Just moved from PA to Alabama two years ago this coming June. We wanted to homestead, and still be near one of the kids at least..5 kiddos....one here in Jacksonville who is married and has that new baby Sarah (what a DOLL), and HE is talking about how much he wants to move someday in the next two years back to Missouri! Oldest daughter and her hubby and 3 year old son live smack downtown St. Louis..youngest daughter lives in the middle of New Jersey, another son is also in NJ and loves the city and the youngest son is in college in Philly..he'd rather die than live where there are no sirens blaring at 2am..sigh.....we had considered moving from PA to somewhere in South central MO but couldn't find a place that suited our meager budget at the time..NOW I see all over the net all these neato farmettes for sale around the West Plains area and have such an urge to put ours up for sale and move back to Missouri..I spent 15 years in St.Louis and loved the area, but I cannot live near a large city anymore..don't like them in my "old age"....anybody else ever have this ambivalence????? I want to be around my kids and my grandchildren..at least as many of them as I can....sure don't want to end up all by ourselves here in AL when two of the kiddos are in Missouri! On the other hand, moving, packing, etc. are all so darned stressful! No way would any other of the children ever live here in AL, so no chance of that happening....the older I get the more important it is to me to be around my children. Husband says that probably if we moved back to MO, the kids would move to Ireland LOL...so many of you folks have your extended families right in your backyard! For those of you who do not, how to you handle the "missing" of your loved ones over the long haul?

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), January 18, 2002

Answers

Hi Lesley, My parents and all my siblings live in one small town in Central Texas, within walking distance of each other. Our place was about twenty minutes away, and we almost always got together on Sundays. I dream all the time still about going back there, hopefully before the children marry non-Texans;)

We do keep in touch by e-mail, and I phone my parents every Sunday.

You're right, moving is a terrible hassle. I've told hubby one more time--back to Texas!

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), January 18, 2002.

Go while you can....some of our kids live near us and some have moved away. One may come back. It's fun getting together.

Had to get new address, so I was farmerjo, couldn't have that name with hotmail. My prayers will be with you.

-- Jo (countryjo16@hotmail.com), January 19, 2002.

Dear Lesley, Seems like I know you, I read all your posts, I know you are prepared for all sorts of problems,[ Economy and such] You sure would have a lot to pack. I can understand your wanting to be close to your children and considering the times we live in, Better sooner than later, I think the kids will need us more than we need them. We have more wisdom for hard times,If you can manage it health wise, and you can sell your home, But I always say now, If I was to move again, There would be a orchard all ready planted, and a garden all ready in. Go for it, God Bless Irene

-- Irene texas (tkorsborn@cs.com), January 19, 2002.

Selling our property here would be no problem..we are so blessed in that we do not have a mortgage and our 8 acres increased nearly double in value just in the last year.lots of building around here..I think I read where Jacksonville has more than 11 new subdivisions built in the last two years.....(hate those things)..anyway, since land is harder to find around here at a decent price, we would have no problem...log house with three bedroms,new tin roof, two full baths, living room, dining room, kitchen, 40 foot long screened in porch across the front of the house, 4 out buildings, all new, and a brand new fence for 3 acres around the house. Taxes this year went up from $161 per year to $323..love those subdivisions and their impact on the school budget! We have so many antiques, especially Civil War things, and pottery from the early 1800s, that we took up an entire huge moving van all by ourselves when we came here! It took several weeks to stomp out all those bubble packing sheets! LOL...well, thanks for the comments...I appreciate them a great deal..family is so important! God bless.

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), January 19, 2002.

Lesley-----it seems like only yesterday we were trying to figure out how to move you & the dogs--- & was it homemade wine??----& your hubby not have to ride on the hood/ or top of the car!!!!! ha!

Ok /if you want to move come to Kansas---we will grow herbs together & drink hot tea ----& you can teach me about football---

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), January 21, 2002.