Thinkmanvt

Whoa! I want to be sure I understand what you have said. If you are not a customer of the electric company (i.e. generate all the electricity you need yourself) the State of Arizona has allowed the electric company that would cover your home to presume that you owe them something. Can the local grocery stores charge you for having a garden too?

Oldguy Loc: Deep east Texas Big Thicket country

That doesn't make any sense. There is no service rendered, nothing purchased. How can the do that? But then again, they keep re-electing McRino.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

You got it right. They charge you based on sq ft of the house. They say that they have to in order to maintain the grid for others. Here in the valley, every 4th house was going green and they were loosing money. People on the grid refused to pay more, so they sock it to those who are responsible in conserving power. Same thing with garbage. If you have a small amount of trash, which many of us try to avoid all together by composting (even newspapers can be composted), shop at the outdoor markets where you take your own sack, and so on) or none so we never put our cans out. They charge us $45 a month for trash.. And we can not cancel their service.

This is another reason I want to go back to VA!!!

Oldguy Loc: Deep east Texas Big Thicket country

Don't guess I'll ever be moving to Arizona, not that I'd ever have any desire to leave Texas.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

I made a big mistake. After my husband passed, my son who lives here, convinced me to move to be close. But, it has now been 2 years and even though he lives on 13 miles away, he never visits and when I ask to visit him, they have plans. So, I am ready to go back home and the sooner the better! To be honest, this area is primarily Hispanics and most are here illegally. I have very few friend here and it is always hot! I have friends at home, there are 4 seasons and I am homesick!

Oldguy Loc: Deep east Texas Big Thicket country

You have my heartfelt sympathies. I wish you well and hope that you can get back home soon. Friends are to be cherished and I'm sure that they will try to help in any way that they can.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

I am good, so don't feel bad for me. I made the choice to move and simply made a mistake. I have the funds to move but have not found the home I want to live in back in VA. Of course I sold the home that Ray and I had, so I am looking and I have a real estate woman searching. I want at least 20 acres and a nice little 3/3 would be perfect. I also have family from my father's side of the family there. I do not have siblings, but lots of cousins.

The good news, the housing has made a recovery here and when I sell I will cash in on a good profit. I bought this house as a repo for cheep. I made quite a few improvements and now it has doubled in price and that is after repaying for the improvements. So, that was a good thing. And, I paid cash for it, so the extra can go into my new home. However, I am not looking forward to the packing and such. Perhaps I will just have a big yard or estate sell and start fresh.

Oldguy Loc: Deep east Texas Big Thicket country

That's exactly what I'd do. I know advice is cheap and is usually worth what you paid for it but except for packing the mementos and what is precious to me I'd get rid of everything else. I've got 82 acres in south Texas with three ponds on it. I can have squirrel, deer, rabbit etc. along with all the fish I can catch. As the old song says "A county boy can survive".

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

I am simply green with envy! I want to have space around me, where I can go out and greet the morning and see stars at night. I am not a city woman, never have been happy or comfortable living in a city. I was raised on a farm, it was Papa, Momma, grands on both sides and me. I collected the eggs, rode my horse, and the cousins would come visit almost every weekend. When something broke, Papa would get out the tools and I would be at his side. We fixed it, rarely replaced anything. We did not have a tv, but we caught fireflies, played jump rope, read, and talked. Country people get by but they are happier than almost anyone living in cities.

I think you are right. I will keep Ray's f**g from his funeral, he was retired military, and photos. Other than my clothes, which is limited because I am not a clothes horse, there is nothing else I want or need. Boot, my cat, can sit in the back seat along with a suitcase. My Jeep is in good repair...... wow, I think I just may have that sale and be home before Thanksgiving or sooner. Thank you, I needed someone to talk through this with me. I did not want to bother friends or family with my indecision, but you made it easy. Thank you!

Oldguy Loc: Deep east Texas Big Thicket country

You are most sincerely welcome. And you're right. I wouldn't trade my little piece of Heaven for any big city. Have lived in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. Haven't lost a thing there. I'll take my deep east Texas place and will die quite happily here. While I, too have no one to share it with but close by cousins, I have three kids, ten grands and two greats who visit often just to get away from the city.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

I feel peaceful, the first time in two years. And this is a perfect time to put this house on the market, snow birds will begin to arrive in October and many are looking for winter homes. Bless you! I will be driving through East Texas, it is quite pretty there. In particular near the Piney Woods. Thanks again!

Oldguy Loc: Deep east Texas Big Thicket country

We get quite a few winter Texans here, too. Had one from Michigan tell me not long ago that " I don't like it here, you don't have any winter". To which I replied "sure we do, last year it was on Tuesday". That's why we live in the south. We do have four seasons and I've got a small two story home with a patio off the upstairs master from which I can drink my coffee and watch the sun come up and the critters start stirring. Make your move in peace and know that my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

Now that is funny!!! In AZ there is hot, hotter, and oh my have I died and gone to hell. I love winter, and snow as long as I do not have to drive in it. I light the fire, get the soft music going and settle with a book and hot coco. At one time I drank, but have not had even wine with dinner in about 12 years. I did not over indulge, but the next day after having even one wine I would feel sick all day. Not worth the price, so I just drink tea, coffee (gotta have first thing in morning) and hot coco. In winter, when you live out in the country and after it snows, the deer come to graze in the yard. So very peaceful. The snow looks blue, the deer is in full winter brown, and the air is so still you can hear their hooves crush through the snow.

Thank you, I will be at peace and the move will go well.

carolyn

I can remember when kids picked up soda bottles for the penny, and later 2 cent deposit. I did it to have money to go to the movies (we called them shows then) with. And I can remember when grocery bags were paper and people saved them to use as trash bags. They broke down in the landfills and soon disappeared. But then plastic made an appearance and we have filled our landfills with them, and they take hundreds of years to break down. I believe if we went back to glass soda and milk bottles and paper bags, we could do a lot for the burgeoning garbage and trash problem. If we would take away the unheard of allowances that we give to our kids, then just maybe they would again clean up our roadsides of part of the trash that is scattered by pigs that don't know what a trash can is supposed to be used for.

rhomin57 Loc: Far Northern CA.

Then you would put the inmates out of work. There are way to many "citi-kids" with way to much idle time on their hands, and technology to play with. We obviously grew up in different times as for what is available to kids now. I was always close to a forest, and open fields. We had our imaginations for fun things to do and games to play, rather then technology.