Once again it's time for another post wherein I make plans for our future and feel compelled to disclose those plans if only to change them later and show you just how fickle and unstable I am.
Christmas. That's when we should be back. That's when we've been telling friends and family we may be back. The economy continues to conspire against us (although the Aussie dollar has dipped dramatically in our favor) and Jorge and I agree it would be wise to build up another reserve in case of financial hardship. Our monthly expenses here are roughly equivalent to two mortgage payments back there.
But, and there's always one of those, Sarabelle is strongly resisting and has begged, pleaded, and finally, threatened to remain in Australia for Grade 11, in other words, one more year. I considered letting her board with good friends of ours, however, those good friends are now heading to New Zealand, and so I'm contemplating a consultation with another friend, Senior Constable Mick, for back-up and legal advice. A little "Scared Straight" if you know what I mean. She wants to stay at least for the biennial Japanese field trip. I would like to accommodate her, I really would, and have even offered to fly her to Japan to meet up with her mates at the appointed time (provided she homeschools Japanese back in Florida) but that is not good enough. She has given me her solemn word that should she be allowed to stay that long she would then return peaceably to the States.
In a serendipitous turn of events we have made arrangements to move into our exiting friends' old digs at least until the Christmas/summer school holiday, without posting any additional bond, provided we check on retired nuclear physicist landlord on a daily basis to be sure he's still in the land of the living, and have the option to stay on indefinitely. This will reduce our rent expense by $300 per month, provide us with fresh eggs and fruit, and Witness Friend has even offered to let me borrow one of her dairy cows that's about to calve, but Jorge doesn't believe this will make a significant difference in our economic situation and is rather adamant I stick to the Christmas return plan. We would finally have our little farm, and really, what better place to ride out any recession/depression/Armageddon (the last being Witness friend's preferred term)?
I am being torn in half. I know what's best for my kids and am afraid I have hit the wall of "Irreconcilable Differences" with my husband.
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1 comment:
Aack/argh about hitting the wall.
And I think after last week and Henry Paulson's strongarm tactics, Armageddon might be spot on. One of our elderly neighbors, who doesn't yet require daily checks but remembers well the Depression, thinks there's nothing wrong with anyone younger than he is that a good old-fashioned Depression wouldn't cure.
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