Monday, August 21, 2006
The pros and cons of my situation.....
Have been thinking a lot over the past few months about how different my life might be when I finally move to Sioux Falls after the house sells. I have visited South Dakota before, but have only been to Sioux Falls twice, each time for just a few hours. Quite different from living there, so I expect I may experience a bit of culture shock once I move in. There are probably advantages and disadvantages to almost any situation, just as there are to this one. So I've compiled a list of what I will probably miss and not miss about my current home.
What I'll miss (in no particular order):
1. Mountains! For most of my life, I've been within a 45 minute drive of the Rocky Mountains. I can go to natural hot springs, watch the wildlife near a lake above timberline, shop for unique items in a historic downtown district, and get back home again in time for supper. And for most of my life, I've been within sight of my favorite mountain, Long's Peak. After I move, I will have to drive about five hours to see any mountains (the Black Hills). And I will have to re-learn how to cook for low elevation as I am not accustomed to living close to sea level.
2. Sermi-arid climate. I'm used to mostly moderate weather without major extremes in heat, cold or humidity. If it snows here, it will melt away the next day. If it's unbearably hot during the day, at night it will be pleasantly cool. Wind chill is not usually a big factor. And the air doesn't get all sticky during the summer. Rain showers are infrequent and usually brief, occurring about 4pm, and help cool off the heat of the day. In Sioux Falls, the summers will be hotter, the winters colder, the humidity much higher. So my arthritis will be worse in the cold and my heat intolerance worse in the summer. And I find the air very heavy and uncomfortable whenever I go someplace at low elevation, so this will take a quite a bit of an adjustment.
3. Choices. I'm in a metropolitan area of 2 million people, so there are plenty of products and services to choose from. Specialty food is plentiful, much of it made locally, and I can even eat in a restaurant that is completely gluten free. If I don't like a certain doctor, I can go to another, and another, until I find what I need. Entertainment is not a problem as there are dozens of movie theatres. There is so much shopping available here that it's almost scary. And there are 24 hour stores all over the place. Sioux Falls has about 125,000 people I think, so naturally, there are fewer local products and services. There is only one grocery chain, so I may have trouble finding the food I'm accustomed to. The nutritional supplements I rely upon are generally not sold there that I know of. There are very few places i can eat out. Sioux Falls does have three hospitals, so I will have access to medical care, but I'm not going to be able to pick and choose a team of specialists that works best for me like I did here. I don't know yet if there are electric carts in the grocery store and Target/Wally World or something similar, but if there aren't, I will have to rely on Dan to do all my shopping there, which would really suck. I will still be able to find movies to see, but the obscure foreign and independent films probably won't make an appearance there.
4. LIberal religion. I belong to an extremely open-minded church that loves to interact with other faiths so we can learn from one another and see what we have in common. We accept people of differing races, sexual orientation, even former atheists like me. I've been able to go to interfaith peace prayers at a mosque, a synagogue, churches of many denominations. This opportunity will likely be absent in Sioux Falls if for no other reason that it is a much smaller city. There are a couple of churches there of the same denomination I belong to, and I'm hoping that at least one of them will be liberal enough to accept me.
5. Diversity. I currently live in a very diverse area. Many of my neighbors are mixed race couples, and a few are same sex couples. I am very comfortable here and feel like I fit in. If I end up moving to a primarily WASP neighborhood where mixed race couples are frowned upon and gays feel like they must stay in the closet, I must admit I'm going to feel like an outsider. But maybe Sioux Falls isn't like that. I hope.
6. Support groups. I belong to one for Sjogren's syndrome and one for fibromyalgia. I find spending time with others who have the same ailments I do to be very helpful. We can compare notes on doctors and treatments, learn the latest medical findings, commiserate with each other, give suggestions to the newly diagnosed. I haven't been able to find any support groups in Sioux Falls. Thank goodness for Sjogren's and fibromyalgia online message boards.
7. Radio. There are 42 radio stations here. I can listen to anything that suits my mood. We have modern/alternative, hard rock, classic/oldies, electronica, hip hop, country, Latino, jazz, classical, etc. There are also lots of talk and news stations. I have a feeling I'm not going to listen to the radio as much in Sioux Falls. At least I'll have my iTunes no matter where I live, and once I get a decent internet connection, I can listen to those stations.
8. My family and friends here. I'm not going to have the money or energy to come back here much to visit, and I doubt any of my relatives are going to drive 600 miles just to see me.
