Our home situation is a pain when it comes to going away from it. With horses and chickens, you can't just leave them a big bowl of food and water and let them take care of themselves....they have to be cared for every day. So...as a result, unless our neighbours are around, (which they aren't right now) we have to do our trips away in shifts. This time of year, our neighbours are usually off somewhere warm and sunny, and we take care of their dog, Lucy. We exchange animal caring throughout the year, with them feeding and watering animals for us when we are away for months on the trapline or at tree planting camp, and us having Lucy stay with us while they are away for months in Mexico. It works for both of us.
But, this year, we are going to be downsizing. Trev retires next month from the RCMP, and we want to be able to go away whenever we want without having to worry about critters. So, the horses and chickens will be going to new homes. I'll miss them terribly, but it's time. The cats are fine on their own for weeks at a time, and the dogs go with us. Zac now has Rango, his Bearded Dragon, and we have a turtle as well, but they can be left with friends. .
In the meantime, Zac and I are chill-axing for a couple of days, and then need to get stuck into getting the house back into shape. Trev is not much of a housekeeper, so after 3 weeks of baching-it, it needs some attention. He is getting better though! The sink was NOT full of dishes, the bathroom was usable and the bed was made when we got home!
The worst part of coming home at this time of year is the melting snow. YUK! The snow melts, makes mud, uncovers all the dog poop....you get the picture. It's nasty. I really dislike this time of year. Not only is it a lot of work to clean up, but because of my job and having to leave for it in May, I don't even get to see it green up! The daffodils come out after I've left, the leaves pop, the grass grows...I miss it all. I come home at the end of July and we are in full summer swing. My garden is a jungle! Which means lots more work. Then we hit fall and it all dies! I feel like I'm missing so much being away from home at that time of year. It really sucks! After being on the Island it is hard to come back to this. There, the crocuses and snowdrops were blooming, and the daffodils starting to. The leaves were beginning to show up and it was feeling very spring-like. It feels like spring here, but it's a gooey, drippy kind.
We are looking at making some huge changes in our lives with Trev's early retirement (he's 49 this year). For one, he wants to spend more time on the trapline. I'm not into spending any more time than we already do there, but it's his thing. We are also realizing that we don't want to live here any more. Princeton is 40km away, so we have never really become a part of the community. Where we live, we also haven't really made a place in the community for ourselves. That's probably due to the fact that many of the people who live here have grow-ops (drug grow operations) and don't really want a cop for a friend! We haven't grown attached to the area. So, we have decided to move. I don't know how long the process will take, but I'm hoping no more than a year. The kids need to be in a place that can provide them with more social interactions with people their own age. Our area provides zilch.
There are many reasons to go, and only 1 to stay. We own our house outright. We certainly don't want to go back into a mortgage, so we will need to sell before buying again, and what we buy will depend on what we get for the Shack. I know I will miss the peace and solitude of life here on the Hill, and I'm hoping we will be able to find something where I can find that again. One of the other reasons for moving is to be closer to our grown kids. I am really feeling like we are missing out on so much by being so far away from them. A trip to see them takes 6 hours of driving and a 2 hour ferry ride, which costs about $200 round trip. We go about 2 times a year, and they try to come out at Christmas and in August. But, it's the day to day things I really miss. Birthdays, family dinners, just visiting and being there to help each other out with things. I want to be a bigger part of my kids' lives, and now my grandkids. Plus, my mom lives there too, and could use some help with her yard and garden. All kinds of reasons to go, and just the one to stay.
First thing though, is to get the basement finished. The house will sell better, and for more if the basement has been done. So, that's the aim for this summer. Get the basement done. We will be able to enjoy it until the house sells too! I'm not sure how this process will pan out. But, I'm already cruising the real estate listings!
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