[senior citizen]

On a personal note, I can say that we have decided to continue visiting all of our favorite states.......plus some new ones, including Arizona........but to retain the family home in Vermont. Vacationing in Florida will always be our favorite getaway. It always has been.

Life is short...... Nothing is cast in stone. People are allowed to explore their options & then make an intelligent decision based on their own needs & experiences.


We have a beautiful home here. We are not party animals, that's for sure. So, as much fun as the dancing in the squares might be to some......nada for us. We are not drinkers. We are family oriented & always have been throughout our FIFTY YEARS OF MARRIAGE.

Real estate sales ARE NOT thriving. Not willing to take such a huge loss on the family homestead. So, not willing to buy a second home, especially if we cannot sell the first.


Also, with two people in a long term marriage, compromise is at the top of the priorities. We are not singles, that's for sure.


Granted, this has been a very harsh winter.......with sub zero temps for weeks now. However, spring will be here soon.......& the season is fondly remembered.....from the first time we arrived in 1970.......raised our children here.......Vermont is "home" to them as well.


Autumn is also a glorious season........people flock to Vermont for the foliage & vistas.


We look forward to the visits from all six (6) of our grandchildren (plus one great grandchild due this summer). We enjoy frequent family reunions in Vermont & Maine.

Being away for more than two months is just not workable.

As someone who was considering snowbird-ism, I can see this conflict which many have.


We have moved to Florida TWICE in our 50 years of marriage......both times returned to Vermont...........which has a mystique only someone who has lived her can truly know.


It is not as bad as some are painting it to be...........truly NOT. We feel safe here. It is the safest state.


Scholarly people who enjoy research & creative pursuits enjoy Vermont.


Yes, it is an all white state as someone stated.......the drug pushers who try to infiltrate the less than "bright" handful of youth.....stand out like a sore thumb.....esp. in their manner of dress. Flashy, etc.

Many move to Fla. as we did & then return back "home"......Fla. is a great place to vacation, but to many, "home is home".. ****


We've lived on both coasts of Florida, beachside both times. We have a frame of reference. We have vacationed up & down both coasts for 50 years. Once in the middle (excluding all the yearly visits to DISNEY)

****It's one of the reasons I have not become a snowbird, so far, and plan to only take shorter vacations to warmer climes.


A few months away is our limit.


Relocating back & forth gets expensive........so common sense has to prevail.


Believe it or not, many couples relocate to New England after retirement.......whether it be to coastal Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, etc.

Not New Jersey where we were born, not New York where we had grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.... not Colorado where we have grandchildren.......but Florida will always remain our favorite vacation state. Plus coastal Maine.


Hubby cannot tolerate the HEAT; I'm not fond of the super high humidity which does not feel good as per my arthritis. Nor the cement floors.

Four seasons living is just better for some folks.......when you finally get sick of one, such as winter, spring cannot be far behind.


Vacations away are something to look forward to. Truly they are.


Yesterday, January 29, was the 13th anniversary of my mom's passing in Vermont....she is buried here in a small town cemetery with a panoramic view of the beautiful Green Mountains. She passed on her own mom's death date of January 29, 1959 and on my father's January 29, 1899 birthday. All of our friends & neighbors are buried in this same cemetery.

There is a "continuity" to life here. It isn't so transient.
We have friends OF ALL AGES........like they say, it's a cradle to grave town.


Our Vermont grandchildren love to visit us......& we love to have them. Our Colorado grandchildren come east once or twice per year. THIS IS HOME. FLORIDA IS OUR VACATION STATE. NOT A CRIME......LAST I LOOKED.


There is no rule that says we cannot enjoy Florida as we wish.....while retaining our "home" in Vermont. Life is not so black nor white.......this way or the highway sort of mentality.


Seeing the beautiful GREEN MOUNTAINS IN THE SUMMERTIME or in the early spring ON EMPTY HIGHWAYS & BYWAYS........plus the glorious autumn.......is one of the reasons my New Jersey mom, who never thought she'd escape the factories of New Jersey .....chose to retire here to Vermont........enjoying a good 30 plus years of retirement......passing at age 91.


The people are the salt of the earth. Not the nosy neighbor type, but they are THERE FOR YOU IF YOU NEED THEM. We've all seen our babies born, our children start school & graduate college; get married........have babies of their own.........hard to explain if you've never lived in a small town.


Mom always called Vermont "God's Country" when she got back from her senior citizen trips around the U.S. (to Branson, Missouri.....Atlantic City, N.J.......upper peninsula of Michigan........Maine seacoast........Canada......Florida.......etc., etc.)


It truly is God's Country.........no billboards allowed on the roadsides......no drive by shootings........think we will stay.


We will sneak back into Florida in the springtime; that was always our favorite time to visit..........less chance of the airplane's wings having to be de iced.
　
　

