End of February blues

Thank god it's nearly March. The weather here is ... dare I say it ... it's fantastic. It is sunny and in the 70s, no humidity.

Yet I'm in a cruddy mood.

It's the 'burbs. It is so not me. We even discussed - briefly - moving into the city. But I think we'd be trading one set of problems for another. I'm not sure I have the energy to deal with schools, security, and safety. The traffic would be different, but traffic, none the less. No carpooling for Gary. Property would cost more (we get a lot of house for our money out here), and property taxes could be even higher. (Folks in Missouri would be stunned if they knew what we pay here in Texas; land of no personal income tax more than makes up for that lack of revenue by sticking it to us in property taxes. They get it from you one way or another, my friends.)

The plan is to stick it out here in the short term; our long-term goal would be to live elsewhere. Where is elsewhere? Not sure, but it's not here. Europe? Maybe ... we shall see.

All the things I see as advantages to Houston are far away. Inside the loop is 30 minutes on a weekend with no traffic, more like 45 minutes to an hour during the week. It is all but inaccessible for me. Makes it tough to take advantage. But with Gary's job being where it is, this is where we need to be on a daily basis.

But I'm really struggling. On a daily basis. Thank goodness for our library (such as it is) and a few good friends. A surprise mid-day phone call can do wonders (thanks, Helen!) Even if it wasn't about me, it was nice to talk to her. And I hope I helped her feel better as she goes through a very stressful time in her life. Illness of a parent is tough.

The trials we all face. I should probably stop complaining and thank my lucky stars I have what I have.

Done!