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Musings of a Meandering Malcontent

(Actually, the title of my blog should really be “Musings, Anecdotes and Observations of …”; however, considering my penchant for alliteration and realizing the need for brevity, I decided to shorten the title. Incidentally, to increase the size of a photo, just click on the image.)

My blog starts in Port Townsend,WA, where I’m (luckily, I might add) house-sitting for some friends from early May until some time in July, when they will return from a sailing trip to Alaska along the inner passage. Frankly, I’m still amazed that the couple (Angie and Cliff), whom I’m house-sitting for, asked a relatively unknown (your’s truly) to live in and look after their home (formerly a B&B) for a period of nearly three months. All I can say is that they are very open and trusting people, whom I admire and respect greatly. I must add that they are also good judges of character. I will make every effort not to prove them wrong!

Besides landing a gig in a great place, I hope to discover enough about the area to try to determine if this is a place I’d like to relocate to. (BTW, sometimes it is OK to end a sentence with a preposition!) And of course, while I’m here, hopefully I’ll be able to discover a few things about myself as well.

Being a former navy brat and having moved around quite a bit as an adult, I really do not have any sense of place and quite frankly, I’m not sure if I ever will develop such a thing. If I was much younger, I would likely have much less difficulty in finding a suitable place to live, but being the age I am, I find it a bit daunting. For one thing, there seems to be a sense of urgency and then there’s the issue of shyness when it comes to meeting people and making new friends. Questions abound: Do I seek a place based on availability of outdoor amenities, proximity to wilderness areas, access of quality medical care, potential for social interaction, embracement of progressive political views, etc. etc? Although all of the aforementioned are vitally important to me, which of these should receive the highest priority? (I do know that I must live in a place that is in close proximity to wilderness!) In any event I am hoping that while I’m here, some answers will emerge.  Of course, there’s always the option – albeit a more expensive one – of “trying out” several locations by living in selected areas, each for a period of time – perhaps three to six months.  If I can find affordable furnished short term rentals, perhaps this may be the best option.

My current (temporary/transitional) residence is in Bloomington, IL, where I live in a small dreary (but fortunately, inexpensive) efficiency apartment next to my mom and sister. And while I enjoy spending time with my mom, Illinois is even further down the list of potential living locations than Florida.  No, the midwest is not on my top ten – not even among the top 100 – list of desirable locations. Many people ask why don’t I relocate to a place near my two grown children? Good question and it is one I often ask myself. While I love my two daughters and their families dearly – especially my four grandchildren – there is very little that I like about the no longer aptly named “land-of-flowers” (Florida).  Without upsetting the tourist industry too much, let’s just say – my family, notwithstanding – Florida doesn’t provide the qualities I consider essential for living an enjoyable and satisfying life. Although I lived in the sunshine state for many, many years, I have always harbored the notion of moving to somewhere that was more appealing to me, such as the western US. While raising my family, relocation wasn’t my highest priority as I was quite absorbed – and happily so – in family matters. After my employment ended in Florida and long after my daughters became (very) self-sufficient adults, I felt that my stay in the sunshine state had run its course and that it was time to move on.  That was in 2006 and I’m still “moving on” …

Since I plan to include an anecdote or two in this blog, I want to mention that most of the names listed in these stories are fictional.