Technology

What a world we live in. I am in bed with a bad cough; should be doing laundry and various things on this Monday, but thanks to technology, I can work on my laptop, read on my Sony Reader, text on my cell phone and stay connected with instant messenger on my computer. For an old lady, I guess that isn't too bad.

It is almost the end of the year 2009 and it has been a year of 'drought' financially. I laugh at the Xmas letters we receive; all the prosperous times people have had; and I always want to write a 'reality' year end letter from us. Don't get me wrong. I love to read updates on people we know, but I have this cynical streak that would like to write a 'real life' letter of what it has been like from our corner of the world.

My husband's work (carpentry/contract building) has all but dried up. Very little building is being done. I will say that we are fortunate in that we have some 'retirement' income, which isn't really retirement income because it is social security, but we have paid into it for years and years. So being our age isn't all bad in this economy. We also have a small pittance coming in from when he worked for IBM and I have my little home business. So we are not 'hopeless' yet. Thankful for that!

However, as stated before on this blog, we will soon be giving up our home that we built and moved into almost 8 years ago. It is mostly all we ever hoped for in a house, but too large for us; however we planned to sell it and live the rest of our days on the proceeds. Not so now! The value is less than half what it was 2 years ago and we can't afford it any more. So soon we will be looking for a small abode; just hoping we can find one to rent.

Packing for 'days on end' is in my near future.....but I look forward to sorting and discarding mounds of things. I am one of those people who loves to throw out things, so this is the time to do that.

We always knew we'd need to downsize, but didn't dream it would be under duress.........

It has begun

So today, there were 4 registered pieces of mail (all the same thing) that is telling us our home is in default and when it goes to a foreclosure sale, we will be notified and told how many days we have to get out. Now if we come up with all the defaulted amount due, we can stay and pay exorbitant payments. and taxes.... and we can't pay any of it.

I am looking around at my 'old' friend here, our house where we have been sheltered for almost eight years. I am trying to be brave and rational and seriously hoping to keep from crawling into bed in the fetal position and never getting up again.

Usually, when we have moved, it has been to a better situation. I can think of a couple times that wasn't so, but usually....... Since this house was our 23rd move, it isn't about the exhausting job that moving is about. That is a whole other story. And yes, we didn't build this to stay here forever. It was to be an 'investment' and someday it would reward us with equity that we could live on when we retired. That was the general idea, but like all good ideas, they don't always work.

So I will use this 'journal' to post my feelings now and then and try to keep my sanity....