Do you ever get it all figured out or mostly figured out?

[plowhog]

In CA, I focused on vacations and getaways. I always wanted to be somewhere else then where I lived. Here in Texas, I rarely go anywhere, I want to be home on the farm more then anywhere else.

A friend of mine lives in a CA city. He owns a contracting firm.

More than 50% of his focus is on "when is the next vacation, when is my next trip, lets get something planned and on the calendar."

I saw something a while ago that said to arrange your home and living circumstances such that you didn't need to go on vacations. I was going to show it to him-- then thought better of it.

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

We enjoy our friends a lot...even the couple that voted for option B. Rural living seems to bring folks together. Never really got to know our suburban neighbors like that.

Yesterday we had a power outage (lasted 26 hours). The guy who voted for option B and I went to help "The Hermit" get his generator fired up and hooked up.

I would not want to live without human interaction or be completely dependent on a wife/SO for companionship. But others are wired differently.

I don’t know what option B is, but I help any of my neighbors that need it, pulled their trucks out of snow banks before or help shovel the roof or help pick up a fallen tree.

 

[Oaktree]

I always find it interesting in how some folks (like us) enjoy our family and friends popping in and how some folks do not. Not that either is right or wrong. Just interesting.

Family members dropping by isn't an issue for me, only 2 sisters, we're not especially close and they both live a couple hours away. See them maybe 2-3 times a year. Don't really like people dropping by unannounced, but that seems to be the custom around here and I've gotten used to it.

We enjoy our friends a lot...even the couple that voted for option B. Rural living seems to bring folks together. Never really got to know our suburban neighbors like that.
....
I would not want to live without human interaction or be completely dependent on a wife/SO for companionship. But others are wired differently.

I don't discuss politics with anyone. I really don't care who you voted for, life's too short to choose your friends based on which crooked politician's name you checked on election day, religion (or lack thereof), or anything else that's superficial. I only ask the same.
While I can be a bit of a hermit, likewise I wouldn't like living without friends around. Love my wife dearly, but it's not fair for either of us to be totally dependent on one another for companionship.

 

[bigtiller]

I always find it interesting in how some folks (like us) enjoy our family and friends popping in and how some folks do not. Not that either is right or wrong. Just interesting.

My in-laws would pop in a couple times a week to visit us and their grandkids. We'd usually stop what we were doing and go get some ice cream.

Friends driving by would see us in the yard and stop in. We'd do the same... maybe go out for margaritas instead of ice cream.

Surprise company is the best kind....they're always on time and never a minute late.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I had hoped with maturity would come the time to enjoy the fruits of ones labor.

So far the goal has remained elusive.

A few close friends achieved or are close to their ideal but as a group it meant pulling up stakes and getting out of Dodge or more accurately leaving their home state... a few also left but never found what they were looking for...

Getting out often comes at a steep price and I'm curious how many here stayed put compared to those that liquidated and simplified elsewhere in their golden years?

And if relocating did you significantly downsize as part of your move?

Aside from tractors some of the threads I enjoy most are threads where folks follow their dream and build that house in the country with the barn, pond and neighbors good but not close...

When I was 25, I relocated from NJ to PA, to follow my dream of building my own house and eventually retiring there. Such a task was impossible in NJ at the time due to high land prices and all the licensing and regulations associated with being your own contractor.

Fast forward 50 years, and I would be living my dream in the house I built, if it weren't for the fact that PA is no longer a retirement friendly state. Among other issues, medical care is becoming difficult to find. High malpractice insurance premiums are forcing doctors to leave the state. I recently had to wait 9 months to see a specialist.

I now have to travel back to NJ to get the care I need which makes me wonder if my original dream was misplaced.

 

[ultrarunner]

As my family obligations continue to wind down over the next 18-24 months the opportunity to make some changes is a possibility.

Looking back almost all of my life changing events involved stepping up for the family.

I came into the family auto business at 12 at the time my grandfather passed away and summers and weekends on the payroll learning the business… not bad for a person that likes cars.

Caring for infirmed Grandparents, Parents, Aunts and even a Great Great Aunt when it came to finances always kept me close to home...

Home is where the heart is

Grandma would say Home is where the Hearth is... but since they outlawed home hearths it doesn't really apply.

 

[MossRoad]

... but since they outlawed home hearths it doesn't really apply.

Sell it all and get a nice spread in Missouri, the Ozarks, Tennessee, etc. Climate is mild. Life is less expensive. Even though you're out in the country, you're still relatively close to larger cities for supplies and health care. Put up a large pole barn for your cars. As far as I know, you can still use your fireplace, too.

 

[ultrarunner]

If I was footloose and fancy free I would love to take up the many offers from friends to drop by for a visit...

Maybe hit the road and keep the visits short so never an imposition in possibly a van size RV?

Alaska to Maine to Florida and points in between... plus have some very good friends retired to the Philippines and Columbia... and then the relatives in Austria and Germany...

Thing is they are all getting older and a lot offers like sailing to Alaska or flying to a remote Canadian hunting cabin have expired...

I physically like where I live well enough except for the ever increasing governmental nonsense that occupies too much of my time.

Memo to self... never own anything inside a city limit!

 

[WinterDeere]

...PA is no longer a retirement friendly state. Among other issues, medical care is becoming difficult to find. High malpractice insurance premiums are forcing doctors to leave the state. I recently had to wait 9 months to see a specialist.

I now have to travel back to NJ to get the care I need which makes me wonder if my original dream was misplaced.

That probably explains part of the reason so many PA retirees move their permanent residence status to FL. It's really much more common that I had ever known, prior to reaching an age when my parents and all of their friends started doing the same.

And yes, I do hear them regularly discussing waiting until they're back in FL to see various doctors or pursue certain procedures, rather than doing it up here. Part of that could be they want to enjoy their summer while here, but I've also heard mention of better accessibility to elder-care specialists down there.

 

[MossRoad]

If I was footloose and fancy free I would love to take up the many offers from friends to drop by for a visit...

Maybe hit the road and keep the visits short so never an imposition in possibly a van size RV?

Alaska to Maine to Florida and points in between... plus have some very good friends retired to the Philippines and Columbia... and then the relatives in Austria and Germany...

I like where I live very much except for the ever increasing nonsense that occupies more and more time...

Memo to self... don't own anything inside a city limit!

Life on the road would be an adventure for sure. Wife mentioned she'd like a simple van that we could sleep in if we felt like stopping somewhere. We used to camp before we had children. Of course, reasonable hotels are nice, too.