lonecity.com

Generally in the mornings I watch a part of the news to see how the traffic and weather are going to treat me.  I commute for over an hour each day and I like to be prepared for what is to come.  Usually this ammounts to me listening to the reports while I get dressed with the television in the background.  During this past week I caught a comment about Fidel Castro resigning in the scrolling text across the bottom of the screen.  I think the name Castro probably drums up different feelings in me than it does to most americans.  I decided he would be a good topic for my latest blog.

It would be in poor taste for me to stand up and declare whether I think Fidel Castro was a good person or a bad one.  History shows that he has done many things that a god may condemn him for.  The very thought of guerilla warfare brings ideas of bombings, murders, torture.  You get the idea.  However if you stand back and look at his life he has always done what he belives is right.  As a young man he rebelled against and eventualy overthrew the leadership of his country.  He didn’t do this out of a viscious desire for power, but rather out of a bitter distaste for the current regime. 

Once in power Castro made policy to make Cuba better.  He started importing oil from the soviet union to improve the economy of his country.  He may not have thought this one through entirely as the oil refinerys in cuba were built and owned by the United States.  When they refused to process the oil that he was importing because it was coming from a communist country, Castro found himself in the middle of an international affair.  Again, to the dismay of practically everyone in the USA, he made the decision to do what he felt was best for Cuba.  He appropriated the oil processing plants.  This was done in much the same way as the government here would take your house or land if they needed to build a highway.  You would get a check for how much they figured it was worth and you would be thrown out. 

The decision for Cuba to become a communist country really didn’t have much to do with communist beliefs.  Rather the United Stated Presidency forced Fidel Castro into it by pressuring him to do things that were in the best interest of the USA instead of the best interest of Cuba.  By siding with the soviet union, Castro gained the external financial support Cuba needed and avoided the fine print that would have come along with US Support. 

 A while back I watched a documentary about the Cuban trade embargo.  The whole thing was supposed to make you think about how the embargo has made life terrible in cuba because trade is restricted.  The point the director was trying to make was obvious.  However after watching the show I walked away with a different feeling.  To me Cuba looked to be a paradise free from the financial enslavement that the big cities offer us.  The people of Cuba embody the spirit that once made us great. 

I would like to site an example from the documentary.  The name escapes me at the moment.  If I needed someone to weld something and there was a welding wire shortage we as americans would go to great lengths to import welding wire.  My project would wait until the wire became available.  If it never came available my project would probably never be finished.  In this documentary there was a man in this situation who did bodywork on cars.  He took apart a chainlink fence and straightened the wire to use for welding.  In all my years I’ve never met even one person who had that kind of spirit.  I know that strength resides in me, but I feel life wither away at it.  This strength that made us great in the 1940’s and 1950’s has long since died for the average american.  Any employer can attest to what I’m saying here.  When is the last time you found an employee who just finds a way to get a job done even when it seems impossible?  I’m not talking about a business owner who is doing it because of the financial incentive, but an employee who is doing it just because they know it needs to be done.

One thing that I and Fidel Castro have in common is that we were both  born into religeous families and grew to be devout atheists.  I think this perspective has shaped the way I see things.  Instead of viewing his leadership with fear and hate as most americans do I can see the reasoning behind the way he ruled.  The trade embargo set against Cuba has over the years put cuba out of the minds of the average joe.  Most would only think of cuba as the place that exports those illegal cigars.   I won’t stand up and say that Castro was a good man.  I won’t even say he was a brilliant dictator, as a true genius would have found a way to avoid things getting bad.  The Cuban missle crisis, the Trade embargo,  The assasination Attempts.  In fact most of his dealings were like the thoughts of a child.  The usa won’t play with me, fine I’ll go play with russia, na na na…  What I will say is that I respect him.  To stand up against the big bully known as the United States for his entire life through multiple assasination attempts and rule in a manner that he believed in takes guts.  He must have a set of cajones that any man would be proud of.

