If you don't like the weather...

just wait five minutes is how the old saying goes....

Well, around here, we don't wait five minutes. We wait a week or more. I live in a place where LITERALLY, people have been talking all week that it's going to be WARM THIS WEEKEND! You'd think it was the second coming of sunshine or something....

Now, what does any of this have to do with a blog dedicated to those over 60? Well, I'll tell you...the whole issues of where one is going to live in one's golden years is a very hot topic. There are more than two schools of thought.

School of Thought Number 1 is that you stay where you were planted. That's where your friends are, you want to grow old in your familiar surroundings, your kids want to come back to where they grew up.

SOT #2 is that you stay in the same community or metropolitan area, but you find something more "retirement friendly." This includes condos, houses on one floor, houses with first floor bedrooms and handicapped-accessible bathrooms, apartment complexes that only allow people 55 and over to hang out etc. etc. etc. We won't talk about continuing care retirement communities and assisted living because we're turning 60, not 85.

SOT #3 is that you move near your kids. SOT 3.1 says you actually ASK your kids if they want you to do this. SOT 3.2 says "Hey, we're all adults here" and one day you announce that you've bought a condo a few miles away and that you're available for babysitting. They can take it or leave it.

SOT #4 is that you pick some wonderful place where you've always wanted to live. And this is where our discussion of the weather becomes relevant (you wondered where I was going with this, right?)because, and I am embarrassed to say this, but the older you get the more important temperate climes become.

There, I've said it. I feel like a weeny, but after years in Cleveland and New England, frankly I'm not all that sad when someone invites me to NC or AZ. The question is, would I want to live there FOREVER. Would I want to REGISTER TO VOTE THERE?

This used to be an easier question because the world was divided into places where you would be proud to say you're paying taxes and places where you would be embarrassed to say that you're supporting the current government. But the last election turned places like FL, NC, IN, VA, etc. into what are traditionally called "blue states." This opens a whole new world for those of use who can't imagine moving to a new town and NOT volunteering for the sign commission. Oh yeah, I forgot, those libertarian southern states don't have things like the sign commission. They'll let ANYONE put up ANY SIGN they want. Of course, it means that you feel like you're living in a billboard jungle but that's freedom of expression for you.

I've personally picked out about five places where I would be comfortable retiring to. And NO, one of them is NOT IN FLORIDA! (No offense to my friends who live or winter in Florida.) I've decided that Washington, DC, San Diego, CA, Flagstaff, AZ, St. John's USVI, and Christchurch NZ meet my acceptable standards. Except for one of them, they're all far from my grandchildren however. Hmmmmm.

SOT #5 is that you sell your house, buy an RV and simply start driving. You suck up to friends who travel a lot and offer to housesit for them. You learn where the good shopping center parking lots are. You embarrass your children by parking this monster truck in their driveway. But you always have the wind at your back and you're not tied down (unless gas goes to $7.50 a gallon....)

So we do have options, but each one carries risk as well as reward....to be continued...