Sigh.

We moved here in 2014, before trump was trump. Given the choice now, we would have been FAR more careful of MAGA presence; we live in one big huge MAGA nest here in western NC. But we like the scenery and, being in our 70's, this is where we will die. Which is ok. We just might make it long enough that the MAGAts go back under their rocks.

But the last one to be honest was also a killer

As there is the lbgtq+ afficianados. You also have people that are attracted to other countries

There are a million places I'd like to visit, but half the appeal of doing that is coming home afterwards.

family room to the living room, then I come to my senses!

One step at a time!

So…now…never, a great while back…quite a bit.

I do think about moving. Locally, regionally, internationally.

But Google maps has told me. The towns and cities of my long lost ancestors look just like my local drag. Towns with an old core, ringed by modern development, factories, shopping centers, highway bypass around the whole area. And these in Germany, Ireland, Italy, France. The purpose of moving at great cost to experience the same in a different language and culture is .....................................

I would first try to move to a blue state that will oppose MAGA. If that fails, any move is possible.

daydreaming is a full time job

We bought another house 2 blocks away, it's smaller and very organized, pretty and has a better view of the river. I never wanted to move, I like my current house, but the new one is a great property and extremely well maintained and has no large trees. Where we live now is in the forest portion of the neighborhood and there's 18 large oak trees here, one of which is dying and needs to be removed. They provide great shade and beauty, but in a storm can be dangerous.

I never wanted to move, but now that our low ball offer was accepted, we are on our way. I'm dreading this so much, moving is terribly heinous when both of us have such bad backs. The movers are doing most of the work, but after 36 years in this house, we have so much stuff and need to get rid of a lot of it. For example, after going thru the kitchen, we have 4 bins of glassware and pots/pans that we don't want or need. My sister is in no hurry to move in, wants to get a large work room/shed built first and that won't be started until Oct.

I just hope we can through this without killling/really hurting ourselves if we take our time and do things smart.

thought about moving there. But the more I saw of Florida and the people the less I liked it. I would like to live in the mountains of Virginia or Colorado. But now I am too old to start over so I will stay in eastern Ohio. If you can tolerate the MAGAs it is a great place. I have lived in the hills of eastern Ohio 72 of my 76 years.

I only daydream about getting repairs done on my house.

I will live here until I die if at all possible.

12 acres of beauty, wildlife, and peace and quiet.

on such a wet Washington State day.

I would get out of GA in a heartbeat if not for my spouse. I want to live in Oregon or Maine or Michigan or some remote area of the world where it's dark and cold. I am constantly looking at real estate in other places.

I crave peace and quiet

I love where I live in Northwest, CT. The weather, the people, my views from my house... everything. When I retired everyone asked where I would go. I tell them that I am not going anywhere. Why would I leave a nice area, decent weather, for the most part decent people, all my connections over 38 years here from contractors to friend and acquaintances... Hell, I love and appreciate having to wave to people as I leave and enter my neighborhood every day. The people I know that left did so for warmer weather and lower taxes even though they could afford the taxes. There is no way I would leave to save a couple of thousand in taxes and I like the change in the seasons anyway. It makes no sense to me because I am not that financially distressed. I addition to that I couldn't afford to replace where I live overlooking a lake no matter where I moved. Home prices are not as different as they were in the past... at least where you would want to live. What I have noticed is that those that moved to Florida or the Carolina's are thinking about or planning to leave and do miss their old friends.
No. Moving isn't for me. I'm lucky and I know it.

All too rare, S/V Loner. May you enjoy many years in your beloved abode.

38 years ago. I had just moved to a new area due to a job change and found a place I liked and could afford Funny but you sometimes don't recognize the luck at the time.

but the neighborhood has changed. The people who lived on the street were quiet and considerate. Now, not. If I'm home, I'm usually wearing noise canceling earphones. If I can hear your vehicle 1/2 miles from my house, you need a muffler.
I look at houses isolated by small stands of trees and fantasize.
If I move, I will take things I want and have an auction to sell what I can of what I leave. And try to find a buyer that won't butcher the trees in the yard. Hah.

A few crappy neighbors can ruin it for everyone. My wife and I are blessed to live in a neighborhood of mostly great people and the ones who aren't don't cause us any grief.

