Um…..hi?

She said sheepishly.  My last post was over 2 years ago.  (That stuck in my throat a little.)  But what I’m about to tell you is probably going to stick a lot more.  Especially since this revelation has been 2+ years in coming…

And it’s uniquely difficult since in my last post I was espousing the benefits of being open and telling the world your problems.  Little did I know that the problems could get so bad I would crawl into a hole and not come out for years.  I just couldn’t bear the thought of anyone knowing what was going on.  I was ashamed.

Well, remember how our lives were in upheaval and we were moving?  We ran out of money and lost our home, but had a new option, albeit a less than optimal one…. Things didn’t quite work out that way.

Our gift horse turned out to be more of a profit driven ass (did I say ass?  I meant mule.)  The miserable situation that we had been offered came with an exorbitantly high price tag.  Would you like some skin along with the blood you are trying to squeeze from the rock??? Homeless and destitute are not words that some people understand.  But again, luckily for us, some people do.  My dear husband talked to his family.  He hadn’t wanted to do that, because he was ashamed too, but our only other option was moving into the national forest.  There was a family meeting and we were allowed to move our travel trailers onto the family plot.  And all our junk and the chickens, too.  I think we are technically gypsies now, since we have been living out of the trailers for 2 and a half years.  It has been a humbling (and pretty miserable) experience.  I try everyday to be thankful for what we have, and grateful for the blessings we do have.  Things could be worse.  So there is our dirty little secret and the reason I haven’t felt like talking for a whole 2 years.

(You may ask, “What the heck?  Don’t you people work for a living?  What’s wrong with you?”)  1) Don’t judge, Judgey McJudgey Face, lest ye be judged.  2) Yes, we do.  But since I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia several years ago, my income has steadily gone downhill because of the jobs I am able to take (I make maybe a third of what I used to, on a good year) and Woody’s business took a nosedive in 2008 from the “Great Recession” and it never recovered before being laid to rest in 2011.  And our bills just didn’t seem to understand that our income took a $50K a year hit.  We could have liquidated all our assets and been solvent.  And be living comfortably in an apartment just like the rest of the world.  But our dreams wouldn’t die.  We want to escape the rat race, and the only way to do that was to hold onto what we have, not sell it!  We work, pay our property payments and our bills, just like everyone.  Only whereas we once could afford rent in town and to buy our property, we can only afford one of those.  We chose the property.  And it is remote enough that at this point we can’t live there and still make enough money to pay the other bills off. [A town of 90 doesn’t have lots of openings in the job market.]  So yes, we work, and work hard, but as of now we are still trying to save our dreams from the chopping block. 
Wow, that’s a huge load off my chest.  Now that I’ve yelled it from the rooftops, maybe I can go ahead and move on with life.  We’ve continued homesteading as much as we can in the trailers, and still have our little flock of 14 chickens.  As soon as we save up enough for a well for the property, we might just get moved up there!  Wish us luck and stay tuned for more updates.

Upheaval and Chaos?

Yup, upheaval and chaos wins the day!  There are changes afoot.  And I don't like it.  We are moving.  Not to the Broken Badger in Bickleton.  Waaaah!


I feel the need to be honest to ya'll about this. (I have always believed that it is easier to tell the truth than to work your way out of a lie.  Unfortunately, that seems to also apply to censoring myself, revealing my emotions, and simple omissions of fact.  Yes, I'm sure I should see a doctor about this, but that's not on my list of things to do right now.)  We are not moving because we found a better location, or a better deal.  It is simply because of the economy.  The big, bad, sucky economy.  We cannot afford to stay where we are anymore.  I feel a bit better talking about this because the more I talk to my friends; the more I realize that there are a lot of people in the same situation!  I think we are conditioned to not reveal the negatives to people, so we feel very isolated and alone; but by being honest with others, we can find support and understanding!  Through these conversations I have found people that have moved all the way across the country to move in with family, people that are selling belongings (artwork, motorcycles) to just try to get along, and a friend that has a family living in a travel trailer in front of her house.  I seriously endorse talking about things that make you uncomfortable (with people you trust); you might be surprised to find that you are not alone.


So anyway.  We are leaving our little 2 acres on the outskirts of town.  And having to pack up 3 ½ years of accumulation. (How do two people get this much STUFF?)  Two weeks of packing and garage sales have left me tired of things.  I just want a loin cloth, a knife and a pot to cook in and I'll be fine.  My new neighbors may not approve though!  Yes, we have found a new place, which was a huge concern for us.  In the Portland Metro area, there are not many places that will take a dog, a cat & 19 chickens, have space for our trucks, trailer & flatbed, and that are basically free.  Nope, I checked Craigslist under "Free" and there really aren't any places to live.  We lucked into a friend that has a house not too far from where we are now.  The house has been empty for a couple years and is a pretty bad state of disrepair, so my husband's labor and a smidge of cash will cover the rent.  I have to say we are lucky because of the little things – we get to keep our chickens and there is a dry place to park the Jeep.  We don't get exclusive use of the property (the barn and outbuildings are completely full, it is used as parking for the construction business rigs and the kids use the property to ride their dirt bikes), but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?!?  I really just thank God for giving us a little break.  With some luck and hard work the next move we make may just be up to the Broken Badger!


So cross your fingers for us and I'll keep you posted.  Feel free to share your chaos stories – I won't judge you!