Quote of the day:

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” – John Muir

In the mountain communities that are only about 1 1/2 hours away I
could afford a house for half of what my condo is worth.  I would
then have a house with a tiny mortgage and, hence, less financial
pressure.  I would be away from the hustle, bustle, stress,
artificiality, and smog of LA.   They have a great school
district, so a job wouldn’t be too hard to find. So what’s keeping me
here?

3bd, 2ba home in Big Bear for half of what my 2bd, 2ba condo is worth

For one, my family is about ten minutes away.  If I moved, I
wouldn’t be able to drive over there at the drop of a hat to check out
a sister’s new hairdo, or read their People magazine, or graze in their
kitchen.  I also wouldn’t be able to be there at a moment’s notice
in case of an emergency. 

For my whole life, my greatest fear has been that something will happen
to my mom.  That’s a long story, but the upshot is that’s why I’m
living here in the first place.  Part of me feels that as long as
I’m here, everything will be okay, and, being the “responsible” one in
the family, so far that has been the case.

1bd, 1ba home in my area … costs double what the one above costs

But when a “great starter home”
in my area is half a million bucks (sorry, but I don’t see myself
spending half a million for anything referred to as a “cute doll
cottage”), the temperature is supposed to reach 108 degrees today(only 80 in
the mountains), and traffic is horrendous, it’s hard not to be
tempted.  Maybe I need to convince all my family and friends to
move with me … then we could all be “granola” together!