For most "normal" people...my whiplash changes of venue probably don't make sense. I doubt I could explain it with any coherency. But I can try to lay out the basics.
I have always wanted to be in Montana, pretty much my whole life. Much of that time, I couldn't tell you why, only that whenever anyone would ask me where would you like to live, "Montana" would be first in my mind. So when doors opened up and an intense "drive" said to me, "go!" ....I figured, "Well, God is always opening doors, so I'll go through this one and see what's on the other side."
I didn't make the decision lightly, I considered all the logistics, and logically laid out a plan and a set of goals.
Here's how it went:
I pay close attention to what's going on in the world and here in America. I knew we were circling the drain.
I felt the need to find "safe harbor" - a place where people still have that "frontier" mindset, where the population is thin and where living independently, off the land far from the clutches of government was possible. Montana or Wyoming were high on my radar.
I knew there was not much time, but when friends offered to help me get to Montana and get something started, I jumped at it.
My benchmarks were to find enough work to provide for myself while I:
Looked for an old farm or ranch to rent, or find a caretaker position on same.
I had to get something in place by spring so I could both have a place and enough money to bring up my horses.
Ultimate goal, to create a "sanctuary" where my children and grandchildren could "run" to when things got really bad.
What happened:
I took most of my 6 months there to just get started making a living. I was able to scrape by, but as spring neared, it became abundantly clear that:
It would take much longer than I had to find a place - nothing was on the horizon, not even close.
It would take much longer than I had to make enough money to bring the horses up.
The economy is tanking faster than I had time for...prices going up made it that much harder to do what I needed to do.
AS I monitored events, it became harder and harder to imagine going through what is coming without my family and friends. A strong support system will me critical for all of us. There was not enough time to do that there.
Everything in Montana is FAR from everything else. Rising gas prices can effectively shut you down quickly, and did. The double whammy on that is as gas goes up, customers have less money too, so raising fees is not even an option...not for the new kid on the block!
I realize that it takes a couple of years to get established anywhere new...but, with everything that's going on, there just isn't enough time. I made my leap a few years too late it would seem.
Then there's the family. I really missed them, especially my grand-baby and the now a new one on the way (another little boy!)...Granny was missing out on all that!! One thing I have always felt sad about our society is the diminishing role of grandparents in the lives of children. I think its important and I want to be part of their lives. So since it became more clear that there isn't enough time to get them up there, I would rather be here.....with them and the rest of my family.
Add into all that, the increased seismic activity worldwide, the massive quake in Japan and thermonuclear reactor meltdowns (yes folks,, they are melting down...). any fallout from there ...well, Montana is pretty much in the zone. That quake move Japan something like 8 feet closer to us and altered the earth's axis shifted 10 inches. Activity in Yellowstone increased. If you don't know, Yellowstone - the whole park - is a giant caldera. That means, it is actually in the "bowl" of a super volcano..it IS a super volcano and they have been watching a dome under the lake rising for several years. Will it go active? No one knows, but SW Montana is in the danger zone - right where I was. Now its earth tremors have increased.
One more....New Madrid fault. It is a massive fault line running up the middle of the US...basically along the Mississippi belt. It is increasing in activity. Arkansas has had more that 800 quakes in the past 6 months. The last time it went in 1801, they felt it in New England. It is over due and if it goes....I want to be on the same side as my family.All sounds crazy, I know. Maybe it is....but I watch things, I know people who are on the inside of things and they tell me stuff that you'll never see on the news and I connect the dots. Most people think I'm nuts ;)
So...I'm back. Whatever comes (or doesn't) I want to be with my friends and my kids.
What about my trimming business here? Well, I am not going to try to take anyone back. If you are happy with who you are using, stay with them...besides, I can do the heavy schedule and long routes I had before. I just can't physically do it - I'm 6 months out of practice! - I was getting to where I could do it before I left.
I need to stick close to home. So it will pretty much be local only...but again, only if you are looking for a another trimmer anyway. If you are receiving good service, don't bail on anyone just because I'm back...that wouldn't be right.
So there it is. I'm living out at the farm where my horses are...in the old farm house, There is much to do here to get it into reasonable shape to live in. I need to get a garden going to supplement the food supply with prices on the rise... and get the horses back in shape. They didn't do well while I was gone.
I don't have cell service out here so I'll have to get a landline. Will post that number when I have it.
Its good the be home. A strange "whiplash" journey...fast out, fast back. But everything happens for a reason. If nothing else, I did gain invaluable perspective!
Love to all!