But what does have us a bit concerned is our immediate neighbors on one side (again, nice folks) are aging, and what if we wind up with some sort of riff-raff moving in that could change the complexion of life in this subdivision for us? Fingers crossed that doesn't happen down the road.

So wherever you might move, it would be ideal to have a lot of insight from people there as to how things are on a regular basis. Or if you can drive around and get a sense of what it's like at any given time, including at night, it could help you avoid another headache.

We were the young kids on the block. Lol But we were always quiet and considerate.
The old folks have passed on. The neighborhood is changing. It is aging and people have either inherited from parents or bought these lower priced homes in an aging neighborhood. Development is moving toward us. We are out of the flood zone, so the properties will hold their value, eventually will be bought up for commercial use. The area I live has been red and now getting maga. No fun living among rwnj. It'll be the same in most of the town. I'd like to move to the other side of town, closer to my daughter, but $$$ Oh well, this house is paid for, always a plus.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

I live near Northern NJ in The Bronx, NYC.

We're friends, but she is busy with work and family

I like where I live, but I wouldn't mind less traffic. Also, I don't want the middle/high school band practicing every Spring. Ugh!

in Italy. If tsf gets in, it will be stay and fight till my death.

when a polar vortex swoops down and/or we get dumped on with lake-effect snow, I wish my ancestors had settled on Maui instead of northern Michigan, lol. I almost moved to Brooklyn in my mid-20s, but the job fell through and I stayed in Michigan.

No other neighbors very close so it’s quiet but if I need gas, groceries, doctor, etc. I want that to be about ten minutes away.

I don’t want much!

Not a day goes by that I don't appreciate how lucky I am to live in world-class city; ocean; mountain; redwood; Bay environs. And I'm lucky to live in our moderate Mediterranean climate, with fresh produce all year long and creative farms nearby. But I'm still connected with my lovely little Erie Canal home town in Western New York. I feel like that guy in the Twilight Zone episode Willoughby. My beloved home town with the same streets, the creek where I hunted fossils in the shale rocks; the same homes, the Erie Canal running right through the middle of the village, the Fireman's Carnival and parade every June; music at the town pavilion; scenic winters and colorful fall foliage. But I have family here in the Bay Area. My grandmother was my inspiration of love and acceptance when I was a kid. I will be the same loving influence for my grandkids here. So I'll stay in San Francisco.

what a different perspective you have compared to the MAGAts! They do nothing but bash California and run down San Fran in particular on social media.

Funny how Texas has more than its share of problems but the rabid right-wing nuts always criticize everything to do with California.

Glad you are pleased with your life in Frisco.

My home town is pretty - shall we say - Caucasian, and I know I'd miss the colorful mix of cultures and peoples I'm with, if I left San Francisco.

the very thing that the ReThugs hate the most: diversity. They scream about "illegal aliens" at every turn. I think few of them have every travelled or experienced other cultures. They're sheltered and scared.

Recommended. 🇺🇸✈️🇨🇷

wouldn't even consider moving.

Back in the woods, but close to NYC. Wouldn't even consider moving.

I'm tired to death of being a blue dot in a sea of red. Been this way for 40+ years. Sometimes I daydream about chucking it all and moving to another country entirely. Uruguay is my first choice---decent weather, a reasonable soccer team and they're not lobbing bombs at anybody or trying to start fights.

is pretty enticing too, but I don't speak Spanish!

but not as bad as I thought, apparently. I could probably pick it right back up if I had to use it daily. Plus there are apparently a lot of expats in Montevideo.

Funny story about Spanish---the other day I was in Walmart and there were a bunch of guys together buying groceries and speaking Spanish. They accidentally put a package of meat in my buggy and I said, "Excúsame, es el mio," at which one of them smiled and removed it and said he was sorry. As I went around the store, I bumped into them again and one of them asked me in Spanish, where something was, and I answered, in my rusty Spanish. and got a "Gracias, señora." The same thing happened a few minutes later when they were looking for the sugar. It was all pretty basic, but I felt kind of good about it, and when I bumped into them a fourth time in the checkout line they thanked me once again for the help (in Spanish). So I guess if I had to I could probably pick it up. My husband, however, does not speak any Spanish at all.