9. This house. We bought it from the builder, so we've lived in it since the day it was completed. We picked out the carpet, the countertops, the hardwood floors, the linoleum, all the appliances. We opted for the extra room where the command center resides, double sinks in the master bedroom, had some of the rooms wired for ceiling fans, nice small low maintenance yard. It was OUR house, dammit. Now we're gonna have to live in someone else's house, probably a ranch style at least 20 years old. I'll have to put up with someone else's taste in decor and amenities, at least until I have the time, money and energy to change it. Even then, it probably won't ever feel like my house. It's kinda like my red Saturn. Because I only had the money to buy used, I had to by a seven year old vehicle, and it happened to be my least favorite car color. I've noticed an unfortunate trend in the Sioux Falls houses Dan's been touring: many have yellow or green bedrooms with burgundy in the living areas with brown or beige carpeting. Ewwwwww!
10. The most gorgeous state capitol in the U.S. I wonder how high the tallest building in Sioux Falls is?
What I won't miss:
1. Photosensitivity. Because of the high elevation where I live, the sunshine can be quite intense. I used to love this, but after I got sick, I became photosensitive, and all of a sudden, I found myself getting rashes and sunburn from just a few minutes outdoors or even just riding in the car. Sioux Falls is much closer to sea level, so I expect to have fewer problems with sun sensitivity.
2. Horribly dry skin. Sjogren's syndrome dries me out from head to toe, literally. The winters here are so dry that I have to run a humidifier in my bedroom at night so I don't get nosebleeds in my sleep. Even with shea butter soaps and lotions, my skin flakes and itches. The higher humidity in Sioux Falls should alleviate some of those problems.
3. Expensive services and housing. Internet, cable TV, satellite all cost more here. And naturally, there's a huge difference in the cost of housing, which is the main reason we're moving. Homes in Sioux Falls are cheaper by about a third. When we manage to sell this place, we'll be able to pay off our first and second mortgages, put 10 percent down on something in Sioux Falls, pay probably 2 points on a new mortgage, and get a house payment probably $200 less than our current one with no second at all (even though interest rates have climbed dramatically), AND maybe even pay off our credit cards. In Sioux Falls, car insurance and auto registration are also cheaper. I believe food costs less too.
4. State taxes. Did you know South Dakota does not charge a state tax? Isn't that awesome? That will save us a lot of money.
5. Traffic! Rush "hour" here actually lasts from 6am-9am in the mornings and 3pm-6pm in the evenings. The roads are congested, drivers are competitive and rude, and everything is so spread out that you can drive 40 miles and still not have left the metropolitan area. We have more SUVs per capita than any other city, which sucks when you're one of the few driving a little bitty car because everyone else thinks it's okay to cut you off. And we've had a massive influx of transplants from California, where they haven't a clue how to drive in snow or rain. So now the whole freakin' city gridlocks during inclement weather. And heaven forbid there should be an accident on the highway. Everyone has to slow down and look. Sioux Falls is considerably smaller, so I probably won't have to do nearly as much driving, and it probably won't take me an hour to go only 20 miles.
6. Air pollution. Unfortunately, because of the high elevation, the air is thinner here, so it takes very little to cause visible pollution. Also, because we're next to the mountains, we get something called a temperature inversion. On warm winter days, the colder air becomes trapped, causing a brown cloud that is quite ugly. Sioux Falls will undoubtedly have more fresh air.
7. Parking fees and union dues. When Dan and I were working here, it cost us $75 a month just to park in our employer's garage, and that was the CHEAP rate for the night shift! It was $180 and up for the day shift. And we paid up to $80 a month apiece for union dues. Dan's current job has free parking and no union fees.
8. Not being able to park anywhere near your destination. I've had to either stop going to a lot of places or have Dan take me with the wheelchair because even with a handicapped space, I still couldn't get within a city block of where I was going. Seriously, I had to start using valet parking at some of my doctor's offices because the nearest handicapped spot was two blocks away. I'm hoping Sioux Falls doesn't have that sort of problem.
9. No real seasons. We don't have much of a spring or fall here. We pretty much go from heat to snow and then back again. Last year, in fact, we got a blizzard in April and another in October that heavily damaged our tree out front and the bushes out back. So we don't get those in-between seasons with lots of blooming flowers or trees changing pretty colors. If you want fall colors, you pretty much have to go up to the mountains the first couple weeks of September. If you like flowers, you need to go to the botanical gardens. I'm hoping Sioux Falls will have actual spring and fall seasons.
