Ocean views year round hummmmmmmm

Yesterday during my never ending apartment search I happened on a site for "winter-rentals' on Cape Cod.  I fired off a few emails and got several responses.  There seems to be a really strong possibility of lining something up for the months we need.  People who own properties up there want to keep the income coming in if they can..and not many people are looking for "cottages" during the winter.  Soooooooo we may have found our answer.  Most of them run right around  600-700 but include all utilities.. Hang up is they come furnished..not a really big problem..Just have decisions to make about the things we own.. Either give them away, sell them or bring them to the island.  There are things I will bring for sure..but most of the stuff is just stuff and we can pass it on to Gabe and Chelsey. 

So I am lining things up to look at over a week in April.  We will go up to the Cape with Maryjo and open up her summer cottage and look at properties for next fall/winter.  Wish us luck.. It will be different for sure.  A bit far away from the kiddies..But not too far.. Maybe 1 and 1/2 hours..good for a weekend trip.  The important thing is that we would not have to pay rent through the year.. We would just pay when we were there.  This is what I was hoping to find.  Finding that in the area we live now is impossible.  We do not have much $$ to work with and paying someone all that money and not even being in the apartment just makes no sense..

Today is Ash Wednesday the start of the Lenten Season.  The day is mild here but overcast. I may go out for a walk in a bit.  Just to flush out the cobwebs.  Dan is still working in Agawam..but the job is winding down.  I think he enjoys doing it..He is such a hard worker too.  Just never stops.  I think he plans on building a hammer dulcimer when he finishes this project.  One of his students wants another instrument.  So that will be his next project..

In just 80 something days we will be back in Kingsboro..Getting our gardens turned over..clearing brush, putting up the bird feeders and the window boxes.  I wonder how Tazzies little tree fared the winter.  I hope it will be ok.  Maybe we will get another tree this year.  I have my second cup of coffee waiting for me here so I will sign off for today.  Wising you all a happy Wednesday..have some fun now.. I am thinking lots about Julie..can;t wait till that baby arrives.. miss you all very much..

So watch out for pirates now and remember to

BREATHE and smile for me

Decisions , decisions

So here we go again.. I have spent about two weeks now..scouting out apartments..checking on senior housing reading up on regulations and rules involved in applying for subsidized housing and today I have come to a decision.  I really do not want the government to know anymore about me than is absolutely necessary.  If we apply for any kind of subsidized housing the forms require that you release banking info, every detail of your life as far as income goes and that isn't gonna happen.  The benefits just are not that great.  In most cases you are going to pay about 30% of your gross annual income.  That is not much different from any rental I can do on my own.  Apartments in this area are going for about 5-700 a month, most now include utilities. Housing for seniors subsidized will be 635 a month with out utilities and without appliances.. Strange but true.  Makes no sense on so many levels.  First and foremost opening up your life to Uncle Sam..At this point in time I want to stay as far under the radar as I can.

 Sooo what does this mean.. Well unless something unexpected happens..it means that come May we will pack up this house store our stuff and head to our HOME on PEI.. Then come fall I will start searching for either a winter sublet , a caretaker position or a cheap apartment.  I can do that from the island on line..and by phone..I am open to anything.  My friend Maryjo has a summer home on the Cape and she said that once summer hits there are lots of folks up there looking for winter caretakers..She will check the papers and let me know if anything shows up.  I have no fear doing it this way..there will always be an apartment somewhere.  I am open to anything anywhere.. It would be best if it could be in Massachusetts so we wouldn't have to go through all of the nonsense of getting new licenses and such..  So if any of you who read this know of anything that will work with our lifestyle..let me know.

This week is school vacation so Cooper is with his Mommy.  Dan is still working on a remodel project in Agawam..so I am here pondering my future yet again.. LOL    I am thinking about Julie and wondering when the new little Chaisson will be born..Any day now!!!  Cant wait to get back to PEI ..By this time every year I am really getting sick of the stress and pressure down here..Between the cost of everything to the crazy politics in this country right now.. I have had it.  I want to be in Kingsboro reading a book in my comfy chair and staring out the window at the water and waiting for a car to drive by..  Ahhhhhh heaven on earth for sure.

So I wish you all a happy Monday..stay safe and cozy now..watch out for pirates and whatever you do remember to

BREATHE and smile for me

February where have you gone???

I started taking care of this little guy on the 6th of the month and my world has changed !!!  He is a really good baby..and I love having him here.  My days are long and active..the first week I discovered muscles I haven't used in a while.. Cooper is a happy giggle filled guy..active and silly.

Dan has been working away from here..doing a remodel of a condo for a woman in Agawam..  So it has just been me and Coop.  I have been looking for apartments but geez Louise everything is so expensive ..and the ones we have seen are not exactly home like  one was way out in the hills on a dirt road..the apartment was OK I could have done it BUT you had to share the kitchen in the main house..NO WAY could I do that.. On top of that they wanted $500 a month plus utilities and you had to take care of the wood furnace.. The owners were not sure who would be living in the main house..Way too iffy.  It was funny though because the owners actually have a place on PEI just up the road from us.. J J if you read this..they are the people who own the YURT at South-lake..the one you see from the road.  Too funny huh.. Nice people but the rent was just not right for me.

..  I will keep looking. Next week I am going to apply for two units in "senior communities"  one is privately owned the other run by the town.  They will be much less expensive.  Now the decision.. do we pay rent for something when we are not there??  Or do we continue to live like gypsies for a few more years.  I am leaning toward the later.  We can always find something..in October when we come back..It might mean a few days in a motel or with friends..but there are always going to be apartments around. If we find something that is perfect..or if we find something that is real cheap then we would go for it, but I hate the idea of paying 6 or 7 hundred dollars a month when we are not even using the space..

Cooper is asleep on the couch as I type this but he is a bit restless..So I will keep this brief.  I wish you all a happy day.. Send out some prayers for us..good decisions and cheap clean apartments..:  )  Have a great day I know I will..  Watch out for pirates now and remember to

BREATHE and smile for me