Neighbors

J. and I left the house around noon today to run errands. I was heading out on my own but he decided to join me - can't even remember why he decided to tag along but I'm always happy to have his company and since one of my errands was the monthly 'Target Shop', I welcomed someone to help schlep the stuff into and out of the car.

Our neighbors were outside with a rented truck - and they are moving. Their home is in foreclosure - something we suspected a couple months ago when someone came to our door asking about them. J. was home that day and the person at the door was asking about when were they home. J. asked what they wanted and he said that after a lengthy explanation of 'stuff', the word 'foreclosure' was mentioned. At that point, J. said he just clammed up and said 'I don't know their schedules or their comings and goings'. Turns out they have both been unemployed for some time - he works as a consultant in the tech field and she was working for a major corporate travel company. The economic downturn has affected both those industries - and there's no work.

They are moving in with family in Livermore, we think - and putting a lot of their furniture and stuff in storage. I am so sad for them....they are such nice people.

We got their ok to trim the branches of their fruit trees that are now on top of our storage shed - as he said when J. asked 'sure, do whatever you want'. Of course, since the bank owns the home now.

And selfishly, we asked if they would see if their gardener would swap their home for ours - he does such an amazing job and we've inquired of him (the gardener) before but he's actually retired and does just enough lawns to earn what he can earn that doesn't affect his social security. So he wouldn't add us as a client - but maybe he will 'sub' our house for theirs. I hope so....

Just when it started to feel a little like there was some 'better' times ahead....people are still suffering from the economy's free-fall.

Just reinforces how blessed we are....and even though we've been a teeny, tiny bit nervous the past week or so regarding J.'s job - not because we have any reason to be but because there are some changes happening within his organization and it is possible though very unlikely that J. could be affected - we are still thanking God for two good jobs, savings in the bank that would help us through...and the many things that make our life so full and rich that have nothing to do with money.

And yet, just to be 'safe', I 'did the math' and reassured myself that in the entirely unlikely event anything happens to J.'s job, we could 'manage'...it wouldn't be the same 'lifestyle' we have now, but we could survive on one income. So that's a nice reassurance. And even more impetus to continue to cut expenses where we can and look for ways to live more frugally. Not because we have to - but because we can.

On that note, I'm going to head into the kitchen to make some yogurt (with the birthday gift I bought myself) and tend to the garden - we now have sweet banana peppers and cucumbers officially added to our profuse tomatoes. I'm going to have to learn to make sauce or ketchup with all the tomatoes.