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liminal_spacei'm going to be working on this entry through the day and it's maybe going to be long, so....
a cut!
(but before the cut....
TLDR: a lot of stuff has been happening and processing. a lot more will be happening and processing. and it's hot.)
i'm leaving on a jet plane
actually, i'm not leaving, but mister and kidlet are. the now plan is for them to spend a week "back east" (which to me is everything to the right of any state that touches the pacific) with mister's parents. they'll land in minneapolis/st. paul and the grandparents will pick them up and drive home to northern wi. apparently there's an awesome 2nd hand store between the landing point and duluth, so the grandma is right on board with the kid to stop and do some quick flannel and breyer horse shopping.
there's a relatively loose itinerary, but some for sure things that are happening:
- finding copious amounts of rocks for tumbling when they get home
- checking out thrift shops
- checking out the local barn to see what lessons are like, what horses are available for riding, what the program is like (word is there's dressage and vaulting, so she'll be happy)
- seeing what type of ceramics lessons/classes are available
- museums! she really wants to do two of the mansion tours in duluth.
- meeting a few relatives (not all of them, she'd be overwhelmed!)
they'll probably go late september/early october so she can see the leaves. :) we don't get a lot of leaf change where we are in california.
she needs to see it before we make any more noise about moving back there. but even though i'm not making noise out loud, i'm making it quietly. :) i saw this property yesterday and...
a) my california home price sensibilities just exploded.
b) it's probably haunted.
c) i love it!
but, alas, also...
a) not close enough to big water
b) it's sus.
c) it's probably haunted.
which leads me to thoughts about moving
unless something monetarily miraculous happens, we can not afford what i want in california. what do i want? it's simple, really...
1. updated, sizeable house with multiple bathrooms
2. 10+ acres (20+ is actually more in line with my thoughts)
3. a barn
4. outbuildings to house business lady business and other artistic ventures
5. fencing so i can keep all creatures safe.
6. my lady farmer farm
7. proximity to good water
8. an arena, round pen, and paddocks
9. a guest house to either rent out for dollar dollar bills, y'all OR for kid to live in eventually
no, i don't ask for much. ;) even in the rural area i'm in, what i want would run in the millions.
out there? not millions. i mean, this is close to what i'd like and that price? I DIE. (still, those little ponds that looks so pretty? i bet they house an army of multigenerational mosquitos.)
the farther we get out from being "on" lake superior, the more attractive the prices are, but part of the appeal of moving out there is being a just a few minutes away from miles of rocky beach next to a body of water that sort of looks like an ocean. i say sort of because lake superior is not the pacific and the pacific is my soul sister.
anyway.
there are places in MN that i like, too...but they're not as close to his family and that's part of the reason for even considering this: kid needs to be around family besides us.
OH. the other thing...as of now, she wants to be a speech pathologist. in california, the closest schools we have for that are fresno and irvine. both of them -- but fresno the most -- are just...dangerous. and icky. back there? UMD has a speech pathology program and is less than an hour from his family. and duluth is sort of neat. :) there's also some fancy private college in the other direction that has an amazing humanities program, so that might an option if she decides to go into the best type of field there is. (i kid! but not really. but sort of. shh.) anyway. yeah.
so, lots of thinking going on and even more impatience, which is basically the story of my life. hurry up and wait!
the good news? mister got unofficial word from his boss that moving to a different state will not be a deal breaker. the bad news? we'd have to still pay state income tax (so. much. money.) in california (AND file in WI/MN, also) unless he can somehow manage to get his job switched to be under the corporate partners of the hospital.
which are in TN.
TN doesn't have state income tax. THAT would be AOK. ;) because at that point, we'd go from close to 10% state income tax to 6% (since WI would be all HEY, IF TN DOESN'T WANT THAT MONEY, WE'LL TAKE IT). still...that's a nice drop from what we're paying now!
it's hot and i don't want to cook
the california heat wave continues to roast us. when we moved here to our mountain home six years ago, we had no AC and just used the evaporative cooler in the main area of the house because we honestly didn't get that hot. today we're forecast to be 98 degrees which, for us, is unheard of -- and it's hotter sunday and monday. o.O so we have the room ACs running but the living room/kitchen still only have the evaporative cooler (which i usually LOVE 100000x more than the ac), so the idea of cooking anything in there is not a good idea.
lots of air fryer and instant pot use going on:
tonight, we're having the left over minestrone (microwave), baked baguettes (air fryer!), and for mister and i, a hamburger patty (skillet :( ).
