Yesterday Vince was going to the landfill. Trash pickup is probably the one thing I really miss. Last week, it was Monday or Tuesday when the freezer door got left open and we had to toss quite a bit of meat. It’s been in the upper 80’s to mid-90’s during the day. I asked Vince if he was going to take the trash to the landfill and he said “later”. I knew it was going to smell really bad. On Thursday I reminded him that the landfill was going to be closed Friday for Good Friday. Nope . . he’d go on Monday. Oh, my . . it smelled bad . . seriously bad! I guess if we did have trash pickup and they came on Monday, we would have been in the same predicament.
I could have put the bad meat in trash bags and put it back in the freezer and I should have . . but I didn’t.
Vince is the worst about leaving an empty chicken feed bag leaning up against the wall or a tree. Our winds are crazy and the first thing you know, I’m seeing 5 or 6 empty chicken feed bags in the wood so I went traipsing through the woods gathering chicken feed bags before Vince went to the landfill.
Being out in the woods was fun. I was, of course, watching for snakes and saw my first Texas spiny lizard of the season. We’ll see hundreds of these guys over the next six months. They usually make me jump because I always think they’re a snake . . but they aren’t. They move fast and I usually hear them before I see them but I saw this guy just sitting still.
There were more bluebonnets in the woods than I’ve seen in previous years. That made me happy!
Little clumps of bluebonnets here and there. Then there were a few bigger areas of them.
This picture sums it up for me:
Flowers and cactus. The flowers remind me how beautiful it can be here and the cactus reminds me how hard life can be here.
Vince and I have been talking about where we want to move. We’ve considered east Texas, western Louisiana, western MO, NW AR, even Georgia and Tennessee were mentioned. Late last week, Vince said . . What about **? We’ve never talked about that state. I’m not even mentioning the state because who knows if we’ll really do it. Vince got online and started looking at taxes . . Do they tax social security? Do they tax pensions? To they have decent medical care? How are the roads? How do property taxes compare to other areas we’ve considered? What about sales tax?
We began looking at real estate in several areas. There was one house that really grabbed us both. It has 80 acres! It has a great shop and a wonderful kitchen. It’s about 2 hours from the ideal location we had decided upon but both of us really like it. Yesterday afternoon, I checked the listing again . . halfway hoping there was a contract on it. Nothing indicated it was sold.
Then I saw the flowers in the woods and I’m not sure I’m ready to leave here. We can’t come back. Once we leave here, we’re gone for good. Our previous moves were so easy because we didn’t really have to think about it . . everything was decided for us. Deciding whether to stay or go; where to go; when to go . . it’s all so much harder than I had ever dreamed it would be.
The good news is . . we don’t have to do anything right this minute. We can continue thinking about it and talking about it. We had a friend over yesterday and Vince told him “I think we’ve decided where we’re going to move!” and Vince told him the area. I was surprised Vince shared that info. Maybe he’s serious . . maybe that is where we’ll end up. Who knows??
Mary says
Can’t wait to see where you are thinking about now!
vivoaks says
I understand your dilemma. It’s so hard to make decisions that affect so many things in your life. Good luck on picking just the right place for you both, and I hope it’s perfect for you!!
Kathleen says
Oh, you left us hanging about the move! There’s not one right answer for moving and that makes the decision so hard. Love the blue bonnets
Pat Anderson says
It is a huge decision. When we retired from the Air Force in 1999 and moved to CO, I said they’d have to blow me out of that house…that was before grandchildren. After living in CO 18 years and loving every minute, we moved to Florida to be by the grandchildren (one house away) and we have never regretted it. Yes, we miss CO, but we are making memories with the grandchildren that we wouldn’t have otherwise. My parents moved to AZ when my father retired and when he passed away, my mother was alone in AZ. We moved her to CO where she lived happily for 3 1/2 years. I didn’t want to end up by myself somewhere. Our son and his wife are awesome…we are truly blessed. So much to think about! I know you’ll make the right decision for you! (I will say that the older you are, the harder it is to move!)
annie says
Well, I like the lizard, I think it’s beautiful, along with the flowers and cactus.
Cilla says
As do I!!! lol.
Debbie says
We just moved a month ago from Florida to Georgia. It was a big deal. It was overwhelming and we are not getting any younger but we think we are! ? Primarily, our decision was financial and the real estate was fairly inexpensive here but I see that changing already with newer listings.
You are right in saying once you go you can’t go back. Being retired sort of puts us in that box. I am okay with the move. We’ve been very busy making this house ours by putting our personal stamp on it. It has been fun but my family wants to know what will happen when we finish putting our stamp on it! They have a valid point! Enough said. I’m married to ‘Mr. Can’t Sit Still”!
dezertsuz says
I’m sorry it didn’t happen to be east Tennessee! We have no state income tax, property taxes aren’t bad, inheritance tax is phasing out completely, and there’s a large part that isn’t taxed anyway. Knoxville has 9.3% sales tax for state, county and city, but that’s still less than Los Angeles. And California also has income tax on top of it. I was surprised to find several states don’t have any sales tax at all, but all of those do have income tax. It’s a lot to figure out!
Nelle Coursey says
Go to the TXDOT office almost across from the mall and get some of their free seed packets. They are full of Texas wildflowers. You just throw them along the roadside or wherever you want them to grow. Plant them in the fall and (weather permitting) you will have beautiful wild flowers next year. And they are Free!!
Helen B says
It’s Ohio, isn’t it!!! You are going to move close to me and we can become real life friends!!!!! Tell me it’s Ohio!!!
Joyce says
Whatever you decide, I always remember every area of the country has it’s own unique beauty. Every time I visit Florida or California I always wish I lived somewhere with Palm trees, which will never be where I am now. You will find something beautiful in nature to enjoy wherever you are!