Marsia's Diary

I sat down with J and we figured out economically that California will be hard to retire in - so many really bad cost of living troubles unless we get a very inexpensive place up north and fix it up without permits so our property tax doesn't go up horribly.

If the building permit is for maintenence or repair (new roof, new plumbing, new AC, etc) it won't trigger a tax reassessment. If you're adding additional living rooms, converting a garage to a living space, adding a bathroom, etc then your assessment can go up but just for the space you improved. It can get a little hazy if you pull permits to tear our load bearing walls for an open floorplan (but again, if the county decides to reassess it would be just for that portion of the building and not the whole property). Your Questions Answered: If I Remodel My Home, Will My Property Taxes Go Up? - Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

But yes, California keeps getting more expensive each year and even the rural north state is seeing prices rise dramatically from bay area "equity refugees" and from commercial marijuana growers/speculators... Building new homes is crazy expensive (a study on why so few homes were being rebuilt in previously affordable Paradise California showed that just the administrative costs like permits & fees added up to $150,000) so that keeps older homes in high demand.
 
Things seem to be moving along well, Marsia. I’m glad you took a break & had a nice walk. I like that you’re looking forward & being so positive about the move :grouphug:
 
That's great that you plan to stick around until K finishes school there--it does sound really great--the friends, the community, the music program...

I love your description of the domino effect cleaning process--one room leading to the next!
Super that your mom's cat is settling into the new home nicely. I can imagine that would be very relieving indeed!

And excellent news on the weight front too. Excellent keeping on top of it amidst all this.
 
Wild/feral cats will always find a new home, so you should stop worrying about them. They are tough, unlike the prospective, failed, new owner of your Mum's cat.
Other than that, packing is going well and I am feeling good at how much I am accomplishing. I am not going full blast, but doing a good pace so I don't get too overwhelmed or worn out.
You're a smart cookie xoxo
 
Henry will sort them out :)
I do love how you are sorting things out & making the most of your situation. So glad that K is catching up with school friends too xo
 
So J and I had a good day driving the cat to the new place and getting to talk and watch some videos together on how to get our new house in this crazy market. We like strategizing together so it was a good day despite all the weird cat stuff.
:beating: Always nice to be reminded you guys make a good team. And yay for outdoor socializing! It may just be my pathological optimism but I'm hopeful we'll have a good and healthy summer and will be able to vaccinate enough people by autumn that the madness doesn't return.
 
That is great that you are turning the corner with the sorting & packing. It's a great opportunity to make the decision to get rid of stuff that weighs you down. It will be a wonderful thing to find that place that allows you both to have more freedom to do the things you want to do & not be chasing your tails. We have to hope that vaccinations will make life safer for people, but I hope that people would continue with good hygiene & consideration for others in not spreading their germs. You will get to socialise more & life will be fun again, I'm sure xo
 
Spring is out in force here as well, it´s wonderful! Eating out sounds like a far-off, half-forgotten dream at this point so it´s good to hear it still exists somewhere in the world...
 
It does sound like Henry will be happy. Thank goodness he realised that he needed Henry in his life.
Dry & desolate does not sound appealing in the slightest. I think you'll have some fun checking out where you want to live one day. I can't imagine you living somewhere that's not green & near water.
 
Sounds like things are going really well, Marsia--nice to hear :)
Really good that Henry has at last found a suitable home, and lovely to start looking around at areas to narrow down where you might want to move in the future.
I am actually fond of desert landscapes (almost typed dessert landscapes and am also fond of those!) but it is not for everyone for sure. Good to know what you want and aim for that!
 
Sorry to hear you´re struggling with allergies again :grouphug: I may have asked you before but do you wear a face mask and goggles when working in a dusty environment? That used to help a good bit for me.
 
I think I am just going to try to get through this moving period without gaining weight and not add stress to this already really exhausting situation.
That sounds sensible. With the masks it did take a while for me to get used to them and to start breathing normally but the advantage of having to wear them at work is that you don´t have time to focus on how they feel :)
 
I did discover that my trendy diet does work though. Sigh. Time to start over.
well that's good at least to know that what you were doing was working and hopefully you can get back to that. We all need to find what works for us. I can't fast at all, but it seems to work well for some of you and if I could do it I would probably try it. I like the idea of having an empty stomach for some periods of a time...but yes, just focusing on getting through the moving period sounds like what you need to do now. Nice to hear you having some good productive days with the sorting and the food sounds great!
 
I think concentrating on what needs to be done and not worrying about your weight, for now, seems like a really good idea. You would be burning up plenty of calories I'm sure.
I still miss the house we lived in when our sons were born. We had to sell it & occasionally I still dream about it. I love the house we live in now even more. It broke my heart at the time though I must admit. I can still remember saying to G "It's just a house" but I definitely didn't mean it.
You're brave & strong, hon. You will make the most of whatever comes along, xoxo
 
How lovely to hear from you again! Sounds like things are turning out great for you guys <3 and coming out of all of it still 20 pounds below your original weight is no mean feat: big respect for that.
Writing in your diary without having time to visit us in ours is a good exercise in practicing self-care before outward-care if you ask me. Self-care is not selfish!
 
I picked some tiny peaches which were delicious and some very small wild plum-like yellow fruit that was the best fruit I have ever had - a cross between a nectarine, bottled sunshine, and lychee.
They sound like Mirabelle plums - we get them here as well and they're delicious. I love to hear that you're starting to have more time and energy to cook again!
 
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