saturday, i'm making instantpot mashed potatoes, microwave steamed broccoli, and probably some sort of burger/onion gravy thing.
sunday, we're having air fryer katsu, shredded cabbage, instant pot sticky rice, and salad.
monday, i'm doing the crockpot ribs (but there is a 20 minute under the broiler thing that has to happen...ugh), air fryer roasted sweet potatoes, instant pot green beans.
apparently, next tuesday is going to be even worse (note: all forecast temps have consistently been between 3-5 lower than actual temps), so MEH.
oh, well. what are you going to do?
shopping kibosh
we were planning on buying a new freezer for the garage this weekend and have been waiting months for the sales to happen. they started and we're holding off because the move idea seems to be gathering steam and the less stuff that has to be moved, the better. we have a lot of stuff and going through it is going to be vital to making ANY move happen more smoothly. i think i'd get rid of most of our furniture. we've been talking about a new washer and dryer, so we'd get rid of the ones we have. i'm certain there is a LOT of stuff i can cull without feeling like a hoarder on "hoarders" -- but still.
we have a lot of stuff.
i can't stress that enough. lol
shit, even the HORSE stuff takes up a whole lot of space.
so anyway, i'm in a relatively firm mindset of NO NEW BIG THINGS. mister is in a relatively firm mindset of NO NEW THINGS AT ALL. i don't like his mindset all that much, and need to order some UV resin and get some beads to make a bracelet. :P i should do that before we have a bigger discussion on all things moving. *nod*
~~~
a new gaming store opened in town and they're doing really well! mister chatted them up yesterday and they want us to put stuff in the shop to sell. they also are super keen on the idea of him running a pathfinder campaign. ;) this week we're going to make up some geek wine cups, coffee cups, dice towers, minis, and other junk to plop in there. they're taking a 30% bit of change off, but that's fine....there's still money to be made. it will be nice to build a relationship with them! geeks are always fun to meet. :)
they're also going to be running an old school vampire the masquerade campaign and i'm like YES PLS.
i was such a good vampire. ;)
last night mister and i were talking about how our friend K is going to be sort of upset that the new gaming store is doing so well. :( both he and mister have talked for the past two years about actually starting a store like that -- but it never happened. for mister, it's not that big of an upset because neither of us have a dream of owning anything that is a retail center or that deals with people all that much. plus, for him, he has a "real" job that makes him do stuff. but for k? it was a dream of his. and for a variety of reasons, it didn't happen even though he could have pushed and weasled to make it happen.
ah, well. :( as much as i'm sad that it didn't happen for him, i've got so much on my own plate right now that i just can't.
~~~
alrighty, peoplefriends.
i need to do a few things and open a few boxes (things were ordered before the moratorium on purchasing happened!) and take a rest with kimjoybestdogever before doing more things. ;)
a cut!
(but before the cut....
TLDR: a lot of stuff has been happening and processing. a lot more will be happening and processing. and it's hot.)
i'm leaving on a jet plane
actually, i'm not leaving, but mister and kidlet are. the now plan is for them to spend a week "back east" (which to me is everything to the right of any state that touches the pacific) with mister's parents. they'll land in minneapolis/st. paul and the grandparents will pick them up and drive home to northern wi. apparently there's an awesome 2nd hand store between the landing point and duluth, so the grandma is right on board with the kid to stop and do some quick flannel and breyer horse shopping.
there's a relatively loose itinerary, but some for sure things that are happening:
- finding copious amounts of rocks for tumbling when they get home
- checking out thrift shops
- checking out the local barn to see what lessons are like, what horses are available for riding, what the program is like (word is there's dressage and vaulting, so she'll be happy)
- seeing what type of ceramics lessons/classes are available
- museums! she really wants to do two of the mansion tours in duluth.
- meeting a few relatives (not all of them, she'd be overwhelmed!)
they'll probably go late september/early october so she can see the leaves. :) we don't get a lot of leaf change where we are in california.
she needs to see it before we make any more noise about moving back there. but even though i'm not making noise out loud, i'm making it quietly. :) i saw this property yesterday and...
a) my california home price sensibilities just exploded.
b) it's probably haunted.
c) i love it!
but, alas, also...
a) not close enough to big water
b) it's sus.
c) it's probably haunted.
which leads me to thoughts about moving
unless something monetarily miraculous happens, we can not afford what i want in california. what do i want? it's simple, really...
