Cost of Living

February is the time of year when the cost of living goes up....at least mine.  It's chilly, often snowing and not exactly sit on the porch and read weather.  It's the time of year when the wheels in my head start to turn a little faster......time to conjure up a project.  Projects cost money..at least mine always do.  It starts out as a little do it yourself task that almost always turns into writing a check to somebody for something that we all said we could do ourselves!!  As I mentioned yesterday, I'm contemplating a puppy...I know, they pee, poop, puke and shed.....but so does Lee and he's still here!  I'm mulling over other critters.... we've discussed cows, pigs, goats and even alpacas.  We may have jointly moved to the option of turkeys, ducks and pheasants.  The larger species would have needed living quarters and as much as I loved decorating the cottage, I decided that a new barn size shed might be cost prohibitive.  I would love the fresh milk (to go with my fresh eggs) but I don't think I could ever eat the giver itself....especially if it had a name, nuzzled me even once and I had brushed or petted even part of it.  So we're back to fowl! I guess I can live with the circle of life in that species.
But...maybe I should do a different type of project....like maybe a swim spa or a hot tub.  I ruled out the pool..been there done that but a nice little warm, swirling oasis in the back yard sounds very tempting................................till I found the price of the spa.... Just exactly what I want.......................when I win the lottery.
I can't believe that I have even entertained the idea of remodeling anything in the house.  Holy cow, we've yet to have our 5th anniversary here and I want to change something? Ya think?  Why I didn't put 2 more sliding door panels along the west wall is a question I ask myself every time we sit down to a meal....or in this house twice a week !!! We love watching the falls, the turkeys, the deer, the squirrels and the birds so why did I not think we'd also like to watch them during meals?  My bad! (did I really just type that?)  The main bathroom is big enough for a bowling lane and has a bathtub that fits a munchkin. Another great architectural marvel...Who designed this place anyway? Oh, that'd be me:-( I see one of those walk in spa tubs that accommodate old folks in the near future.
We do need a carport of sorts as the garage serves as not only a port for my car but home to a mini kitchen, animal food storage, freezer area and space to keep picnic tables, and all other amenities that need cold storage......Lee's truck, therefore..remains in the cold. cold storage area....outside!
So those are on my "what's next" list.  You can see that nothing is free and without it's negative side. Everybody says I should just head south and forget staying here in the cold and snow but I'm thinking that would really affect my COLA (cost of living allowance.) Naaa, I'll just stay here, the place I love most and plan my next move.As Hannibal Smith would say: