Chronological Poetry

Hooray! Hooray!
The first of May.
Outdoor drinking
Starts today!

Not here. It's rainy and cold.

Wimp.

Lol, yes, yes I am. I am a whiny cold wuss right now.
It's May for christ sake! In Mississippi! I should not be needing my heater. I'm not only cold now at 50 degrees but tonight I will need the big comforter because it's supposed to get down to 38.

I wonder what the summer will be like? Because usually it's blazing hot right now.

Colorado is gonna kick my ass, isn't it?
We've been seriously rethinking our plan and looking at Portland as we realize what wusses for the cold we are.

Portland is a beautiful place, and I have often considered moving there, but it's very, very wet most of the year. My daughter went to college in Portland and I fell in love with the place. I can assure you that it is absolutely nothing like Mississippi in any way.

I haven't been in Colorado since 1947, but I have a friend who moved there about ten years ago who says it's a little bit too cold for him, but not bad.

I don't know what the summer is going to hold for us here, but it's not looking good. We had about 18% of our normal rainfall this year, and my house is located in an area designated "Extreme Fire Hazard."
Not looking to those $500 monthly electricity bills for air conditioning. And I would really hate it if we got burned out; this little valley I'm in hasn't burned in nearly a hundred years.

_Howard wrote:

Portland is a beautiful place, and I have often considered moving there, but it's very, very wet most of the year. My daughter went to college in Portland and I fell in love with the place. I can assure you that it is absolutely nothing like Mississippi in any way.

I haven't been in Colorado since 1947, but I have a friend who moved there about ten years ago who says it's a little bit too cold for him, but not bad.

I don't know what the summer is going to hold for us here, but it's not looking good. We had about 18% of our normal rainfall this year, and my house is located in an area designated "Extreme Fire Hazard."
Not looking to those $500 monthly electricity bills for air conditioning. And I would really hate it if we got burned out; this little valley I'm in hasn't burned in nearly a hundred years.

"I can assure you that it is absolutely nothing like Mississippi in any way." That's what we are looking for. Someplace no place like here. We had chosen Longmont Colorado and Portland because we had friends there to feed us information and maybe even support a run up there to check it out. Portland's job market is tight though, so we had sort of tentatively decided on Longmont.

The wet isn't a huge deal, but the cold may be an issue. Bu we are about getting to the age where we are gonna need indoor jobs anyway, so maybe it won't matter. It is green down here. I might miss that. As pretty as Colorado is it looks rather dry and rocky and not very green. Portland looks greener and has beer. And an absence of high electric bills. Ours would be huge too if we didn't do budget billing. So we spend half the year paying for the electricity we'll use come summer, lol. And even then we aren't really comfortable because this hundred year old house isn't insulated well. There are times the walls are literally wet from the condensation. It's nuts.

The fire hazard thing sucks. So many areas are dealing with that too. We don't really deal with that down here- yet. But it was dry last year. Atlanta has been having water issues and even local places like Lake Dockery are drying up.

Jenni wrote:

The wet isn't a huge deal, but the cold may be an issue. Bu we are about getting to the age where we are gonna need indoor jobs anyway, so maybe it won't matter. It is green down here.

It gets very warm in Portland in the summer. The cold is not a problem; it doesn't get cold like Colorado does. I doubt that there are many greener places in the country than Portland. If I was a younger man, I would move there in a heartbeat, in spite of the rain (which I hate). The people are great. In many ways, it's almost like going back in time to the sixties.

Portland's weather is the same as Seattle, but housing is a lot cheaper. Portland has a real bohemian underbelly (you see "Keep Portland Weird" bumperstickers everywhere), a thriving arts scene, abundant coffeeshops & local bakeries, plenty of bicycles, good mass transit, a farmer's market every Sunday, great local music, beautiful parks and gardens.

Plus you'd only be 2-1/2 hours from me.

Anything to get out of Mississippi.

NoCoPilot wrote:

Anything to get out of Mississippi.

I agree. It's just scary in a way, we've never made such a move. How do you even move cross country? How much money should we have and is it really so bad we need a job before we get there. Not that I expect ya'll to have these answers but they are the things that keep me up at night. I don't know if my son will come with us, but my daughter will have to and we'll have the three dogs so we'll have to find housing fast.
But there's nothing for us here and I'e offered repeatedly to help my grandma and she keeps saying no so I see no point in staying here for her. I just don't want to get up there fail and have to come back. That would kill me. I don't want to ever have to come back here.

Portland sounds perfect. We want a very liberal, farmer's markety place to be.

Check Craigslist for jobs in your field. That's actually how I found my present job in Seattle.

If you get a nibble ask if they have relocation assistance -- many companies do.

Otherwise sell everything you're not attached to and move the heirlooms only in a U-Haul.

I became familiar with Portland when my daughter went to Reed College there. It's the only place in the US that I would prefer living to where I am now.

Wherever you go, Jenni, if you travel up US 101, you guys will have to stop by and say hello to me.

Jenni: update please.

NoCoPilot wrote:

Jenni: update please.

Which part?
The moving thing is sort of a long term project. We need to find work, find a place, save a little. We are paying off some bills and whittling down our stuff right now. I'm coming to grips with getting rid of my guns and gear.
I really want to do Portland. I've been googling and reading and Longmont feels less ambitious but I really want to do Portland.
I need some practical info, like is there a bad side of town to avoid? How do utilities work there, and what all do we need? How much do we need in savings? I wish there was a book or something.
I want so bad to go the first of next year. I think that's reasonable. But I fear we will be another year getting out. But I don't want to be. I wish we could leave now but we are so low on money and my mom is sponging off us, it at least has to wait for the first of next year.

One thing that is bothering me: I can't get my head around what we do if we get up there and my grandma dies. How on earth do I settle an estate from many states away because the reality is that traveling back down may not be in our budget, never mind me leaving my dogs (which I don't do- my dachsie has IVDD). The settling of the estate cannot be left to my mother. That would be like handing the keys to the liquor store to an alcoholic. But I can't see us basically living here just because we are waiting on her to die. She could live another 20 years the way her Republican ass is draining the SS system. (You'll have to pardon my bitterness but this is a woman who calls the ambulance because she has figured out that she will wait less that way not because she actually needs it.)

The closer we get the more shit happens. Everything is so slow right now, Ben's having to work hours of overtime a day and I'm injured. When we need to be fixing the car and going through our shit. But that sort of makes me think we're really gonna make it out. Because it's hard. I swear, I don't care if I have to crawl across the state line on my deathbed I'm gonna get out of here, dammit.

Having a plan makes the present bearable.

Research Portland. Check out employment opportunities online. Check out housing online. As far as 'undesirable' sections of Portland, there are ritzy areas and there are less expensive neighborhoods populated by mostly immigrants, but I think you'll find that the worst parts of Portland are still more tolerant and welcoming than the best parts of Jackson. Some good friends of mine live in a mostly-immigrant neighborhood, and the worst you can say about their neighborhood is that it has some really terrific little restaurants.

Neighbors help neighbors. If, Darwin forbid, you had to leave suddenly to tend to Grammy you would surely find somebody happy to tend to your dachsie. If I may go all philosophical on you for a moment, what seems impossible right now is only an illusion. Once you start making plans and making decisions, all these obstacles will magically evaporate. There's no supernatural force holding you back.

All you have to do is resolve to do it, and the pieces will start to fall into place. He'll, you owe it to yourself and Ben.

NoCoPilot wrote:

Having a plan makes the present bearable.

Yes, it helps. I wish I could envision it more. If I can get my head around stuff it helps me get there. If I can't imagine it, I sort of don't know where to go. I'm having trouble picturing us up there. I'm having trouble getting my head around it. I want to though. I'm hoping at some point it will just "click."

NoCoPilot wrote:

Research Portland. Check out employment opportunities online. Check out housing online. As far as 'undesirable' sections of Portland, there are ritzy areas and there are less expensive neighborhoods populated by mostly immigrants, but I think you'll find that the worst parts of Portland are still more tolerant and welcoming than the best parts of Jackson. Some good friends of mine live in a mostly-immigrant neighborhood, and the worst you can say about their neighborhood is that it has some really terrific little restaurants.

I am. Pad mapper is nice. I've found some apartments that claim to be pet friendly and if they pay the water it would be comparable to what we are spending now. I don't mind immigrant neighborhoods at all, I just don't want to end up in a dangerous section, like you could here. From the sound of it though they don't have that. That's nice.

I also need to get together what we need to find a job. Ben has been working for the same people for so long he doesn't even have a resume! I don't think he cares if he sticks with glass. But I'd like him to get a less physical and indoor job. He's getting older and the aches stick around more.

NoCoPilot wrote:

Neighbors help neighbors. If, Darwin forbid, you had to leave suddenly to tend to Grammy you would surely find somebody happy to tend to your dachsie. If I may go all philosophical on you for a moment, what seems impossible right now is only an illusion. Once you start making plans and making decisions, all these obstacles will magically evaporate. There's no supernatural force holding you back.

That's sort of what I'm hoping, that as I go along the path will be more obvious. That things will fall into place and the decisions will become easier. I got to say, it seems really scary right now. I don't so much care what happens to me, I'd camp at a national park and eat ramen for all I care but I want my puppies and kids safe. That creates anxiety and the whole change thing brings fear for me. But we have made the solid decision to get out of here. We aren't replacing the porch furniture or buying new spring doings because we don't see adding to our pile until after we move, so I know it's real. But damn it's scary.

NoCoPilot wrote:

All you have to do is resolve to do it, and the pieces will start to fall into place. He'll, you owe it to yourself and Ben.

I know. There's nothing for us here. These aren't our people. And I want some people. I want a community I can feel part of and be proud of. I want people who treat each other decently and have some sense of respect for gays and women. I don't want to hear "fag" hollered at people when they park and go into a restaurant. And I want people who know what the hell beer is supposed to taste like! For dog's sakes, Budweiser is not beer! I kept operating under the illusion that if people like us stayed here and voted and worked on it we could change this place. And maybe I am a coward or something but life's too short for that shit and we are too outnumbered here. Let the fool's have it. I just want to live in peace with people I can have some respect for.

Well not to diss your hometown or anything but the Gulf Coast states have been like that for 200 years. The chance that you could change things is slim to none.

And Slim just left town.