10. Rude people in a hurry. This has become a real problem here since so many have moved here from California and New York. They cut me off in traffic, rush past my electric cart in the grocery store to get in the checkout line ahead of me, honk their horns if it takes me too long to cross in front of them in the parking lot. Granted, it isn't the majority of the people, but the number does seem to be increasing each year. Maybe Sioux Falls will be a bit more laid back?
Now, If someone will just buy this house.....
What I'll miss (in no particular order):
1. Mountains! For most of my life, I've been within a 45 minute drive of the Rocky Mountains. I can go to natural hot springs, watch the wildlife near a lake above timberline, shop for unique items in a historic downtown district, and get back home again in time for supper. And for most of my life, I've been within sight of my favorite mountain, Long's Peak. After I move, I will have to drive about five hours to see any mountains (the Black Hills). And I will have to re-learn how to cook for low elevation as I am not accustomed to living close to sea level.
2. Sermi-arid climate. I'm used to mostly moderate weather without major extremes in heat, cold or humidity. If it snows here, it will melt away the next day. If it's unbearably hot during the day, at night it will be pleasantly cool. Wind chill is not usually a big factor. And the air doesn't get all sticky during the summer. Rain showers are infrequent and usually brief, occurring about 4pm, and help cool off the heat of the day. In Sioux Falls, the summers will be hotter, the winters colder, the humidity much higher. So my arthritis will be worse in the cold and my heat intolerance worse in the summer. And I find the air very heavy and uncomfortable whenever I go someplace at low elevation, so this will take a quite a bit of an adjustment.
3. Choices. I'm in a metropolitan area of 2 million people, so there are plenty of products and services to choose from. Specialty food is plentiful, much of it made locally, and I can even eat in a restaurant that is completely gluten free. If I don't like a certain doctor, I can go to another, and another, until I find what I need. Entertainment is not a problem as there are dozens of movie theatres. There is so much shopping available here that it's almost scary. And there are 24 hour stores all over the place. Sioux Falls has about 125,000 people I think, so naturally, there are fewer local products and services. There is only one grocery chain, so I may have trouble finding the food I'm accustomed to. The nutritional supplements I rely upon are generally not sold there that I know of. There are very few places i can eat out. Sioux Falls does have three hospitals, so I will have access to medical care, but I'm not going to be able to pick and choose a team of specialists that works best for me like I did here. I don't know yet if there are electric carts in the grocery store and Target/Wally World or something similar, but if there aren't, I will have to rely on Dan to do all my shopping there, which would really suck. I will still be able to find movies to see, but the obscure foreign and independent films probably won't make an appearance there.
4. LIberal religion. I belong to an extremely open-minded church that loves to interact with other faiths so we can learn from one another and see what we have in common. We accept people of differing races, sexual orientation, even former atheists like me. I've been able to go to interfaith peace prayers at a mosque, a synagogue, churches of many denominations. This opportunity will likely be absent in Sioux Falls if for no other reason that it is a much smaller city. There are a couple of churches there of the same denomination I belong to, and I'm hoping that at least one of them will be liberal enough to accept me.
5. Diversity. I currently live in a very diverse area. Many of my neighbors are mixed race couples, and a few are same sex couples. I am very comfortable here and feel like I fit in. If I end up moving to a primarily WASP neighborhood where mixed race couples are frowned upon and gays feel like they must stay in the closet, I must admit I'm going to feel like an outsider. But maybe Sioux Falls isn't like that. I hope.
6. Support groups. I belong to one for Sjogren's syndrome and one for fibromyalgia. I find spending time with others who have the same ailments I do to be very helpful. We can compare notes on doctors and treatments, learn the latest medical findings, commiserate with each other, give suggestions to the newly diagnosed. I haven't been able to find any support groups in Sioux Falls. Thank goodness for Sjogren's and fibromyalgia online message boards.
7. Radio. There are 42 radio stations here. I can listen to anything that suits my mood. We have modern/alternative, hard rock, classic/oldies, electronica, hip hop, country, Latino, jazz, classical, etc. There are also lots of talk and news stations. I have a feeling I'm not going to listen to the radio as much in Sioux Falls. At least I'll have my iTunes no matter where I live, and once I get a decent internet connection, I can listen to those stations.
8. My family and friends here. I'm not going to have the money or energy to come back here much to visit, and I doubt any of my relatives are going to drive 600 miles just to see me.