1. updated, sizeable house with multiple bathrooms
2. 10+ acres (20+ is actually more in line with my thoughts)
3. a barn
4. outbuildings to house business lady business and other artistic ventures
5. fencing so i can keep all creatures safe.
6. my lady farmer farm
7. proximity to good water
8. an arena, round pen, and paddocks
9. a guest house to either rent out for dollar dollar bills, y'all OR for kid to live in eventually
no, i don't ask for much. ;) even in the rural area i'm in, what i want would run in the millions.
out there? not millions. i mean, this is close to what i'd like and that price? I DIE. (still, those little ponds that looks so pretty? i bet they house an army of multigenerational mosquitos.)
the farther we get out from being "on" lake superior, the more attractive the prices are, but part of the appeal of moving out there is being a just a few minutes away from miles of rocky beach next to a body of water that sort of looks like an ocean. i say sort of because lake superior is not the pacific and the pacific is my soul sister.
anyway.
there are places in MN that i like, too...but they're not as close to his family and that's part of the reason for even considering this: kid needs to be around family besides us.
OH. the other thing...as of now, she wants to be a speech pathologist. in california, the closest schools we have for that are fresno and irvine. both of them -- but fresno the most -- are just...dangerous. and icky. back there? UMD has a speech pathology program and is less than an hour from his family. and duluth is sort of neat. :) there's also some fancy private college in the other direction that has an amazing humanities program, so that might an option if she decides to go into the best type of field there is. (i kid! but not really. but sort of. shh.) anyway. yeah.
so, lots of thinking going on and even more impatience, which is basically the story of my life. hurry up and wait!
the good news? mister got unofficial word from his boss that moving to a different state will not be a deal breaker. the bad news? we'd have to still pay state income tax (so. much. money.) in california (AND file in WI/MN, also) unless he can somehow manage to get his job switched to be under the corporate partners of the hospital.
which are in TN.
TN doesn't have state income tax. THAT would be AOK. ;) because at that point, we'd go from close to 10% state income tax to 6% (since WI would be all HEY, IF TN DOESN'T WANT THAT MONEY, WE'LL TAKE IT). still...that's a nice drop from what we're paying now!
it's hot and i don't want to cook
the california heat wave continues to roast us. when we moved here to our mountain home six years ago, we had no AC and just used the evaporative cooler in the main area of the house because we honestly didn't get that hot. today we're forecast to be 98 degrees which, for us, is unheard of -- and it's hotter sunday and monday. o.O so we have the room ACs running but the living room/kitchen still only have the evaporative cooler (which i usually LOVE 100000x more than the ac), so the idea of cooking anything in there is not a good idea.
lots of air fryer and instant pot use going on:
tonight, we're having the left over minestrone (microwave), baked baguettes (air fryer!), and for mister and i, a hamburger patty (skillet :( ).
saturday, i'm making instantpot mashed potatoes, microwave steamed broccoli, and probably some sort of burger/onion gravy thing.
sunday, we're having air fryer katsu, shredded cabbage, instant pot sticky rice, and salad.
monday, i'm doing the crockpot ribs (but there is a 20 minute under the broiler thing that has to happen...ugh), air fryer roasted sweet potatoes, instant pot green beans.
apparently, next tuesday is going to be even worse (note: all forecast temps have consistently been between 3-5 lower than actual temps), so MEH.
oh, well. what are you going to do?
shopping kibosh
we were planning on buying a new freezer for the garage this weekend and have been waiting months for the sales to happen. they started and we're holding off because the move idea seems to be gathering steam and the less stuff that has to be moved, the better. we have a lot of stuff and going through it is going to be vital to making ANY move happen more smoothly. i think i'd get rid of most of our furniture. we've been talking about a new washer and dryer, so we'd get rid of the ones we have. i'm certain there is a LOT of stuff i can cull without feeling like a hoarder on "hoarders" -- but still.
we have a lot of stuff.
i can't stress that enough. lol
shit, even the HORSE stuff takes up a whole lot of space.
so anyway, i'm in a relatively firm mindset of NO NEW BIG THINGS. mister is in a relatively firm mindset of NO NEW THINGS AT ALL. i don't like his mindset all that much, and need to order some UV resin and get some beads to make a bracelet. :P i should do that before we have a bigger discussion on all things moving. *nod*
~~~
a new gaming store opened in town and they're doing really well! mister chatted them up yesterday and they want us to put stuff in the shop to sell. they also are super keen on the idea of him running a pathfinder campaign. ;) this week we're going to make up some geek wine cups, coffee cups, dice towers, minis, and other junk to plop in there. they're taking a 30% bit of change off, but that's fine....there's still money to be made. it will be nice to build a relationship with them! geeks are always fun to meet. :)
they're also going to be running an old school vampire the masquerade campaign and i'm like YES PLS.