[OBXNana]

It sounds like you have made your decision based on the needs and wants for you as a couple in a long committed relationship. (Congratulations on 50 years!) Once we made the decision of what was best for us (snow birds after retirement) it was peace of mind. It appeared with your posts you were very conflicted. Doesn't making the decision take a burden from your shoulders? You can always change your mind if circumstances change, but for now, you can enjoy all the things you mention in your post without wondering if the grass is green on the other side.

[DianeM]

I so understand being conflicted. Congratulations on making the decision on where you want to live. I want to go "home" as well. Just have to figure out how.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by OBXNana

It sounds like you have made your decision based on the needs and wants for you as a couple in a long committed relationship. (Congratulations on 50 years!) Once we made the decision of what was best for us (snow birds after retirement) it was peace of mind. It appeared with your posts you were very conflicted. Doesn't making the decision take a burden from your shoulders? You can always change your mind if circumstances change, but for now, you can enjoy all the things you mention in your post without wondering if the grass is green on the other side.

Thank you for totally understanding................


Rather than move yet again, only to "perhaps" return back.......at our age, would be difficult......not to mention expensive.


With so many rentals available.......it will be easy to be a snowbird for whatever timeframe we choose........what I cannot "get" is why so many frown on snowbirds? Live & let live. Or, like the old saying, "Fools rush in"......been there done that. What looks great on a vacation, isn't necessarily so. There is something to be said for the comfort of familiarity & the same old same old. New England is NOT MODERN.....but quaint.
But it's that charm that holds us. Plus the sense of continuity.


I've been contacted by dozens of couples who have sold their northern homes, moved into their new homes in TV.......only to realize it was not for them.........then have to go through the entire process all over again.......some actually lasted several years, up to 7 or so years before realizing it wasn't for them. When we were younger, moving back & forth with children was not a problem........but "getting old" now.


Each of our northern "Vermont" homes we have stayed in for twenty years each. First raising the family. Second after we returned from Venice, Fl.
Early on, we were in New Jersey......our home state.


When we were YOUNG, taking the kids to Disney World each April school vacation, we thought D.W. would be the IDEAL place to live. Now, they have all kinds of condos & homes near it......but not for us at all NOW.


We thought it would be a great place to own a business........then found out that was impossible. But flying down & back in April each year was great. Saw all the newest resorts go up......stayed in all of them......


Now, our kids take their own little ones........it's the LAST PLACE we'd want to hike around. But loved it when young. Life moves on.


The other thing is I have come to the conclusion that it's mostly YOUNG RETIREES in TV......not seventy somethings.....We retired at age 66 from private business life.........not the corporate world or the military which are very lucky to retire early.


Again, we have friends of all ages, so not a problem........but live in a mixed age community. We are now the elders (getting spoiled by the younger ones wanting to clean the snow off of our driveway, as we once did for others.........)


You have the best of both worlds. Truly.


Thanks for taking the time to post.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by DianeM

I so understand being conflicted. Congratulations on making the decision on where you want to live. I want to go "home" as well. Just have to figure out how.

I know you understand & I thank you for that.........actually, it's been a process but the decision was made last July.


Home is where the heart is. Our family is our heart; our grandchildren are our heart........people in Vermont are accepting of differences/diversity & yet remain true to themselves. Old folks are jolly; accepting the inevitability of aging. Part of life.


It's the snowbird thing now. Always something.


But, there's always Arizona. I don't think they mind them as much there.
My sister in law seems to enjoy it.....(this is her second retirement home after retiring from teaching; bought the first one in N.J.)


She's had her first cold winter there..........even sent me photos of SNOW in her back yard. So cold she had to go on a cruise to the Hawaiian Islands out of San Diego, CA.


She just returned. Said the Pacific Ocean was so smooth.


But summers in AZ are hotter than HELL. No one there would disagree with me on that comment.


So many places to see & so many things to do. For you as well !!!
REMEMBER THAT.


I wish you well.....

[kcrazorbackfan]

Congratulations on your 50 years of marriage; that is really an accomplishment!

A lot of thought goes into making a major decision as to where you want to live in the "golden years"; our biggest struggle was leaving my son and his family. But we realized they had their own lives, their own friends and their own ways of doing things. Granted, the last 2.5 years living around them have been awesome, seeing the grandkids take their first steps, saying their first words, running to see PawPaw Steve and Nanaw Joy; that's the hardest part of this move. But, we hate the Midwest winters and wanted to stay young while growing older so that's why we made the desision to move to TV.

Enjoy your life in VT and again, congrats on the 50 years.

[njbchbum]

senior citizen - Congrats on your decision! You, like us, will have the best of all worlds having time and space for family, away from family, and occasionally taking select family on outings with you!

Should you and yours ever venture back to the Villages during snowbird season or into N.J. during the height of our tourist season, please lemme know as I am sure we would have a grand time talking about old and new haunts from the Mid-Atlantic thru New England!

