But that all ended when I married, 35 years ago, at the age of 33. I make no complaints, I have a good marriage and I do not regret it for a moment. But it changed me, and it “settled me down”, a figure of speech I never fully understood until now. I have lost all interest in travel, and in adventure. It is only a colossal inconvenience and an endless litany of discomforts. I have become a Hobbit in my dotage.

I have few friends now, and little interest in acquiring new ones. My family is mostly dead or scattered, and although I love my home, (the house, the building) I’m not particularly happy with the town or state where I live, nor is my neighborhood and community particularly endearing. America has become remarkably uniform, one place has become pretty much just like every other. I miss the places and times of my youth, I miss Tampa, I miss Tennessee, I miss Pittsburgh, I miss Northern California. But I am not interested in going back to any of them. You can’t go back, there is a peculiar relativity at work in life, as you change your time, space is also changed. Those places are no longer how I remember them, because I have changed.

When I retired I had assumed I would be free to travel, learn a new hobby or devote myself fully to my old ones, learn a new language or a musical instrument, or read my old textbooks and get it right this time. None of those things happened, and although I am astonished at that, I don’t really care. Am I finally at peace, or am I just burned out? What’s the difference?

I am happy and comfortable now, and at peace with the world. But at my age, I also know that could change in a moment. I could easily become a victim of financial problems, natural disaster, war, crime, national crisis, and of course, bad health. And if I lose my wife, the world will change in ways I cannot possibly anticipate. I know I will no longer have the psychic resources I once could rely on to confront catastrophe.

Or as my old pal O.D. Fortune once remarked, “Another ad-fucking-venture.”

I have always been a *house* person. I love fussing over it. I need roots because I am a loner, but also because an apartment seems transient. My home is a reflection of me.

I remember when I was in the Keys, I saw a tiny little itty bitty miniscule abode tucked away in the trees next to a restaurant. I thought then how cool it would be to live there. I adapt well to my surroundings…but apartments seem so confining.

My first house here in Mobile, 1000 sq ft, cost me 11K back in 65 and it is estimated at 45K now. It would be more but the area is sort of getto these days.

My house in Atlanta 3100 sq ft cost 125K in 85. It is estimated at 389K now. I was shocked at that number Atlanta has really turned around since the crash.

Real Estate in CA is insane. I know he would never say but I’ll bet Tom’s house is well over a mil.

My Mobile, AL house, 2000 sq ft, cost 66K in 95 and it is estimated at 143K now.

These are modest homes, and ideal for families starting out, but young people and kids can’t move in, so this restricts the market, making them cheaper than comparable housing elsewhere in town.

People aren’t retiring as much any more on account of the economy, most people have to work til they die these days, so our natural market, retirees from up north, is drying up.

Still, we didn’t buy the house as an investment, we knew we weren’t likely to move before we died. We paid it off in 2010, just before I retired.

Obviously I have a postage stamp size lawn, but houses here are cheap. All tract housing though.

I see why now, youngins use these as starter homes, however, for me, it wasn’t. This is our third. We worked up to this . As you can see, in this case, *conservative* takes on a different meaning. We bought our house 26 years ago for 88,000. THAT was a huge leap for us at the time, but the school district was desirable and they had sidewalks and parks. I was willing to eat peanut butter and jelly for dinner every night if that was what it took.

Since my husband has retired we are back to the conservative mindset. We have a strict grocery budget and the house is now paid for.

I wouldn’t know any other way.