i was such a good vampire. ;)
last night mister and i were talking about how our friend K is going to be sort of upset that the new gaming store is doing so well. :( both he and mister have talked for the past two years about actually starting a store like that -- but it never happened. for mister, it's not that big of an upset because neither of us have a dream of owning anything that is a retail center or that deals with people all that much. plus, for him, he has a "real" job that makes him do stuff. but for k? it was a dream of his. and for a variety of reasons, it didn't happen even though he could have pushed and weasled to make it happen.
ah, well. :( as much as i'm sad that it didn't happen for him, i've got so much on my own plate right now that i just can't.
~~~
alrighty, peoplefriends.
i need to do a few things and open a few boxes (things were ordered before the moratorium on purchasing happened!) and take a rest with kimjoybestdogever before doing more things. ;)
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no subject
Date: 2022-09-02 11:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 03:50 am (UTC):'(
I can't imagine not having central AC ever again, I've lived in a couple cruddy old homes with just window units, but you said this is not your usual summer weather. 😒 I just still don't believe that you would like that option better than AC. Because, whaaa!?
Holy crap, those properties are enormous! I looked at more normal-people houses ;) in the same area and they're like under 200k. Indiana has super cheap prices like that. But less pretty, because Indiana is just corn, and as far as I understand both extreme seasons are rough: humidity clouds and deafening cicadas OR huge snowpiles. Does Wisconsin have a lot of snow? It said both flood and wildfire risks were low at the houses you linked.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 02:38 pm (UTC)I'm sorry that FL heat has infiltrated other parts of the country. That's yucky.
Hope you find a beautiful house for a good price.
I'll never be able to dream that big...it's pretty fascinating to think of owning a house on a beautiful property like that.
I remember Fresno and not fondly from my days with the circus.
That was the only arena where we were actually told, during our company meeting, not to bring belongings to work because the arena staff was known for stealing.
And then on opening night someone waltzed into our production office and stole ALL of the laptops.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 05:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 05:52 pm (UTC)o.O
no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 05:59 pm (UTC)i know they're big, but I HAVE AN IDEA about things, so....
apparently, you can lease out part of your land (or all of it) for timber or hay. so if we have a big enough property, we could actually make money off of it passively. PLUS, if we do hay, we could get free hay for the ponies, because they're heifers and eat all the damn time. mister's dad is going to be getting us a little more information on that to see what's what. if we could do THAT, the house payment would be less and less house payment = more money for goats and chickens.
honestly? i want the most acreage i can get. i want to be a land baron. =D
no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 06:01 pm (UTC)Kid sees the dilapidated buildings and is all FAIRY HOUSE while I say SERIEAL KILLER HIDEAWAY.
So, we compromise and say they're for serial killer fairies.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 06:04 pm (UTC)At least your humidity didn't travel with the heat. ;) Thank you for that.
I've always had pretty big dreams and while a majority have not been achieved, some have and that's good enough for me. :)
That's HORRIBLE about Fresno and what they did to you guys! I honestly had no idea it's as bad as it is until we went on a campus visit a few years ago and I had students research the city and the campus. I mean, I always knew it was not a great place, but the magnitude was lost on me.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 06:07 pm (UTC)I had Mister explain lake snow effect to me and still don't understand it. This is what I heard (not what he said, but to be honest, I was thinking about coffee):
"It's where the lake makes snow and sometimes it makes it worse and sometimes makes it more mild."
And you realize (I know YOU realize this) that there's a certain charm to going in totally blind and believing you will handle things with humor and aplomb and live the life of a modern Yankee in King Arthur's court. =D
no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 06:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-09-03 08:39 pm (UTC)Yeah, we didn't know about Fresno either.
There are cities like that in every state, though.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-04 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-09-04 06:56 pm (UTC)Honestly for us moving anywhere with "real weather" is going to be such a drastic change that there will be some adjustments to be made. But they're going to be ones that include much more green, much more precipitation and many more opportunities for being outside and actually enjoying it more.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-05 03:03 am (UTC)baa hahahaha
no subject
Date: 2022-09-11 07:52 pm (UTC)