^ Courtesy of Google translate.

It would be a bit of a pain, but there are multiple translation devices that a person can use these days to get by.

The RG went to Buenos Aires but rapidly moved from his hotel there to one in Montevideo. He could not believe the prices there. He sent me pics of his entrees from dinner and I couldn't believe it, either. I mean--$30 for an entree with six pieces of swordfish on it?!

If you recall, I posted at least one of the pics on the dinner thread in C&B.

Re Spanish, I'd say "you done good." Sounds like you helped, and that's what's important.

Maybe when my husband and I both retire we can do that. I often wish we could all move out of the deep red state we live in and into a blue state. Minnesota seems nice.

a young couple many years ago.
It is hard to find just the best home for us there at our ages.

We have lived in the hills nearby for over 40 years. Our property is not situated
quite high enough to see the Ocean or feel the Ocean breeze.

Yes, we go to the beach often and are thankful it is nearby.

The Tikkis

Since 2019, I’ve been back in the area where I grew up after spending 20+ years away. There are a lot of bad memories here and I dread running into people from my past. But, my Mom is not well and I don’t want to be far away from her. It is what it is. Just trying to focus on being grateful to spend time with Mom because that is what really matters. Getting old and watching your parents get older and become infirm sucks. The shit hurts.

Ideally, I’d like to go back to traveling when I do leave here. I’ve always been a mobile spirit and don’t need much space or stuff to be happy. When the time comes (which I hate thinking about while still yearning to get the heck outta here), I’ll get a small RV and head North. The older I get, the less I can stand the humidity here in the summer. I have loved upstate NY every time I’ve been there so will start there and probably work my way back West.

Ask again on November 6th.

Like Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, or Andorra.

Or in a cottage on the tiny Channel Island of Sark.

Having lived nearly my whole life in an immense country, I’d like to try living someplace small.

Malta.

That's where Pete Buttigieg's ancestors hailed from.

I like cool climates with lots of gray, rainy days perfect for staying indoors, nice and warm in a bathrobe and pajamas.

Plus brandy and single malts to fortify oneself on cold days.

I need to get the fuck out of Texas but I'm.....a procrastinator

I'm a born & bred NYC'r. I love my city!

So many cultures with foods, arts, musics, crafts, fabrics, and clothing! [excepting the sexism involved at times not that it isn't present amongst too many white men (I being white)].

I have/had friends, acquaintences, co-workers, bosses, of all races; various religions, spiritual people like myself, agnostic, aethiests; various jobs/fields, etc. Except I won't be friends w magats.

There're quiet places in the 5 Burroughs, busy places in all five, lovely small, medium, and big parks, and Botantic Gardens. Though I haven't gone to Staten Island in decades.

Museums, of all kinds! Architecture of all kinds!

I only have a little extra money, so a fair amount is closed to me now. But I hope I can sell some art/crafts in the next couple of years and some extra money for fun stuff. We'll see.
Still there's a bunch I can do. And I do.
🙂👍

Seattle, Japan (well it gets kind hot), NYC (gets kinda hot and kinda cold, but I love NYC) , Portland...I dunno...

I've been here 40 years...Got grandkids here etc etc etc Mortgage paid...etc etc

I hate Ohio! This is no longer home

I've got two choices I'm considering if Don the Con gets into office again.

Which two locations are in the running?

In that order.

My hometown’s not the worst (it’s relatively blue and in New Mexico) but I want to go somewhere where MAGAts are fairly rare and a place with much greenery and water. I’m thinking maybe Vermont or the Pacific Northwest. But I’m stuck here living with my parents because I’m disabled and my SSDI isn’t enough to pay rent, groceries and utilities in a separate place.

For the most part, I like where I am (metro Atlanta, DeKalb Co.) But before I die, I want to live someplace where I can see water every day. Lake, beach, river, any natural body of water. I think I'd like Tybee Island for its close proximity to Savannah & because I've enjoyed the time I've spent there. Or Hawaii or the Florida Keys if I hit the lottery.

