Hello 2015!

Well I made it until midnight with no nap either. It really isn't quite the same without Dick Clark, but we muddled through with Carson Daly. I must be out of the Hollywood/TV loop as I had no clue who the other 3 people were that were sitting with him.

So this is the time of year for reflection. I am very grateful to still be working at home in a career I still love, despite the ups and downs. We have been able to get our bathroom totally remodeled, get a great water filtration system (we have horrible water here with heavy lime build up prior to this system), and also got a new hot water heater.

While we hope to have the powder room and other bathroom remodeled in 2015, I am also looking at other desires...financial ones. I would love to pay our house off sooner than a little less than 8 years from now (refinanced to a 10 year mortgage 2 years ago September, which was a good thing or else we'd still have 21 years to go-lived here 9 years). If it was paid off I would not feel like I have to maintain the same earning level in order to meet all the financial demands and it would take a lot of pressure off me. Heck in 5 short years I could conceivably retire, (at 72.5% of my social security benefit, assuming that is still running - topic for another time). The word retirement will most likely not be a reality, at least I don't see it at this point. But it would be nice to at least know it is an option and if the mortgage were paid off ,it would be an option at least and not an 'impossible dream'.

I've also been looking and subscribe to some 'tiny house' publications and listings. These are houses that are 'tiny' only about 300 sq ft some less, some more. The tiny houses I've seen have been at wonderful prices, most under $50K. This is not an option at this point with 5 dogs and frankly this will probably never be a path that we'll take. There are a couple reasons for this. True tiny houses are not recognized as real estate so it is sometimes hard to find a place to set them permanently. They also are mobile and I would not want to come home from the store at some point with no home there (having it stolen by a pick up truck with the proper hitch).

Another reason I'll probably never live in a tiny home is the safety factor. There are so many natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes that I would be worried that my tiny house would not remain sound if it encountered one of these disasters. I realize many stick built homes may not fair very well either but a tiny home can be lifted and tossed around in a tornado like a rag doll, and that thought does not sit well with me.

Of course there won't be any move anyway for several years most likely. I moved my folks nearby and thankfully they are both fairly healthy even though they are in their upper 80's. I could see either one or both of them living another 5 years or more.

So again...just New Year's musings.

We took down the Christmas decorations today. Hubby still has the outside ones to take down but that isn't happening today. It is rainy and in the 30's outside so maybe when it is dry and warmer. No rush there anyway, we just won't plug them in. We are watching the third season of the TV series 24 these days. They are really good! We've seen all of them but this one and the last 8th (I think) season which we also bought to watch. I never really watched them when they were on. It must have been when something else was on TV at that time.

Going to end this here...The first of daily blogs. :-)