9. This house. We bought it from the builder, so we've lived in it since the day it was completed. We picked out the carpet, the countertops, the hardwood floors, the linoleum, all the appliances. We opted for the extra room where the command center resides, double sinks in the master bedroom, had some of the rooms wired for ceiling fans, nice small low maintenance yard. It was OUR house, dammit. Now we're gonna have to live in someone else's house, probably a ranch style at least 20 years old. I'll have to put up with someone else's taste in decor and amenities, at least until I have the time, money and energy to change it. Even then, it probably won't ever feel like my house. It's kinda like my red Saturn. Because I only had the money to buy used, I had to by a seven year old vehicle, and it happened to be my least favorite car color. I've noticed an unfortunate trend in the Sioux Falls houses Dan's been touring: many have yellow or green bedrooms with burgundy in the living areas with brown or beige carpeting. Ewwwwww!
10. The most gorgeous state capitol in the U.S. I wonder how high the tallest building in Sioux Falls is?
What I won't miss:
1. Photosensitivity. Because of the high elevation where I live, the sunshine can be quite intense. I used to love this, but after I got sick, I became photosensitive, and all of a sudden, I found myself getting rashes and sunburn from just a few minutes outdoors or even just riding in the car. Sioux Falls is much closer to sea level, so I expect to have fewer problems with sun sensitivity.
2. Horribly dry skin. Sjogren's syndrome dries me out from head to toe, literally. The winters here are so dry that I have to run a humidifier in my bedroom at night so I don't get nosebleeds in my sleep. Even with shea butter soaps and lotions, my skin flakes and itches. The higher humidity in Sioux Falls should alleviate some of those problems.
3. Expensive services and housing. Internet, cable TV, satellite all cost more here. And naturally, there's a huge difference in the cost of housing, which is the main reason we're moving. Homes in Sioux Falls are cheaper by about a third. When we manage to sell this place, we'll be able to pay off our first and second mortgages, put 10 percent down on something in Sioux Falls, pay probably 2 points on a new mortgage, and get a house payment probably $200 less than our current one with no second at all (even though interest rates have climbed dramatically), AND maybe even pay off our credit cards. In Sioux Falls, car insurance and auto registration are also cheaper. I believe food costs less too.
4. State taxes. Did you know South Dakota does not charge a state tax? Isn't that awesome? That will save us a lot of money.
5. Traffic! Rush "hour" here actually lasts from 6am-9am in the mornings and 3pm-6pm in the evenings. The roads are congested, drivers are competitive and rude, and everything is so spread out that you can drive 40 miles and still not have left the metropolitan area. We have more SUVs per capita than any other city, which sucks when you're one of the few driving a little bitty car because everyone else thinks it's okay to cut you off. And we've had a massive influx of transplants from California, where they haven't a clue how to drive in snow or rain. So now the whole freakin' city gridlocks during inclement weather. And heaven forbid there should be an accident on the highway. Everyone has to slow down and look. Sioux Falls is considerably smaller, so I probably won't have to do nearly as much driving, and it probably won't take me an hour to go only 20 miles.
6. Air pollution. Unfortunately, because of the high elevation, the air is thinner here, so it takes very little to cause visible pollution. Also, because we're next to the mountains, we get something called a temperature inversion. On warm winter days, the colder air becomes trapped, causing a brown cloud that is quite ugly. Sioux Falls will undoubtedly have more fresh air.
7. Parking fees and union dues. When Dan and I were working here, it cost us $75 a month just to park in our employer's garage, and that was the CHEAP rate for the night shift! It was $180 and up for the day shift. And we paid up to $80 a month apiece for union dues. Dan's current job has free parking and no union fees.
8. Not being able to park anywhere near your destination. I've had to either stop going to a lot of places or have Dan take me with the wheelchair because even with a handicapped space, I still couldn't get within a city block of where I was going. Seriously, I had to start using valet parking at some of my doctor's offices because the nearest handicapped spot was two blocks away. I'm hoping Sioux Falls doesn't have that sort of problem.
9. No real seasons. We don't have much of a spring or fall here. We pretty much go from heat to snow and then back again. Last year, in fact, we got a blizzard in April and another in October that heavily damaged our tree out front and the bushes out back. So we don't get those in-between seasons with lots of blooming flowers or trees changing pretty colors. If you want fall colors, you pretty much have to go up to the mountains the first couple weeks of September. If you like flowers, you need to go to the botanical gardens. I'm hoping Sioux Falls will have actual spring and fall seasons.
10. Rude people in a hurry. This has become a real problem here since so many have moved here from California and New York. They cut me off in traffic, rush past my electric cart in the grocery store to get in the checkout line ahead of me, honk their horns if it takes me too long to cross in front of them in the parking lot. Granted, it isn't the majority of the people, but the number does seem to be increasing each year. Maybe Sioux Falls will be a bit more laid back?
Now, If someone will just buy this house.....
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