Cabin fever,,,,,,,,

Greetings!!!

I bet you are all thinking,,, "why would anyone be writing about cabin fever in the summer time"?  Well, if you are like I am and cannot tolerate heat and humidity you are stuck inside during this high heat wave.  How many people get stuck inside during bad heat days hugging the air conditioner?

I have been assessing life in general lately.  Seems I am inside most of the winter because of the bitter cold.  And I am inside most of the summer because of the extreme heat.  That leaves just a little bit of out door time in the spring and fall.  Something is wrong with this picture!!

Luckily for me I don't really get "cabin fever" like a lot of people do.  I have enough to keep me busy inside.  Especially with the ceramics and other crafts that I do.  I am not much on watching TV although I admit I have watched more TV in the last two years with Frank than the 10 previous years of my life.  But still, I could take it or leave it and once he is gone I will leave it.  I find more enjoyment in my crafts or reading a good book. 

Many folks do not read much or enjoy making crafts.  Those are the type that will get cabin fever in a hurry.  Some will go out in the summer no matter how hot and humid it might be rather than stay inside because of cabin fever.  I would rather be comfortable in the air conditioning than to be out in the heat sweating to death, risking heat exhaustion or heat stroke, taxing my heart to work harder in the heat, making my lungs work harder to breath that hot humid air, getting sunburned and all the other stuff that goes with being outside in this heat.

So after thinking about all this I have decided I need to move to a cooler, drier climate.  If I have to stay in for the most part in the winter then let me live in a place where I can get out for at least a good portion of the summer, and also spring and fall.  Not that I get cabin fever but a body needs to have sunshine.  Not to the point of burning,,,, but the sun does have its benefits for the body.  And not getting any sun at all is not good for us.  Not getting enough sun will actually weaken our immune systems.

I have been looking at real estate and cost of living in several areas of the country.  I once lived in Albuquerque, NM.  The climate there is wonderful.  The air is dry, not much of a winter either, snow doesn't last long and they don't get the bitter cold winds we do up north.  But it has gotten expensive to live there.  I might be able to afford a small condo but not a single family home.  Condo life does have some advantages though.  I have NM on my list of possibilities.

I looked into the Denver, Colorado area.  Denver and most of its suburbs are way more expensive than I could afford but Aurora has very reasonable priced condos.  But I wonder why Aurora is so much less expensive than the other suburbs of Denver?  That will take a lot more research.

I knew right off the bat Arizona is way to expensive for my budget.  I don't much like California.  Nevada can be good depending on the area, some are way higher than others.  Forget about any place in the south east, way to hot and humid for me.

Part of me has thought about going back to NY state but much further north of where I grew up at.  Think north of the Adirondacks, close to the Canadian border.  There are both good and bad points to that.  Winters are very harsh.  But the summers are a lot cooler with their average high temperature at only 75F.  To have a sustainable garden you would have to be able to start your plants in a greenhouse as the growing season is much shorter.  The cost of utilities would be higher in the winter especially. 

As you can see there is a lot to take into consideration when you are planning on moving and can be picky about where you want to move to.  I can be picking because I can take my business anywhere.  I am not too worried about being a "shut in" during winter as I am now for the most part.  I like to garden so I am not really sure condo living would be right for me. I guess that would depend on if I could have at least a small garden.  I am not really wild about big cities although I have lived in them and did just fine.

So the next thing I really need to do is make a list of priorities and what is really more important to me.  Would I give up country life if I could find the other things I want in a big city?  Do I prefer a single family home versus a condo?  Can I handle the maintenance of a single family home as I grow older?  Oh so many things to consider!!  Just thinking about all these things will keep me from getting cabin fever, LOL.

What about you?  What do you do to keep cabin fever at bay when you are stuck inside due to the weather?  Or do you just brave the elements and go outside anyway to avoid cabin fever??

Just some points to ponder during this wicked heat wave, LOL.

Until next time,,,,,Blessings!