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I am not sure yet. I know I have gotten the "this could be it" feeling a couple of places just visiting. I have the nagging "this isn't quite it" feeling where I am. It's possible a nearby move could be it but I think it is more likely I will be happiest further south. Just a couple of low 50s at night recently have me dreading winter; 4 or 5 months of aching joints.
Youngest son is disabled and unable to work. Before he became ill we used to sponsor a little girl in sierra Leone. she slept on a dirt floor with a leaky roof, so, essentially, she slept in mud. My son cried on reading this and said that when he grew up that he was going to own his own house, and that when he met a poor girl he would marry her so she would not have to sleep in mud.
I told him that if he wanted to do that he had better start earning money now. So, the next day [bty he was nine years old] he opened a lemonaid stand. Within a week he was walking dogs and cleaning poop out of peoples backyards.[This is what is called Autistic perseveration] When he had saved enough money, he bought and placed several vending machines. And then he got sick.
Most of the times he was too ill to work the vending machines, so my husband and I did it for him and saved the money.
So, as he got older, he was/is less ill. He is way behind others his age in so many ways and will probably never be able to work any regular type of job. He was so depressed and I told him "Why don't you buy that house you worked so hard for when you were little?" He said "Mom, one, I don't have near enough money, and two, I doubt if I will ever be able to live on my own." I told him that I had just been looking at a little fixer upper in Pueblo for $30,000, and that even IF he can never live on his own {I believe he will be able to] he could rent it.
it took six months of weekends to turn that into an adorable, clean, safe house. During that time I kept slipping and saying stuff about "my town," meaning Pueblo, which, of course was not my town. I cried when I said goodbye to Pueblo after the work was finished. I k
I kept telling my husband that I felt that we were supposed to be living there, but he would say that it would be at least ten years before we could even think about that.
Then, my husband became too ill to work, and that was no longer an option. The place that had allowed us to rent a spot for our camper the past 3 years decided no more weekend parking, but then certain good things fell into place, which gave us $130,000 to buy 3 houses in pueblo.
When we walked up to the house we live in [700 sq feet, but remember, we had been living in a camper trailer] I started shaking. Before the realtor opened the door I knew this was my new home. And, it is down the block from my sons place.
I am allowed to have the chickens I dreamed of, and room for the vegetable garden that I have actually only been interested in the past few years [ spend some time in nightmarish circumstances and you lose that fear of insects]
This is my sweet spot. I have always loved the ocean and the mountains. I have wondered who could possibly want to live in the dessert. Well, now I live in the dessert and I LOVE it. It is a quick walk to the bus stop, a ten minute drive to downtown, senior citizens center, arts clubs and the Pueblo Reservoir. I expressed my interest in working one on one as a volunteer at the schools helping developmentally disabled kids to read, which is something I have always excelled at, and was told that not only did they need me [probably at semester change] but that I would be paid a small nontaxable stipend and be reimbursed for transportation as well!
I baked 12 dozen cookies last week, plated them and delivered them to my neighbors and they all seem wonderful so far. Also, I wanted to facilitate a GRASP group [ support group for adult Autistics] and had initially been told that since the foundation is struggling in so many areas that they were not going to start any new groups, but they are making an exception for me to start one here. [ I just need to jup through a few hoops first]
Pueblo IS my sweet spot. if someone had told me a few years ago that it would be, I would have laughed in their face.
You all sound like a modern version of pioneers. Very nice story and outcomes.
I don't know where it is yet, but my sweet spot will include maple trees, mountain streams, 4 seasons, abundant wildlife, a good growing season, a good library, and proximity to a university. I have a few places in mind, but right now it is anyone's guess.
NW Arkansas ticks every box. All 4 seasons are distinct, it has an abundance of maple trees, mountain streams and wildlife. Fayetteville is a university town and the Fayetteville Public Library has received the coveted National Library of the Year Award,
Hmmmm, it's a toss up whether the climate or proximity to family was more important. I have 2 daughters and 6 grandkids in Rhode Island (where I had lived all my life, while working) and not being within easy driving distance of them was not an option. On the other hand, summer temps there in RI were just insufferable to me. My dad and uncle had both come from Maine, and I'd spent many summers up there as a boy, so I had a lot of great memories of Maine.
Money was not really a factor, but in fact, we ended up saving a lot by moving to Maine. It was win-win!
Her name was Jassa Magay. After my son became ill, we eventually were unable to sponsor her anymore. I have no idea how she is and often wonder. Before cancer and chemo 'hijacked" my brain, I was a writer, and Jassa was my inspiration for the protagonist in one of my short stories.
Was it due to the scenery? Yes, somewhat. Back east, views have to be sought out. In the west, the vistas are there from about anyplace.
Was it due to the climate? A major factor. If you want four seasons, some snow, summers not too hot and minimal humidity, Santa Fe's the place for you.
Did finances have a large impact on your decision? No, if the question is whether we moved for a lower cost of living. We didn't. Our COL went up.up.
I've just started looking. Enjoyed Branson,Missouri, but don't think that's 'it'. Looking forward to seeing Tennessee in the spring & then whatever you c-d folks turn me on to. Of course, being in Minnesota, I won't be doing any traveling during the winter months.
I don't know where it is yet, but my sweet spot will include maple trees, mountain streams, 4 seasons, abundant wildlife, a good growing season, a good library, and proximity to a university. I have a few places in mind, but right now it is anyone's guess.
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Burlington, Vermont.
Vermont is Heroin Traffic Central. Google it.
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