Northern Minnesota

when my husband and I left Los Angeles because we didn't want to raise kids there. We ended up in St Joseph, MO. In 1994 we went to look at moving to New Zealand. That turned out not to be right for him, and so we moved to Lincoln, NE. After six years there, we moved to Chapel Hill, NC.
In 2005, fearing the damage of a second Bush Administration, we bought property in Panama and went so far as to complete the requirements to obtain permanent resident visas: it was to be an escape hatch. After Obama was elected in 2008, we sold the Panama property.
In 2015, we began to fear Trump. We looked at buying on Bonaire, but didn't. I asked my husband in spring 2016 if he'd consider at least getting off the mainland --if Trump were to win --by moving to Hawaii. He said he would. When Trump won, I asked my husband if I should book a look see trip to Hawaii in December. He declined: said he wasn't moving.
When my husband killed himself in 2018, we were separated and I was seriously thinking about booking a trip to France/Spain/Portugal to live abroad for 6 months and decide if I could make a move on my own. Lyon, in France, was my top choice. But I had an elderly dog and couldn't bring myself to book a trip leaving her here in the US while I went abroad. Then in March 2020 Covid hit and that was the end of the fantasy of going to live in Europe for six months to try out moving there. Instead, I bought a house to be built in Durham (NC) and moved here on Jan 6, 2021.
I have no dreams or plans to move again.

Nice to know that Durham is the place for you.

I would like to visit New Zealand one day. Have heard great things and the scenery from pics/videos looks amazing.

and that desire continued through January 20, 2021.


That desire is still with me but it's not as intense as it had previous been.


I'm not Italian nor do I have Italian ancestry although I has been using gate-away.com to look at Italian properties for sale during my intensity phase. Particularly I was looking at properties in the Abruzzo and Molise regions of Italy. I definitely had one house picked out in Montefino and another house that was 45 minutes from any veterinarian. I liked the house and the property that was 45 minutes away from any veterinarian but it sold and I can't remember what area it was in.


I discovered that to be an expat that one person needs to earn 31K in Euro (that's about 34K in USD) a year for income eligibility. I discovered that Italian citizens only vote for Congress and Congress elects the President. I discovered that the majority of places shut down for a few hours for lunchtime.

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Most recently, I was looking at vacation homes. I found this cabin that had about 30 acres, both on and off the grid options, and located in the Adirondack Mountains with bears, deer and streams about 6 hours away for a decent price. I never did win the lottery so that I could purchase this peaceful and isolated gem. It would be fantastic to find an insolated place like this to have an entire quiet month of July.

I didn't know you had such a strong aversion to veterinarians, Niagara. You can't bear to live any closer than 45 minutes away from one?



Seriously, that's your maximum distance for pet health considerations, I take it?

How has inflation affected real estate and the cost of living in Italy, do you know?

My wife and I were so taken by Norway when we visited there last summer that we briefly pondered moving there. I did some Google research and found out that the criteria for becoming a citizen includes learning the language, so we'd have to put our noses to the grindstone, but you also have to live in Norway for five years before being eligible to purchase a property.

We're staying put, but it's a wonderful country over there.

At the time that I was looking I had one particular feline companion that had FVR. It's an incurable but treatable respiratory disease. He was prone to congestion and fevers. My extremely cuddle-some and sweet cat eventually succumbed to leukemia.



Every once in awhile I'll check out property in Italy and it seems like it's the same as before. There's well-kept villa's and farmhouses that are listed for top dollar. Then there's other villas and farmhouses that are basic that seem reasonable in price. I'm not sure if they have house inspections like they do here but the homes are made from stone.


I recently ran into a post that was seducing expats into Tuscany. It was a "we'll give you $x amount to move here to Tuscany" type of post. Tuscany seems to be a desirable place for most expats but when I was looking it seemed crazy expensive.


I've only heard nice things about Norway. I imagine it's beautiful there without a bunch of pressure to hurry up and wait type of lifestyle.

I once used Babble for the German language. Babble makes it easy to learn. I say check out Babble and take another trip to Norway someday. Perhaps you and your wife could make plans to retire to Norway. Just a thought.

Must have been a terrible and emotional experience to lose him to leukemia after those years of respiratory disease.

Do you have cat(s) now?

Even if you never relocate to Italy, you'll always have pizza and lasagna!

