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hi, all. i know have i been pretty much absent lately, party due to my yearly catalog deadline, but i have also been doing a lot of traveling back and forth to the twin cities area (an hour drive) to spend time with the man i have been seeing.

i have lived in the old farmhouse for over a year now, and as much as i love my country location, it is far too difficult a place for us to live in. it has been sucking me dry filling the LP tank monthly, and hauling firewood into the house has become just too much work. it has one bathroom on the main floor, and an extremely steep staircase up to the bedrooms. not an ideal location for two people who both have had knees replaced. the snow has made getting to the barn a real chore, and now the snowmelt and rain has flooded and half washed out the driveway.

we have decided to move in together, and i will be moving to his place in the northern suburbs of mpls. his house is a far better setup, and i know i will enjoy living there. it's on a small lake, and there is a boarding stable not too far away for my horse, so i won't have totally lost the country.

i am moving out of my rental the end of may, and will commute to my current job until fall, at which time i will sort of retire. i will probably need another job in the cities, but i have been working in a high pressure, deadline heavy profession for the last 25 years and i am ready for something easy and basic. i will keep commuting until then because it will be financially beneficial for me, and because i have the proper car to do it. i will be going against traffic, so it shouldn't be too bad. my final day (unless a job comes up sooner), will be november 1st, when daylight time ends.

we are both very happy about this, and i don't think i have felt this good in years. i won't be too far from sean, so when gas goes back up again this summer, maybe we can revive the hybrid meetings in the area.

and as much as i hate driving my FSP, i truly don't think i could have survived this winter without it. right now my driveway is so wet and deeply rutted i am not even sure i can get my honda out!

Best wishes to you and your SO. If it feels right, then go for it. I have learned that life's too short for second guesses and that everything happens for a reason. (That's twice today alone I have said it). My cousin has a barn and a horse, and boards a friend's horse. It is tough work and I give you both a lot of credit for being able to do it. But it sounds like you are ready for a little rest so I hope it all falls into place for you. Keep on posting when you can. I enjoy reading your messages.

Hi Laurie:

___Let us know when the wedding is so we can do a review vehicle road trip ;)

___Glad to hear your moving into a less hectic environment no matter what happens.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Laurie:

___Let us know when the wedding is so we can do a review vehicle road trip ;)

___Glad to hear your moving into a less hectic environment no matter what happens.

___Good Luck

___Wayne


thanks, wayne. the M word is not on the table for a while, but you can always come and visit the HCH. as for hectic, the only thing i dread is driving in the metro area. you know how spoiled i have become with my backroads trips to work.

Congrats!
On another subject, glad your FSP has worked out for you.Mine is at 209,100 miles-still runs very well. I have to fix the hinges this week(just $20-love those cheap parts)
I'm happy you get to keep your horse near.
Charlie

Shacking up!:woot::Banane59: Well, good for you. Have some fun. - Dale

Good luck Laurie. The move, etc. seems right for you. I have thought at times this winter of how long we can remain in our old house. Seems the degenerative discs and shoveling snow is just not a good combination. Again, the best to you.

I'm very happy for you, Laurie.

thanks, everyone. it's a good thing. my company is being very cooperative about my ending time, they said yesterday that should a good opportunity come up in the cities, i didn't need to feel like i had to pass it up to stay until the date i gave them...on the other hand, they know that since i am leaving because of good stuff, not like people who give notice because they hate their jobs, i won't be hanging around bad-mouthing the place. it's a very good job, and i will miss it, but it's time to move on.

life is short, time to enjoy it. and love doesn't roll around that often, so that's the icing on the cake.

Best of luck. Laurie!

Hi Laurie --

I've been kind of incommunicado here myself, but I happened to catch your post today.

Congratulations on your pending retirement :), & congratulations on finding someone special to spend it with :) :) :)

Will you still continue with your horses? (I can't imagine that you wouldn't :eek:)

This all sounds very cool.
.
I've got a local friend in a similar situation, although she's
sort of heading the other way into a *more* rural setting. Got
a nice suburban house and cushy IT sort of job, to which she's
been essentially hypermiling her MDX to and from since I showed her
a few basics in it ... but she's in the process of finally upping
stakes and moving waaaay out to South Dakota to a> be with a man
she's become really, really happy with who lives in a remote,
rugged canyon outside of Rapid City [see my roadtrip writeup for
some pix and somewhat-deliberately-sketchy details], and b> to
build a house just up the road and fill it with artwork that the
life-step of effectively retiring from said high-stress IT job will
let her dive into with much more intensity, thus surrounding herself
with the things she really wants to work on and having ready access
within easy walking distance to that special person in her life. I
think it's all very cool, and am happy to shoulder a tiny bit of the
project by helping take care of her cats while she's off on the
numerous recon missions to make arrangements out there.
.
She also thinks that as another part of this ongoing mid-life
crisis, so to speak, she might want to get a cute little white Prius.
.
So from that semi-outside standpoint I understand the sense of
new opportunity coupled with the paralyzing fear of diving into
sweeping changes that you're going through, and am confident that
it'll all work out really well as you proceed through it.
.
_H*

Hi Laurie --

I've been kind of incommunicado here myself, but I happened to catch your post today.

Congratulations on your pending retirement :), & congratulations on finding someone special to spend it with :) :) :)

Will you still continue with your horses? (I can't imagine that you wouldn't :eek:)

oh yes, my horse is definitely part of the deal. he used to ride when he was younger, and we even had him on Oz one evening. but after having had a hip replacement, my fjordie is a bit to much of a wide ride to be comfortable for him. there is a boarding place about 7 miles from his house, and that is likely where i will bring oz when i am ready to move him.

This all sounds very cool.

.
So from that semi-outside standpoint I understand the sense of
new opportunity coupled with the paralyzing fear of diving into
sweeping changes that you're going through, and am confident that
it'll all work out really well as you proceed through it.
.
_H*

thank you for putting it that way, since that is EXACTLY what i am feeling.....it's such a change from where i have been the last 13 years (and 10 of those in a really lousy marriage), that the whole thing is quite scary.

Good luck Laurie. I think you will like the Twin Cities. It sounds like you are going to get the best of both worlds.

Good luck Laurie. I think you will like the Twin Cities. It sounds like you are going to get the best of both worlds.

it's really kind of funny. i moved OUT of the twin cities in 1996 and swore i would never go back......crowds, traffic, etc. yet here i am.......on my way back.

it may, however, because of scheduling, allow me to attend hybridfest this year.

We'll have to set up some lunch dates. :)