Wheeeee!!!!

Oh it's so good to be back!  I think about posting here all the time, in between yard sales, multiple dental appointments, e-mails that proliferate like bunnies underfoot, and daily anxiety attacks!  The time is drawing near so quickly!  The buyer needed a co-signer...oh no!...but here comes the Dad to the rescue.  Whew!  But the real estate agent still cautions, "Don't buy that plane ticket yet!"  Anything can happen!  Nothing is definite until the deal actually closes.


So here I sit in an office with many books and one bookcase less, near my living room that now has an echo in it.  Through 5 (yes 5!) yard sales (some more successful than others), and numerous, repetitious advertisements on Craig's List, I have managed to convert at least one half of my belongings into cold hard cash.  I've come to think that furnishing my home was like freeze framing little portions of life...I never stopped to think before this experience, about just how heavy it had become!  Downsizing is such an eye opener!  As I review each item, hmmmm, to keep or not to keep.  This can be an excruciating question, especially when  need to answer it again and again, sometimes with objects you had forgotten you had.  It seems never ending!  I have been fantasizing regularly about what it will feel like to be finally on the plane, lighter than air with only one small suitcase, jetting toward a whole new life. 


And the new life I have envisioned!  If only one quarter of what I see comes to fruition, what a happy, grateful camper I will be.  Already things seem to be falling into place.  Just tonight Chamisa was adopted into a very loving home, with an beautiful older man I met at one of my yard sales.  We have become friends and I have no doubt that Chamisa will have the love and attention I had hoped for her.  


One of my old friends who I met when I first came to California, a literacy teacher at our local adult school, came to visit last week.  I hadn't known that for several years now, she (Keren) and her husband have been visiting Central America every winter.  They often fly into Panama!  She is a wealth of information and from all the things she has shared so far, I know I am on the right path.  Keren and I have a lot in common.  We both love to read and raise chickens!  She has had a large flock ever since I knew her.


Enough about me.  Two events have happened that are of enormous importance, and I would like to take a moment, if you don't mind, to comment about them.  First, Steve Jobs.  I was never a huge fan of his while he lived, and I'm sorry to say that I never knew that much about him till he died.  What I have learned has been such an inspiration.  Thank you so much Steve Jobs!  You were a being full of love and light!  And I'm sure you still are, somewhere.


What do you think about the "Occupation of Wall Street"?  What is happening?!  We the people!  The sleeping giant is awakening!  It is incredible, wonderful!  We are saying to those few banksters who would garner all the wealth for themselves and the hell with everyone else, employing fraud and all sorts of nefarious activities for their own selfish aggrandizement, "No - no more!".  No matter the political persuasion, everyone I know has suffered at least some loss or marginalization because of the highly unethical and downright illegal actions of these perpetrators.  I'm so proud of those people in New York (I hope my relatives from CT are there at Zuccotti Park!), and if I wasn't so busy trying to tie up my business here, I would definitely be in LA or San Francisco in solidarity with all the people!  Power to the People!  WE ARE ONE.  I am not religious, but I do believe with all my heart that we are here to help each other.


Just one more thing...a housekeeping issue.  I had thought that by joining, people would receive each posting by email.  But from what I understand, that has not been happening.  I don't know if that is a bug in the blog, like some others I have noticed, or if you have to check back in periodically.  If that's the case, I have been posting about every three weeks.  I hope to write more once I am actually on the road.  And just so you'll know...if you sign up "private" you will be invisible to everyone, even me.   Also, it seems that the comments are not showing up.  If it is something I can fix, I will try to do that.  Thank you for reading!

Approaching the Autumn Equinox

Moving right along!  Or not....  Although I was shooting for a departure date of Sept. 15th...we have already blown by that, and now it looks to be the house will need another 3 weeks before closing (so say my Realtors).  That is OK, because there is still a lot left to do.  Three yard sales later, and there is still an incredible amount of things to unload, including my car.  I am planning yet another sale October 1, and more extensive listings of articles for sale on Craigslist.  Hey if you need anything at all, I probably have it, Cheap!  I think I told you in my last blog that I would limit myself to 2 boxes of books....NOT!  That number has increased to 3 and then no more!


