First, I’d like to start off with an apology for not posting in so long. Life went to hell in a handbasket shortly after moving into our house, and continues in that same vein.
We are moving from the beautiful home we built last year. We just can’t hold onto it. We thought we could, and we wanted to, but everything we tried has failed. We built the house using money I had inherited from my dad. Unfortunately, that money was in an IRA, which means it isn’t taxed until it’s withdrawn. No one knew exactly how much to keep back for taxes, so we kept back the minimum, hoping it would be enough.
It was not.
About eight months after moving in, we received the tax bills from the IRS and the state, discovering that we–I–owed in excess of 150k on income taxes because of the IRA. The IRS was willing to do a payment plan wherein I paid $100 monthly for the next ten years, while they would place a lien on the house and I would continue to accrue penalties and interest over that time. After ten years, the lien would drop off, and the debt would become uncollectable. Hmmm…so the government is going to collect a grand total of 12k on a debt that will be who-knows-what amount ten years from now, and just…let it go???? I don’t have that much faith in my government’s generosity (or lack thereof, which is more likely). And Colorado State was completely unreasonable.
I quickly discovered that my little disability check couldn’t handle the additional demands, not if I wanted to feed and clothe two growing children. So I started applying for jobs, and lo and behold, I got a job at a local vet clinic that I love. But even that wasn’t enough.
So…here we are: moving. AGAIN. When we left Arizona, it didn’t bother me in the least. I couldn’t deal with the heat in Arizona, or a few other things. When we left the old house, well, we weren’t really leaving the area. We were going twenty minutes up the road to a different neighborhood, different school district. We could see our friends, we were still in Colorado. I wouldn’t leave if I thought there was another choice comparable to where we moved. I actually love Colorado.
We’re headed for North Carolina. We don’t have another house yet, so we’ll be in a hotel. The dogs will probably wind up in a boarding facility, as will the ferrets, and the gliders will likely be with us.
Part of me is terrified. I was raised to fear the south, raised on the stories of lynchings, Medgar Evers, and Emmett Till. And I am I black woman, married to a white man, with two biracial girls. But I am going anyway, and this is why:
I refuse to let fear rule my life. This is not to say that I’m going to do anything stupid, of course, but I had to look at things rationally. A good portion of my high school graduating class, many of us black or Guyanese, all born and raised on Long Island, as diverse a place as one can get, have all moved to North Carolina, and by all accounts, they are happy there. One of my cousins is there. In point of fact, I have a number of friends there, all over the state. These are not people who would have stayed if the conditions were as bad as the stories I was raised on. These are people who would have gone straight back to New York. So I’m inclined to believe that it might be okay.
Another reason is that if I have to move again, I don’t want to be landlocked anymore. I was raised on an island. The beach was fifteen minutes away in any direction. Seafood was inexpensive (relatively speaking) because we were coastal. I miss that, and my girls have never experienced that. They’ve only seen the beach on tv. So they’re excited; we’re looking at areas about an hour from the beach. Closer would be nice, but then you run the risk of your house flooding during hurricane season. I figure an hour away takes care of most of the problem, and the beach is still close enough for impromptu trips.
And the cost of living is much lower. That’s a big factor as well. I can conceivably afford to live there, versus how expensive it’s getting in Colorado. Oh, it’s not as high as New York, Chicago, or L. A., not at all, but it’s headed in that direction. People are moving here in droves. Our street was nearly empty just a year ago. Some twenty houses have gone up in the year we’ve been here, just in our section of the development. In the whole development, I’d venture to say more than 100 houses have been built in the last year. Another elementary school had to be built because the one we had couldn’t take the overload. There are now three elementary schools within a five mile radius, where there had been only one before. The area is growing by leaps and bounds, and housing prices are following suit. There are no apartments, though, and no buses. This is an area for which you have to have a car. And though it’s growing, it’s the residential that is growing the most.
I hate to leave. I really do. But my income can’t hold up against the tide of rising costs, so it’s time.
I’m not shutting the blog down. I do intend to continue it; I just don’t have a clue how long it will be before I’m back to it. Keep checking back. I’ll eventually be back here. Thanks to all my followers for sticking with me…I never expected to have any, so double that thanks! Much love to you all, and I’ll see you as soon as I can!
Kids, Dogs, and Crafts...Oh, My! 