The desire to do so began in earnest in 2006, when we stayed with Glen's father and step mother in Papaikou, north of Hilo. Prior to that, I fell for this big rock when I spent a month with friends in Puna. That was 1984. A group of folks I knew at Lake Tahoe had relocated and I was eager to check it out. While here, both Kilauea and Mauna Loa erupting at the same time. That was pretty cool.
When Glen first found this place on the interwebs in 2010, I knew there would be no going back. He was a man possessed, and I believed in his dream. Even when it looked like we might not pull it off, he remained calm and patient. We invested damn near everything we had to buy this place. Leaving us less "leftover" than we had hoped, but also freeing us from a gigantic mortgage payment. (Ours is about $530.00 a month.) Which is crazy, since I was paying twice that for rent more than 20 years ago.
We have saved many thousands of dollars in electric and water bills, since we are off-grid. Plentiful power and abundant, clean water. Never an issue or problem with our solar or catchment in 3 years. Our overhead is minimal, when compared to our former life in California.
I spend most days barefoot-all day. I wander these almost-4 acres, planting, weeding, cutting, pruning. There are never-ending tasks, so boredom is not an option. Glen has found some truly optimal employment opportunities in the last few months. So much so that he could work 7 days a week, were he so inclined. I won't lie-I am loving this lady of leisure stuff. I worked most of my life, both at paid jobs and then there were those 30 years of parenting, some of them as a single mother. This is new territory. My time is mine-time for reading, writing, working on projects, and I'm even learning the fine art of napping. I still take a shift subbing at the library, whenever I am asked. My caretaking job was a nice thing, but that wrapped up last summer, when the client got considerably better, which was the obvious goal. (She has Lyme disease.) Still, I am not scrambling to find something else, nor am I pressured or the least bit guilt-ridden about it.
I miss my kids and a few close friends, but I could not live in California again. It's sad, but at least I got to appreciate it while it was more affordable and much less populated. I think I can safely say that my kids won't last there too much longer. None of them work in tech or own start-ups, and they are being squeezed out by those who do. This makes for a hamster-in-a-wheel existence. Whenever they're ready, this is their home too.
Tonight, we celebrate our perseverance and three years in this beautiful place. And we'll toast the guy who helped make it possible, Glen's father. He would most certainly be proud of what we have done here so far.
