtown (I'm judging places these days by my reaction to the downtown). Then I went into Salem, to check out the main street and the neighborhoods. I was convinced for a while that this is a really good place for me, but I would have to know that the economy is still doing okay enough that I could do some limited freelance over the next few years (more like next 10 years, as SS will not be enough). I'm interested in the arts/writers' community there, too. IYO, is the area holding its own economically? Do you know what the property tax rate and other costs of living are, generally? And the weather, how extreme does it get? Where else can one get the lowdown on the Roanoke area? Thanks again...
So sorry I haven't been around. I finally had to settle for dial-up ISP, which really limits me, and so I haven't attempted much online.
All is REALLY GREAT with me, but still, I have the "All or nothing syndrome", where I feel like I can't write unless I say EVERYTHING I have to say. It's very annoying , not just to me !!
I promised to call Wisteria, secretly hoping she can report, in a few sentences, what takes me pages to say !
I'm trying to break the syndrome, so here I am, just saying "Hi Everyone" (even though it's killing me not to report every detail of my silly 'not-that-important' life.
Shees, you'd think I was the Pres or something!
I'm happy here, and that's all anyone really cares about, huh!
to be continued....
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Brava Wisteria!
.....so where I relocate to can't be out in the boondocks for that reason and also I really and truly want to be in the center of things where transportation, med facilities, and social networking are readily available. 
) and you'll see that we are really all very much alike.
, not just to me 