I left the SF Bay area some 10 years ago for the woods. It's 12 miles to the post office "downtown" and the only hospital nearby is run like Paddy Chayefsky scripted it.

You can't get a stitch of clothes unless they are Carhartt work clothes from the hardware stores, other than a 50 mile drive.

Speaking of which, the V.A. is over 50 miles away, so I never go there. If I can drive 50 miles of winding, icy and slushy blind turn roads, I am too healthy to see the VA.

Almost everyone I befriended left for another state, and the CA redistricting made this red town even redder, so as to flip other districts blue.

It's too far for my daughter and SIL to visit or for me to drive 200 miles to see them.

Every day I look for fallen trees, keep the chain saw sharp, and monitor the well pump and propane tank levels. Nothing is level on this ridge, so a casual walk means several flights of stairs worth of climbing.

I've got 12 foot rock walls to climb if I wanted to, but I never put up ropes. My daughter is the climber.

More unique people have stepped on the moon than have visited. And I am a DAMN GOOD COOK. A suicidal deer totalled my pickup truck, and a new one cost twice an SUV, and living in the country without a pickup truck is damn near impossible.

The most recent wind and rain storm howled so loud that I slept in the back (leeward) room on an air mattress.

Bears frequent the place and foxes were caroling last night.

To its credit, no more than two scorpions a year grace my walls (not for long, that's for damn sure)

I was always pretty chill. I grew up in the Boston area and was evicted for being too chill!! But I always carpooled on sweet sightseeing trips. Vermont foliage was unbelievable and I had great cameras with me. Still do, but being alone in the woods makes EVERY chore harder, and a long solo drive.

All my new friends are 50 miles away, and stay 50 miles away.

Previously, I repaired stuff for neighbors, grew roses, which the many deer here eat like candy unless they're behind a 7 foot electric fence, and visited San Francisco, nearby colleges (I worked 7 years at Cal Berkeley, with brilliant people and Nobel Prize winners), visited the ocean, got incredible surf photos! and Carmel by the Sea and Monterey.

Best of all, I didn't have to drive 50 miles to my own effing birthday party cuz nobody else has the get up and go to come here.

Soon to be 77 and looking at the same. Last time, I drove home in mountain fog. Couldn't see the next bend in the road.

I need to go back to civilization so I can SLOW DOWN and enjoy life.

Green frickin acres.



Even Arnold Ziffel won't speak to me.

Eva (not her name) divorced me long ago.

Oh, to meet and chat with smart LIBERAL people. IRL, not just on DU.

And have a great day. Chill!

WHEREVER YOU ARE.

It's a state of mind.

I thought California was paradise?! Lol..

Relatives moved there 100 yrs ago and loved it. Same for another group c. 1944 -80.

100 years ago? Wasn't it Mexico then?

Seriously, I worked a while in San Francisco. What a blast. Corner of Chinatown, the financial district and Little Italy. Across the street from the pyramid.

My wife saw me on TV braving the wind and rain on my walk from BART to the office.

Newsworthy weather.

Walked past the original Bank of Italy building every workday. A. P. Giannini helped people out of the 06 earthquake and became Bank of America.




Speaking of paradise. Just before we broke up and sold the home, I did home-looking and visited Paradise, CA, which sadly burned to the ground several years later at great cost in homes and lives.

I picked another part of the woods and have had only two evacuations in the 10 years or so. No losses, except some winter storm damage.

Rule of life here includes clearing 100 foot defensible space for fires, and always having an evac kit handy and ready to roll.

I really do try to make the best of every day.