There are still some dental matters to be finalized, and many, many goodbyes to say.  More on that later, but first I want to thank the people who have signed up here...when I think of how homesick I am going to be those first few months, your presence here, and hopefully on SKYPE, too, will be more important than even I can yet imagine!  And thank you for your comments, both here and the encouraging emails I have received.  I am so sincerely and deeply grateful to have you along for this ride.

Slick Rock, Three Rivers, CA (Foothills of the Sierra Nevada)

Parting with things that have been with me for years and years is difficult enough, but parting from people here and my beautiful adopted state of California, is nothing less than just awful.  I never did like good-byes, and I am just plain not good at them.  And although I lived in Visalia for the last 20 years, it's really Hanford that captured my heart completely.  As many of you know, I worked there for many years as a "pre-need" agent for Whitehurst McNamara Funeral Home.  Maybe it was familiar to me from another lifetime, or whatever, but I had a tremendous sense of peace and comfort in that community, and the people I met and came to know and love there will always have a special place in my heart.  Two of these dear friends, Debbie and Veronica, helped me say goodbye to my beloved Sierra Nevada mountains (Sequoia National Park) the weekend before Labor Day.  We had lunch at Wuksachi Lodge, and did the Lodgepole hike.  It was a perfect day!  And recently, there was a goodbye get together...thanks ya'll!


OK, so here's the plan.  As I said, I want to keep my itinerary flexible, so in case something comes up that is irresistible, I can say yes! without a great deal of troublesome alterations.  I will fly into Panama City first, and spend a couple of nights at a hostel there that I found on Expedia.  Nothing fancy (this trip is not a vacation from work so I don't expect anything to be fancy!), and from there I will travel to David, a larger city near the mountainous region of Panama.  I have read of a volunteer project in the forest there that I may want to check out.  That would give me an opportunity to meet some people and make contacts.  In whatever I do, I will try to avoid "being in a hurry"....isn't that the Latin way?  Manana!   This part of Panama is near the southern end of Costa Rica, so I will then travel there.  I hear that the buses are usually very modern and comfortable and everyone uses them.  And I'm told that Costa Rica is THE place for American Expats...we'll see!


Stay tuned!  

"Chamisa"

P.S.  I still need a home for the silky little timid flower, "Chamisa".  A loving older person(s) who can lavish attention upon her deserving beautiful self would be ideal.

Much to Do About Everything

In planning for a move to another continent, there are a million and one considerations...many things that I never ever gave a single thought to previously.  But among those, here is what I found to be most important, and the most difficult:




1.  Selling your house in the worst possible market.  After a slow start with "For Sale By Owner" and an unwise choice of a real estate agent who I later fired, I lucked out in finding a team of two Realtors who have boundless energy, great good humor, and it seems, a passion for selling my house!  One week after I listed with Roy Kendall Company, Roy (Broker) and Gracie Banda (Agent & Past Loan Officer) they brought me a signed offer.  This is a stressful business, but believe me, they are a delight...I am very fortunate to have found them.  It is not a done deal yet.  Banks are now using every excuse possible NOT to loan.  It seems crazy, but I know from first hand experience this is true.  So I'm just sitting on pins and needles.  If I'm unable to sell....I don't even want to think about it!




2.  Finding the right person/people who will love and care for your animals.
I wrote a description of my cats for adoption/foster care called, "A Tail of Three Kitties".  I had posted it at the Senior Center down the street, and e-mailed it to many friends hoping for a happy outcome.  Nothing for months.  Then, my dear friend Louise Maynard, who has a fairy-tale ranch of about 28 acres in the foothills of Orosi, said she would care for two of my cats, Bob and Julie.  They are inseparable and I just know they will be very happy with Louise and Wayne, two of the best and kindest people on the planet.  They will have other animal friends including four horses, (Charger, Trigger, Leland and Punkin), 2 darling dogs (Bear and ) and one Siamese cat named Mickey.  Not to mention the sheep and goats.  What an adventure for my two lucky cats!  I'm sure they'll meet with many unlucky gophers.  I plan to return for Bob & Julie in about 6 months when I am settled into my new home.


My other cat, Chamisa, a beautiful black manx, rescued as a kitten from a feral pride about 3 years ago, is the most affectionate of all, and I have not yet found a home for her.  Hers will be a permanent adoption.  To understand why, you will have to read "The Tail of Three Kitties".  I will be happy to send you that story. 