[PR1234]

We have one foot in MI and one foot in FL, 6 months of each. We feel VERY grateful that at this time in our lives we are able to have two homes and go back and forth and still keep up with friends and grands in MI, while enjoying the warm winters in Fl. Having said that....it is truly a pain the A$$ going back and forth. This is our 8 winter here, so as long as we can keep healthy and have the energy (which it takes a LOT of) we will keep being one of those 'Damned Snowbirds' ;-)

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by PR1234

We have one foot in MI and one foot in FL, 6 months of each. We feel VERY grateful that at this time in our lives we are able to have two homes and go back and forth and still keep up with friends and grands in MI, while enjoying the warm winters in Fl. Having said that....it is truly a pain the A$$ going back and forth. This is our 8 winter here, so as long as we can keep healthy and have the energy (which it takes a LOT of) we will keep being one of those 'Damned Snowbirds' ;-)

Many of us really like our "Damned Snowbirds"!, and miss you when you are gone.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by kcrazorbackfan

Congratulations on your 50 years of marriage; that is really an accomplishment!

A lot of thought goes into making a major decision as to where you want to live in the "golden years"; our biggest struggle was leaving my son and his family. But we realized they had their own lives, their own friends and their own ways of doing things. Granted, the last 2.5 years living around them have been awesome, seeing the grandkids take their first steps, saying their first words, running to see PawPaw Steve and Nanaw Joy; that's the hardest part of this move. But, we hate the Midwest winters and wanted to stay young while growing older so that's why we made the desision to move to TV.

Enjoy your life in VT and again, congrats on the 50 years.

Thank you. Our winter here thus far as been miserable as well, however, it's almost over. But, first another snowstorm arriving Sunday into Monday. Hubby hasn't had to snowblow once so far this winter; our young neighbor has been snowplowing us out with his truck plow.


Even the deer family are coming every single morning to our front lawn searching for apples (this used to be an apple orchard & deer seem to navigate back....even generations later......it's happened for the past twenty years we've been in this particular home; same neighborhood since 1970.......just it's a different house which we bought when we returned from Venice, Fl. in 1995. The neighborhood drew us back like a magnet.


"Thinking Spring" at the moment.


Our son & his family plus our daughter & her family do not live near us.
However, they like to come home every now & then to their "home town".
Our grandchildren have always enjoyed visiting the historic landmarks, the museum, plus old Grammie & Gramp (us) & whichever of their friends/families are still "in town"........like yours, they have their own busy lives, careers, & ways of doing things. So, I "hear you". We are not the kind that need them around us 24/7.


Luckily, we are each other's best friend. Since age 17. Married since 20.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

senior citizen - Congrats on your decision! You, like us, will have the best of all worlds having time and space for family, away from family, and occasionally taking select family on outings with you!

Should you and yours ever venture back to the Villages during snowbird season or into N.J. during the height of our tourist season, please lemme know as I am sure we would have a grand time talking about old and new haunts from the Mid-Atlantic thru New England!

Great minds think alike, for sure !!

You truly have the best of THREE WORLDS.

We have fond memories of the entire Maine seacoast plus interior Maine up to Moosehead Lake......etc. We'd like to rent a big modern family log cabin up there for another family reunion.
The lake is as smooth as glass & the water is clean & clear.
Very peaceful.

Ours seem to like the "destination" get togethers.....plus all of the little cousins can play together..........everyone we know LOVES children......this year we will have "7" little ones.......no doubt NOT for a retirement community.

Ditto for the New Jersey beaches: Wildwood Crest, Seaside Heights, Ortley Beach, Asbury Park, Long Beach Island & all the smaller seaside towns inbetween..........our youthful haunts plus places we rented in , on the beach, when we were young.

In the 1970's we began going to the New Hampshire & Maine beaches, plus Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket, as they were closer (from Vermont).......so it's been awhile since we were at the Jersey shore........or "renting a cottage there".

My brother lives right near Point Pleasant Beach. He's 80 now.
Also, I have a cousin, retired policeman from New York City, who also owns a home at Point Pleasant Beach......

I knew you would "get it"........thanks.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by pr1234

we have one foot in mi and one foot in fl, 6 months of each. We feel very grateful that at this time in our lives we are able to have two homes and go back and forth and still keep up with friends and grands in mi, while enjoying the warm winters in fl. Having said that....it is truly a pain the a$$ going back and forth. This is our 8 winter here, so as long as we can keep healthy and have the energy (which it takes a lot of) we will keep being one of those 'damned snowbirds' ;-)

Love your post. Good for you !!!

Enjoy the best of both worlds..........something to truly look forward to with the change of seasons.......

[Blessed2BNTV]

I echo others......we love the snowbirds! TV has a different vibe this time of year.

Congratulations on 50+ years of marriage.