Last week I was setting alone in a restaurant escaping the snow and dreading the thought of having to go back to work after lunch.  A rather chatty fellow came in.  The poor guy must have really needed to vent.  Over the next half hour I absorbed what seemed to be his whole life story.  He was in the city to meet with a lawyer because he was bieng sued.  (on a side note, have you ever noticed that anyone getting sued feels like their bieng picked on.  It doesn’t matter what they did to get sued, its always the other guy’s fault….)  So this complete stranger is telling me all about how he is expecting to settle and has already started selling everything he owns.  He went on and on about the truck, trailer, four wheelers, and the small summer house in the country.  I managed to escape politely as he started a conversation on his cell phone.  While I don’t aim to eavesdrop the guy was so loud I couldn’t help but take in his words as I was picking up to leave.  He was discussing the sale of his home in a rural southern utah town for $40,000.

This comment out of the blue awoke something in me that had been dormant for quite some time now.  I’ve been so busy with work, life, and starting my own business, that I had almost forgotten about my dream to have a small country home.  I suppose as I get older I find the Green Lifestyle more appealing.  I have thought more than once it would be nice to raise a couple of chickens and a cow for fresh eggs and milk.  With a garden big enough to be self sufficient I might even shed the pale as death skin for a more tan self.  I would even go so far as to wish for an off the grid power system.  A couple of solar panels and a windmill or two.  Ok I’m a bit of a hermit.

The number 40,000 stood out in my mind.  I have long known that rural county realestate could go for that cheap.  The price is balanced by the location.  With a 40k loan a house payment could be as little as $300 a month.  What offsets that is that you can’t get a big city job and live in a small country home.  Commuting two or more hours a day makes up for the difference in cost of fuel, maintenance, and time.  What awoke in me was the this solitary thought.  “As my online business comes into its own this lifestyle just might be a real possiblilty.”

My present home is valued at about $130,000 thanks to generous housing value increases, and I owe $85,000 between the first mortgage and the home equity line.  I’m debt free other than my home.  The money on the equity line was borrowed against the home to start my business.  A quick check of the math shows that this is possible but it can’t be that easy can it?  130k - 85k = 45k  So I sell my current home, pay off the debt and buy a home in the country with whats left.  I would have to lose my city job and focus 100% of my efforts on my online business.  I would also have to find a good location in the country.  Even if I could live off the grid I need internet access to run my business.  I’ve tried using dial-up after having high speed and it just aint happening.

 Since this is the first post in my blog, I’m asking the world what they think.  Should I go for it? I know my house’s valuation but I am sure it will need some improvement as well as time to sell at the full face value.  I know myself well enough to know that some of the things that need done won’t happen until I move out.  I can’t take a bathroom or kitchen out of commission while I spend a week fixing it up.  I absolutely hate visiting family and could not bear the thought of staying with someone if I found myself homeless during the buy and sell process.  This leaves me with a few options. I could move out and rent while I sell the house running up costs until I buy the new one.  I could refinance the city house using a first and second mortgage to its full value and use the cash to buy the second home.  The latter sounds like the natural choice, but it throws up red flags.  What happens when I commit to buy a second home and I can’t sell the first one for as much as I expect? 

 As far as finding a new place I’ve already started dreaming about it.  I’ve stumbled through realestate listing sites online and it seems I shouldn’t have a problem finding a house to fit my needs.  I don’t mind living in a house built around the 40’s or 50’s and I’m handy so there are plenty of options.  Still I would like to hold out for a place with a barn or similar structure.  Norm Abrahms and David Marks have no idea just how I envy them.  (for those who don’t know they both host woodworking shows on diy network and have shown off very nice woodworking shops built in converted old barns)  I look at my little 8′x10′ toolshed and my jealosy slowly turns to rage.  Overall I expect it may take a year of watching the listings to find just the right place at the right price.

As I write this a possible third approach comes to mind.  What if I were to keep both houses?  I am sure with my city job and my fledgling business I could afford the payments on a 140k loan.  I could have the dream home in the country on weekends without giving up the city convenience.  I’m sure I would get sick of raising chickens sooner or later anyways.  Just the thought digs at me though.  I am a cheapskate at heart.  I’m the kind of guy who buys non name brand goods and rough toilet paper to save a buck.  The very thought of indulging myself with a second housepayment seems sick.  Still it seems the best overall option.  Things would be tight and  wouldn’t have much spare time, but I could have everything I want, stay within my budget, and build equity on two homes at once. 

Please feel free to share your comments.  I’m new to this whole “blog” thing and I’d like to know what your thoughts are about both my blog and my dilemma.