Sadly, my adopted cat from the local animal shelter, Queen Josephine, left this realm one week ago today.  She was close to twenty years, had suffered a stroke in March, and her health had deteriorated to a very low point.  Josie was with us from 1995.  She was the most sociable of my cats and had many friends and admirers.  She is greatly missed.

3.  In the midst of dealing with the loss of Josie, I'm looking at all the things I have thus far accumulated in my life, and knowing that it is going to be hell parting with most of these.  How did I ever get to be so materialistic?  This is something I definitely need to change.  I have decided to keep very little.  I am parting with all of my business clothing, and about 80% of all the rest.  For example, out of about 25 pairs of shoes, I plan on taking only maybe 3 pair.  Furniture...out.  Books...(this is really hard...out of 3 large bookcases, I will allow myself two small boxes.  The rest...gone.  Music?  I hope to digitalize what I want to keep from my CD's.  I could go on and on, but let's just say, I hope that I can pare my belongings down to what can fit in a 100 sq. foot container or less.  If anyone has had experience with this, please let me hear from you!  This process makes me greatly admire my late father, who managed to move to California with what he carried on the airplane, and two mailed parcels, one containing his tools.




4.  An awful lot of time is spent researching the various countries of Central and South America, learning about the economies, politics, customs, accommodations, climate, modes of travel, all of this and more and it is endlessly interesting but so time consuming!  Luckily, there are many web-sites designed for ex-pats in all the different countries, with people who made the move and share their experiences with you.  Valuable contacts can be made on sites like these.  All the various governments, including the United States, have websites with invaluable information, also.  At first I was concerned about Visas, but soon learned that most of these countries allow you to visit for 90 days with just your passport before further documentation is needed.  So that is one thing that can wait!  But did you know that in most of these countries a bank will not accept your initial deposit without a letter of reference from your former bank in the U.S.?


Well, I think that's enough for this post.  There is so much more to say, but I'll save it for the next time...maybe I could address some of the philosophical considerations involved in a move like this.  Or, better yet, maybe my dear readers have some questions and I could write to those!  I look forward to your comments!  Adios, mi amigos!

This is It!

Well, here's to the adventure of my life.  To many of you this will be a big surprise...I have not talked a lot about it because of some advice I received from an artist friend long ago.  Harnie (what a name!) said, "Never talk about what you plan or hope to do, because it dissipates the energy you need to accomplish it."


In case this is the first you've heard, I'm leaving for Central America sometime in mid-September, and from there I plan to explore some of South America.  I do not have a firm itinerary, except that I plan to fly to Panama, visit Costa Rica, maybe Ecuador, then bus (or sail?!) to Chile and over the Andes to Argentina.  I do have some Spanish, and have taken a conversational course this summer...  And eventually, I hope to find,  you guessed it, a little farm!  I know... from Canada, Washington, Oregon, California, to another continent!  So be it.


This idea to go came to me out of the blue very late one night, and would not allow me to go back to sleep.  I suddenly knew I had to make a drastic change in my life...one that would shake me fully awake in my very core.  And trust me, it already has done just that.  The whole process of deciding where to go, what to do, how to relieve myself of most all of my possessions (and my babies...my cats!), and all the thousands of details that need to be looked into or taken care of...all this and more has since kept me awake for what feels like years (but in reality only the last few months)!  It is a nerve-wracking, crazy, and totally exciting time in my life.


I decided to do this blog, on the advice of my dear friend Martha Alexandros.  She said that other people who are contemplating doing the same thing, or some variation of it, would be interested to know the process involved right from the beginning.  At first I didn't think that there would be enough to write about until I actually set foot in Central America.  But now I know better, because the emotional landscape alone, right inside my poor tired head, is full of incredible color!  Believe me, there is a lot I want to share with you right this very moment.  But I think I should keep these posts short and sweet, so as not to tire my very busy readers.


What a wonderful thing it would be if you would come along; my dearest friends, family, travelers all, and share this experience with me!   I will post often, my thoughts and pictures, and I hope that you will comment.  We can have some lively discussions.  I doubt I will have a cell phone in the beginning and I'm sure there will be lonely moments...your comments will mean so much to me!  If you have questions, (and you may well have after this shockeroo) please send those to me at cynthiakoval@yahoo.com, rather than posting them here.  Thanks for reading this, and, please do accompany me on this journey.