A Week Already?

 

Scene on the property here

Seriously, where does the time go lately?  We have been fairly busy with work, people coming and going just about every day.  Really, it’s hard to believe it’s been a week since I posted here last.

There has been a bit of a lull in my online part-time job, not a complete stoppage, just a slowing down.  I with two young(er) gals and we’re taking this time to revise, finalize and put into place procedures and guidelines as things are ramping up for the work load that is (supposed) to be coming in the near future.  Over the past few months, the three of us have established a comfortable professional and personal rapport.  We each bring experiences – common and different – which seem to make a great team.

 

Today we’ve had alternating dark skies and then sunshine. Winter is definitely knocking on our door.  If the next six months follow the same pattern as the past couple of years, we’re in for cold, wind and wet (rain and snow) until about April.  The Farmer’s Almanac has predicted this Winter to be cold, wet and white.  The Woolly Bear Caterpillar examples I have seen around here seem to tell a different tale of a mild Winter in store for us.  Time will tell.

It’s a little while later and I’ve read reports of a few snow flurries around in northern NJ.  I’m not surprised. 

We occasionally think of leaving here and I admit I am torn.  There are pros and cons both ways; many of the pros include the beauty of watching Eagle circle above, the quiet, the views such as in the photos above, the good people we work with, the freedom and ease of our daily schedule which our duties here allow, very good medical care locally and the climate, to name just a few.  On the other hand, we live an isolated life (due to the nature of our work) with no friends locally, the winters are indeed harsh, NJ has a high cost of living, there is state income tax here and then there is the climate, to name just a few.

We are not unhappy here and that’s a good thing.  On the other hand, it is easy to become . . . what . . . complacent or afraid to make a change.  We have been here almost three years, quite a long stretch for full-timers. 

Would we save money by, say, returning to Texas?  Quite possibly, if the right job opportunity presented itself.  When opportunities arise, and they do now and then, we feel we do need to consider them, whether it’s Texas or elsewhere.

The financial aspect is another factor.  Next month my health insurance premium is increasing by $100 each month, and by the end of 2014, our monthly premiums will have increased 100% each.  The ongoing health insurance issue indeed plays a part in decisions we might make about job opportunities.

Scary or exciting?  A wee bit of both . . .

In the meantime, it’s Friday and we have an evening of chess planned.  Yay!

Thanks for stopping by!