I should probably start by saying it has been a long winter, with more snow than we expected, and colder than we thought it would be. In all fairness everyone local keeps saying it’s unusual weather but seriously I have heard that enough time during our travels that I wont believe it until I see it. Having to hand haul water to the goats and chickens every other day wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be but Lee’s inability to work in his new garage has been a pain. We didn’t really think about that fact that it has no insulation or heat and it’s just to cold to putter out there.
The house itself has been pretty warm though which is nice and I am a big fan of our propane heat. Still, part of the fun with the land and animals is getting out there every day and there were many many days where it was a struggle just to let them in and out every day. The reason I mention this is because when I started to feel restless I initially thought it was just winter blahs but then Lee and I realized that we have been in the same place 11 months and in the house for 8.
Generally in our travels that was the maximum we wanted to stay anywhere without pulling up our jacks and rolling out, so I initially didn’t recognize the feeling for what it was: Hitch Itch. For those who haven’t traveled full time, hitch itch is a real thing where travelers start to want to move on. The time period varies from person to person and place to place but the feeling is pretty standard across the people I have talked to. Basically something in you starts to say, “It’s time to go” and when you can’t scratch that itch for one reason or another it gets uncomfortable.
I don’t know why I thought that completely changing my life and buying a house would stop that cycle, but obviously for us at least it didn’t, or hasn’t yet.
You can mentally make a decision, but often emotions take some time to catch up and I think that is where we are. I’ve talked to some folks in similar situations and they are combating those feelings by planning trips, either in a small RV, or traditional “vacations” with flights and hotels. To be honest neither one of those options really appeals to me right now. First and foremost I have these animals I am taking care of and don’t have a good solution yet for taking a long trip anywhere. Secondly, some part of me likes being in one place and the hassle of traveling for a short period of time isn’t really appealing. If we were in a position where we could take longer trips it would definitely be more appealing but I have sort of locked us in by the type of home I have purchased.
And to be honest there are days I feel like we have made a terrible mistake. Lee is quick to say “what is the alternative” and he’s totally right about that, plus I really like being close to my in-laws and we’re loving the time we are getting to spend with them. Frankly that has been the best part of moving back home although it depends on the day whether or not it is worth it on balance. A big part of that is the money. Being debt free was a pretty awesome way to live, but now we have a mortgage and a car payment and the corresponding lack of freedom that comes with it. Oh yes, we had to buy a second vehicle because neither the truck nor my little Venue drove well in the snow at all. In December we found ourselves in a situation where some days we didn’t have a vehicle that we felt safe leaving the house in (country roads, minimal snow removal) and bit the bullet and bought a snow worthy Santa Fe.
Don’t get me wrong, we like the car and the house, but we very quickly slid back into a traditional life, and it happened MUCH faster than I would have though possible. Still we are keeping an eye on retirement and as long as we both have decent jobs for the next 8 years we will come out of this with minimal debt. And I am really glad that we are putting our money into something (a major motivator for me buying this house) but everything costs so much and the improvements we wanted to make are going to come much slower than either of us want.
I type all this knowing full well these are all first world problems, but I thought I would take a minute and catch everyone up on where we are with the move. In a nutshell, the transition has been much tougher than we expected, but there have also been many unexpected joys along the way. As we head into our first spring in the house we are both very excited about planting a huge garden and using the excess food to donate to our local food bank. One of my favorite parts of standing still has been the opportunity to get involved in the community and sharing our good fortune with others. That was always a challenge on the road and we are taking full advantage of the opportunity in our sticks and bricks.
That’s all for now, and cross your fingers we are done with the snow for this winter. Watching my goats and chickens venture into our backyard with the nicer weather has been a huge lift to out spirits and I am sure the garden will be amazing. Lee has a plan!!!
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