Ok, so now what?

My blogs seem to be titled according to where I live. Every time I move I need to find a new name. "Somewhere in Indiana" worked fine in Indiana. "Stories from the Mist" seemed to work here, though I never got any great stories like I hoped, because I was either killing my soul working at Walmart or watching my husband suffer from endless allergies. Now I have itchy eyes and I'm coughing. The cabin filter in the car is moldy and it makes me cough, so we need to change it. Stuff keeps growing on the car. It's hard to live in the Mist. Half the population here is on multiple medications just to make it through the day.

Hubby and I had a great time walking the trails. For all his suffering, he did immensely enjoy our walks, as I did with him. I have a bazillion pictures, some of them are pretty awesome. We are both ready to move. I'm not crying anymore. I broke up with the Smith River. I have pictures, rocks and a video. One day I will come back to visit my daughter, in summer, maybe August or September, and we will visit that spot again. I can't go now, the winter rains have turned the river into a killing machine.

I never really got used to the winding mountain roads. They were ok in summer, but in winter they just want to kill you. We passed 4 landslides on the way home from Eureka yesterday. They were cleared, but marked by Caltrans. Last Chance Grade has so many layers of new pavement it's like driving a roller coaster.

If you visit, come in July, August or September. Summer is glorious here. It's dry, so the roads don't fall apart. Summer is sunny and mild, you won't get sick here in summer. Leave before the rains start in mid-October.

So...what is next? Stories from the Mist doesn't seem to fit Wisconsin.

Some of the stuff on the car. As hard as it rains, you would think it would be squeaky clean.

Ok, so now, should I come up with a new name for my blog?

That's What We Did

"Do not move on to 2016 without letting go of something significant from 2015" - Brendon Burhard

I read that a few days ago, and realized, that's what we did.

The last day of 2015 was not a good day for me. The night before, in a fit of frustration over his health, my hubby declared that he hated where we live and wanted to move to another state.

The problems started with the rainy season in 2014. He developed a severe sinus infection. He was put on a course of antibiotics. That helped a little. He went back, was put on antibiotics again. The doc said we needed to move out of the moldy house we were living in. We knew that, but it was several more months before a duplex became available. My hubby started getting better after we moved, but continues to have chronic sinus issues. He says he can smell mold outside. (Del Norte County is notorious for mold).

New Year's Eve day...hubby had to work. I was sad all day. We needed to talk, honestly, not just covering up our feelings to make the other person feel better. "It's ok, we're not moving because I want you to be happy" and "It's ok, we can move because I want you to be healthy" wasn't cutting it anymore. We needed real compromise. It was more than a sinus issue.

After much discussion, logic won. There are just some things about this area you can't fix.

1. Doctors and Specialists. With many of the residents under-employed or unemployed, welfare is rampant. Whatever the reasons, not enough doctors stay in this area, especially Specialists. If one of us needed a Specialist we would need to travel 111 miles to Medford, OR. We have been waiting 4 months to see the only good doctor in town.
2. Job Opportunities. Unless you are into Health Care, Rumiano is the best job in town. If that job were to end for some reason, you are back to Walmart. No way in hell, says hubby, and I don't blame him.
3. Travel. The airport currently only has prop-job flights to and from Portland, Oregon. Highway 101 heading south keeps breaking because of shifting ground at Last Chance Grade. Highway 199 suffers from occasional rock slides. This happens in winter because of substantial rains. We are one shake from total isolation.
4. Mold. A significant portion of the population here are chronically ill from mold. Even though our town home is free of mold, it apparently is in the air outside. For some reason I have been spared from this malady that residents call "The Crescent City Crud".

So...we don't know where or when, but at some point we will be leaving. "Letting go of something significant." It felt like I was breaking up with a flame. I was heartbroken. Then I felt better, realizing it will be better for both of us. I'll write more another time.

My sweet hubby is back

You have no idea how bad his reaction was to the Zyrtec....agitation, anger, wheezing, increased phlegm.  It was the frog in the pot of water effect, starting out fine and gradually worsening to the point where I thought I might need to rush him to the doctor. Well, I did one day. His doc wasn't available. He saw someone else. He ordered a scan of hubby's sinuses, to check for infection. No advice about antihistamines. This is day 2 with no Zyrtec. I feel bad that I didn't catch the reaction to the medicine sooner. The bioAllers seems to have limited help. He just now took an Allegra. Such a battle for his health right now. I really, really hope he clears up after we move....might be April or May. Unless we took the one we looked at. It's a 3 bedroom, 1450 sq feet and $880 per month. That's way more room than we need and $85 more per month. It would be virtually empty. We have a bed, two computer desks, one cabinet and one dresser. All we really need is one bedroom, but we want a guest room. My hubby's sister in Kosovo would like to visit, as well as his brother, and my other daughter and her husband. A nice guest room would be awesome.

Approved!

We are on the list for a town home! However, I am still waiting to hear about my job. I stand corrected, it takes 2 to 3 weeks before the drug test is complete.

My poor hubby. He's been taking antihistamines for allergies but we discovered the Zyrtec was making him worse. So now he's not taking anything, except bioAllers homeopathic treatment, when he remembers to take it. A large part of our decision to go for renting a town home as opposed to buying a place is the town homes are clean and well-maintained, whereas our budget for buying a home would be in the fixer-upper range. Also, if hubby's allergies don't clear up in that kind of pristine environment, then maybe there is no hope for him living on the coast. At least being in a renting situation only makes us stuck for the length of the contract, not stuck trying to sell a place we just bought.

Hubby started out fine. September, October, most of November were all sunny and dry. Then rainy season hit, mold began to grow, and hubby's sinuses went crazy. He tried most of the antihistamines on the market, no help, except just a little from Zyrtec. But the Zyrtec caused mood changes and increasing congestion, to the point where my hubby sounded like he was drowning as he slept. We didn't realize it was the medicine until he stopped taking it and then took it one last time. That was it, the bottle hit the trash can.

Anyway, to explain the situation here. There are many pets in the house, and because we are living in one room, our bunny lives in here with us. This house is under the redwoods. The front room is damp and cold and moldy. One must walk through the front room to go in and out of the house. I can't believe I am doing so well here. I'm the one with the mold allergies.

Moving into a town home will create these changes...no dogs or cats in the house, the bunny will not be in the bedroom, and we will run the pellet stove to keep the place warm and dry and free of mold. We are already buying bags of pellets. A 40 pound bag costs less than $5. One bag could last one to three days, depending on how cold it is, so heat could cost between $50 and $150. We will pay electric and gas for the water heater. Water and garbage is included in the rent. No one has air conditioning here. The warm days of summer are dry and pleasant. If it gets cool and damp, light the pellet stove! We will see how this works out for my hubby. I really feel bad for him. He has been miserable for two months and to the doctor twice. They just tell him to move from this house.