We lost him in November of 2020. Right after we lost him, our 16 year old cat was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. We lost her in July of 2023 at 19 years old.


I've had to euthanize 3 different feline companions in the 10 years or so. I just don't think I can endure that again anytime soon. To answer your question, we have no furry babies at this time.


This is the pizza that I make. Zero gluten and extremely low carb.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/11543316

My aunt purchases keto products and I cannot believe the mark up on them at the grocery stores!!!

Given, it's probably more costly to manufacture those products because of the ingredients and the lesser economy of scale, but there is no doubt that they have added a huge profit margin on top of that. The prices seem exorbitant.

Your pizza does look delicious. How many attempts do you figure until it turned out like it looks in the pictures?

Maybe another kitty in the future? Losing 3 over 10 years would be crushing, but the heart wants what it wants...

But so is having Diabetes. This disease seems to be genetic in my family so I've been doing Keto and losing weight. I'm now negative 40 lbs. I recently had to shed 10 lbs. because I kicked myself off Keto for awhile and I gained 10 of it back. Oops.


Thank you, True. It's actually delicious and generally people are none the wiser when they ask me about my pizza because they can't tell that it's not real pizza.

The fathead pizza dough only took me once to perfect. I do cheat with the round shape of the pizza. I place parchment paper in a cake pan and place the dough inside the parchment paper and shape it. I remove the parchment paper and place on a baking sheet and roll it out a bit to thin it but it still retains it's round shape.


There was another pizza crust recipe from the same person (Low Carb Love) but that one wasn't as appealing as the fathead type of dough and it was kind of "eggy". Once I discovered the fathead pizza dough, that's all I ever make now. Plus I can make "bread sticks" out of the same recipe.


That's a good question. At this moment, I'm just not ready. I had been talking to someone who adopted a puppy a few years ago. They told me it took them 15 years after losing their previous dog to be ready to adopt another. That's a long time to heal.

Cute graphic by the way.

and our youngest is a senior in high school so my husband and I have discussed where we would like to move once she's out of the house. My husband grew up in a military family so he's used to moving, and I think it's fun moving to new places. We're thinking our next move will probably be the east coast, Virginia or North Carolina.

Any blue state, anywhere. But I'm fairly broke but don't owe much on my house, so I stay. At least my city is blue.

I am very fortunate to live where I am now; however, I daydream almost daily about building a stone cottage somewhere in the Appalachian mountains. I've designed my dream cottage down to the smallest details, along with my flower and vegetable garden. It's a total pipe dream because I am way to old to live in a remote location where I wouldn't fit in with the local population. Everything I could possibly need is within a less than 5-mile drive from my home; and yet, I am surrounded by woods and lovely scenery and an abundance of hiking trails many of which I can reach by foot. An abundance of excellent healthcare facilities are available. My home is paid for and in excellent shape. So, yes, I am grateful for my many blessings, but I still fall asleep many a night dreaming of snapping beans and peeling apples while sitting on the front porch of my 3-room stone cottage.

Last edited Thu Sep 12, 2024, 09:27 AM - Edit history (1)

The best and most important decision I've made in my entire life was leaving Texas in 1988 (I was 31 y.o.) and moving to Los Angeles. I love it here as much if not more than I did when I first arrived.

It's my home and if I have to live in a dormitory to afford staying (I'm 67 and currently am in an apt. with two roommates) I will do so. I just can't imagine living anywhere else.

Every now and then when I worry about expenses, I look at cities in blue states that are affordable but God I hope it never comes to that.....

your roommates are really good people, Upthevibe! They're lucky to have you.

So he was born German but figured out Italy was his thing - warmer climate, looser sex, opera, etc. Fine.

Me, am 30 miles from my upbringing, but that's all it might take. Not a tourist.

We lived in the Midwest a few years, and that was nice, but we came back. We liked New Mexico too.

My great-great-grandparent's and my great-grandparent's homes still stand in San Francisco. I have no idea who owns them now but if I ever stumble upon a few million dollars and spending money to match I'd be very tempted to buy one. As it is, I now live in a place where a few major roads are named after their cousins.

Three of my grandparents were the children of ranching and dairy families but none of them were fond of cows and left home in their teens.