When the Going Gets Tough, Everyone Leaves
I just can’t wait.. to get on the.... road again...
When the going gets tough,
Everyone leaves.
~Lynch's Law
The economy has been bottoming out all around, except for Southern California. The only thing that has ever bottomed out there is some out-dated structures during an earthquake of magnitude.
Here in the Mid-West, life has been getting real tough. After the seemingly endless drought, that left my small farm well on it's way to becoming a desert, and then the ice last year, well, people have been scrambling for a regular job to support their farming efforts and keep food on the table. Only problem with that back-up plan is, the major employers of the area, various production plants, have either frozen their staff, reduced their ranks, or just plain shut down. Last month, there were 31 jobs listed at the Job Placement center. The ranks of unemployed are enmass in relation. None were full time, none offered health insurance, and none were willing to pay enough for a person to be able to pay their utility bills AND eat.
That's where I am at right now. I have decided to shut down the shop and pick up stakes. No, I'm not hunting vampires, or joining a tail-gate party. My time here has come to an end. I've been feeling the urge to begin a new life. One opportunity after another has presented itself, and in order for me to devote my time to my loves, I must remove the time-consuming obstacles between me and success, the farm, and my store.
Ultimately, I am left staring blankly at a map of the U. S. and counting out my life savings, a pile of coins I haven't gotten around to rolling and trading in at the bank yet, wondering where I should go next. The big question being, where can I hole up with my cat, and produce, without being driven crazy by city noises, freaky neighbors, stalkers, or an overabundance of chores in order to keep my hole conducive to creativity.
I hate living in the city, but country life requires a lot of energy. The city is fine, if your revenue comes from anything to do with street corners or ATM machines. And the country, it's a full time job fighting biblical plagues and Home Parties pushing cookware and obnoxiously over-priced decorating ideas.
Doing what I do, the creative stuff, all that matters is releasing myself from the bondage of farm life and finding inspiration in my new surroundings. New Mexico has sounded real good lately, so I am taking a road trip December 1 with a great friend, who also craves a break from the fried chicken and homemade pie capital, a cardiovascular nightmare, mainly, the cooking and cleaning thing they naturally assume you live for, if you have no free swinging internal organs to reach down and rearrange on occasion in hopes of attracting a little attention.
We're going to cram a lot into a few days, heading out 54, then meeting some folks at the Colorado boarder, and then going south to Las Vegas, NM and over to Santa Fe, and on from there. Unfortunately, we won't have time to haunt the art galleries as I had hoped, but will check out the out-skirting areas historical treasures, anything conducive to grandchildren, as we are meeting some of Leahs there to spend a day or two with.
It'll be my last adventure before moving to Lake of the Ozarks. yeah, I know I said I wanted to go to New Mexico, and I am, but not permanently until I have enough cash to make it a comfortable transition. In the mean time, I will do what all good grandma's do, and stay near the kids; teach them to read cards, dowse, the art of crafting, cartooning and creative writing, and leave them knowledgeable in all things digital; most importantly, always send them home to momma on a sugar rush.
When the going gets tough,
Everyone leaves.
~Lynch's Law
The economy has been bottoming out all around, except for Southern California. The only thing that has ever bottomed out there is some out-dated structures during an earthquake of magnitude.
Here in the Mid-West, life has been getting real tough. After the seemingly endless drought, that left my small farm well on it's way to becoming a desert, and then the ice last year, well, people have been scrambling for a regular job to support their farming efforts and keep food on the table. Only problem with that back-up plan is, the major employers of the area, various production plants, have either frozen their staff, reduced their ranks, or just plain shut down. Last month, there were 31 jobs listed at the Job Placement center. The ranks of unemployed are enmass in relation. None were full time, none offered health insurance, and none were willing to pay enough for a person to be able to pay their utility bills AND eat.
Leaving the last alternative,
move.
That's where I am at right now. I have decided to shut down the shop and pick up stakes. No, I'm not hunting vampires, or joining a tail-gate party. My time here has come to an end. I've been feeling the urge to begin a new life. One opportunity after another has presented itself, and in order for me to devote my time to my loves, I must remove the time-consuming obstacles between me and success, the farm, and my store.
Ultimately, I am left staring blankly at a map of the U. S. and counting out my life savings, a pile of coins I haven't gotten around to rolling and trading in at the bank yet, wondering where I should go next. The big question being, where can I hole up with my cat, and produce, without being driven crazy by city noises, freaky neighbors, stalkers, or an overabundance of chores in order to keep my hole conducive to creativity.
I hate living in the city, but country life requires a lot of energy. The city is fine, if your revenue comes from anything to do with street corners or ATM machines. And the country, it's a full time job fighting biblical plagues and Home Parties pushing cookware and obnoxiously over-priced decorating ideas.
Doing what I do, the creative stuff, all that matters is releasing myself from the bondage of farm life and finding inspiration in my new surroundings. New Mexico has sounded real good lately, so I am taking a road trip December 1 with a great friend, who also craves a break from the fried chicken and homemade pie capital, a cardiovascular nightmare, mainly, the cooking and cleaning thing they naturally assume you live for, if you have no free swinging internal organs to reach down and rearrange on occasion in hopes of attracting a little attention.
Men!
We're going to cram a lot into a few days, heading out 54, then meeting some folks at the Colorado boarder, and then going south to Las Vegas, NM and over to Santa Fe, and on from there. Unfortunately, we won't have time to haunt the art galleries as I had hoped, but will check out the out-skirting areas historical treasures, anything conducive to grandchildren, as we are meeting some of Leahs there to spend a day or two with.
It'll be my last adventure before moving to Lake of the Ozarks. yeah, I know I said I wanted to go to New Mexico, and I am, but not permanently until I have enough cash to make it a comfortable transition. In the mean time, I will do what all good grandma's do, and stay near the kids; teach them to read cards, dowse, the art of crafting, cartooning and creative writing, and leave them knowledgeable in all things digital; most importantly, always send them home to momma on a sugar rush.
posted by Susan at 1:31 PM
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