Timely Decisions

I lost my job two years ago even though I was able to successfully telecommute. Apparently the department I worked for couldn't see the advantage of allowing me to continue working. I'm still resentful.

They wanted me to place my mom in a nursing home, or move her to Michigan and use adult day care to enable me to keep my job, retirement benefits and insurance. I knew what our resources were and knew that $4000 a month was out of reach. Of course I could have spent down her savings and sold her passive solar adobe home, built by my parents own sweat labor and then let Medicare pick up the tab. 28 months, so far, it would have cost $108,000.00 just for the benefit of keeping myself employed. It would have been a horrid decision. Nope. I had 90 days to make the decision, and then I could take family leave followed by personal leave for one year, after which time they would rehire me, keeping my benefits intact. It didn't happen. My mom is the Energizer Bunny incarnate and I am still unemployed.

Having written many times about the housing bubble and peak oil and knowing the economy was teetering on the edge, it wasn't too tough for me to conclude that I would be better off taking care of her myself. Besides, it was a promise I had made to my father.

It hasn't been easy, and I still have no health insurance, but I have been busy making our lives as sustainable as possible. I'll write more about those preparations another time.

Things will never again be as they were two years ago for me, or for anyone else. The housing market is NOT going to pick up again anytime soon. Whose kids can afford a house? They are the future buyers. We can't waste money continuing to prop up a dead cat. Cats only bounce every now and then. Meanwhile, More families move in together during housing crisis.

I hope they are all planting their own food and learning how to preserve it. posted by Cyndy | link | | |
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