30 long winter days

It's been about a month since I worked regularly on my blog. Some part of me would like to skip over the last few weeks as though they did not happen. Lots of stuff came and went from my radar but very little paddling happened.

For one thing, the rivers up here were pretty well frozen in February and early March. Even when the temp crept up there was still biting winds, and ice on the river. Not much paddling to be had even by the dry suit crowd.

And then there was Asheville. We had one frenzied week where we honestly thought we were going to be jumping from the WDC area and moving to Asheville NC. A potential move led us to investigate and adjust both expectations and desires.

The house we own here is a "fixer." We have spent a galling amount of money just repairing 20 years of neglect, and making a few improvements that we wanted for our comfort. Meeting with the realtor here, we found that we likely can not sell for even what we paid in 2007. We would also be kissing the cash we used to improve the house goodbye. This one tidbit, this first adjustment, really changed how I feel about the house. We have never been entirely happy with it. But I am not ready to walk away from that much cash. It turns out I am a lot more money focused than I realized. Perspective, it is all in the perspective.

So, first adjustment in hand, we went to the bank who has our current mortgage to check out our options. There we received adjustment number 2. Following the market crashes and mortgage industry disaster the criteria for getting a mortgage has changed. We found out we would not be able to qualify for the home we own now, and could expect to spend a WHOLE lot less money in Asheville. I am talking 1/2 the amount we paid for this little house. Oh. My.

The blush was off the bloom, or something like that. We went down to Asheville to see what this adjusted amount of money could buy. Fixers, tiny old fixers in town or larger old fixers in the outlying towns. We already own a fixer, and it is not even that old.

Asheville is not really where I envisioned myself living anyway. In spite the fact that it is constantly listed as a desirable place to live it lacks walkability, bike-ability. To be honest, if I can not jump on my bike and shop the way I used to when I lived on the North Ridge in Alexandria, then I can't see moving. Moving somewhere that would require me loading my dogs in my car just to go for a walk was not going to do at all. I want less car, not more.

And James, my dear Lorax, wants room. He wants a larger house, more storage, a larger garage. He does not want to lose the quarter acre back yard. So he wants bigger, and I want less fixer. Way less fixer. Draw a line through Asheville.

Both quite deflated we turned down the job offer that would have taken us to Asheville and we moved on. I had planned to return to the workforce as a guide or instructor after taking more classes this spring. But after the Asheville "debacle" I decided we need to have more available cash. This has fueled my attempts to find part or full time employment.

Money, money is on my mind. I dislike how the focus of my life got changed so abruptly. I did not have much time to acclimate. Roll, gotta roll with the punches. Or make lemonade from the lemons. Something like that.