[Dejibo]

4 years ago, we left our friends and family after both being able to retire early in life. We decided to go hide in New Hampshire by the lake, and in a town where no one knew us, and we knew no one. After working in prison for 20 years it was tough to wander through wal mart and see ex inmates watching you chose undies, or bagging your groceries, washing your car, and so on. Hubby got freaky and we chose to come sit by the lake, and enjoy privacy. Well, what we were sold as privacy is ISOLATION! There is NOTHING up here! The nearest grocery store is 30 minutes away. The nearest gas station is 20 minutes away. the nearest pizza place is 30 minutes away. The local library is a joke. The down town area has fallen in disrepair, and stores are now standing empty, and broken. From October to April this place is abandoned, and most stores are closed anyway. Dont get me wrong, we have learned many many lessons, and God certainly led us here, and has taught us well, but its time to go back to friends, family, and loved ones.

Come April 1st, we are putting the house on the market (yes, i know, bad timing) and we are headed back. We have painted, caulked, tightened closet doors, changed curtains, cleaned, cleared, decluttered, and depersonalized this place. The realtor came yesterday and was thrilled! She said while the market is filled with homes, most in this area are short sales, or bank owned, and busted, broken, in bad repair homes in run down neighborhoods that have been neglected. She told us that we should be able to get our target asking price for this place, and that it should sell quickly! woo! it seems that God is pointing us home. I told the hubby that if we are meant to go back, that the universe would lead us. A friend stepped forward with a house near our target return to city, and offered to let us squat there till we find another to buy, in exchange for helping him fix it up.

After a winter that doesnt seem to be ending, and a long 4 years of isolation, and dealing with a depressed village, and depressed villagers, we are hearing our hearts sing a bit to be returning to love, and sun. I am seeing glimmers of hope that this nightmare move to the sticks may just well be over with. I am looking forward to having ammenities, and functioning civil services, and town that is alive with people that are chipping in to take care of it. The people in my lil village gave up hope years ago. We tried so hard to energize some of these folks, and its clear, they no longer are able to care. really sad.

[bombi]

Yeah NH is beautiful and it's easy to fall in love with and become attached to that but the reality is that it's a hard place to live especially in the north.
I left the southern coast of Maine because of the weather and it was being taken over by people from away and we went from 2 cops to 20. It just wasn't the place I fell in love with anymore. It is probably extra hard to isolated like that when you are retired. I moved to the endless summer in the VI where there is a real sense of community.
I'm happy that you have plans to correct your mistake and enjoy being back with your people.You never know unless you try. Good luck with it. I'm lucky that some of my family followed me here and love it as much as I do.

[tovaxin_lab_rat]

Good luck with the sale and the move!

[SallyC]

Good wishes to You and DH moving back and forward..

[NurseNancy]

sounds like you both have a great plan.
but, where exactly are you going back to?

nice friends. i pray for your house to sell.

[sabimax]

Where you moving back to?? good luck on the sale and all. Glad you will get back to family area, and less isolation. I do LOVE NH, we lived out near Boston for many years, and would go to NH to downhill ski at Loon Mtn. fun fun.

but NH some areas are like here quiet small small towns, hardly anything to do...hubby I think living here lately is getting tired of the small town area. hugsssss,sarah

[DM]

Good luck w/the sale D'bo!! Your'e right; destiny will put you where your'e supposed to be. Keep us posted.

[Dejibo]

We are moving to Connecticut to be with my hubby's family. His mom is very frustrated with his dad. The poor guy fell getting out of the tub about a year ago. He fractured two bones in his back. They messed around, and messed around and he was in agony for a long time before they finally did an MRI (sound familiar?) and then they saw he has fractures. They refuse to operate saying he is too old, and too risky, so they gave him pain pills. Which are fine, but the last visit the MD said NO MORE PILLS! she doesnt want him getting addicted! he is 88 and IN PAIN! They refuse to fix the vertebrae that is pushed into the canal, and yet refuse to give him meds. I went in and stomped a mud puddle into her office, and demanded that either she treat him, or admit him, but she could NOT abandon care on him. We now have a nurse in there 3 times a week to bathe him, and help him, and he has an appointment with a pain management clinic. These poor folks need an advocate to help them. so, we are chosing to go back and do that.

I am quite scared about the medical care there. When we lived there years ago, I went in with bad headaches, and a dragging leg, and was told I had "migraines" after being dx with MS, my MS MD reviewed ALL my old files, and they found a glioma, and that i have CLEAR lesions and should have been dx with MS a decade ago. Now I see the way they are treating my FIL and its scary to think of going back to that.

On the brighter side, housing prices have really fallen, and we can now afford to go to the city of our choice, and be near his family. We couldnt touch a house in that neck of the woods before. Our friends, and family are doing the happy dance that we have chosen to go back.

[barb02]

Sounds like a good plan. You may just have to seek out a new neuro in a different city. Good luck with the sale of your house and the move!

[karousel]

I wish you the best of luck in a speedy sale of your home and an easy move back to civilization. LOL.