If Not Now, When?

As my husband and I contemplate retirement two years down the road, God willing, our thoughts have naturally turned to "home" aka California.  We have been away 18 years now.  Prior to that, we spent an additional 10 years living in other states.  Most of our friends remained and we make an effort to return home as often as possible to see everyone.  We miss them, we miss home.  It makes sense to want to retire back where we started, where we are comfortable, where it doesn't snow every other damn day.

Mother Nature has other ideas.  The ongoing drought, four years without a break, is taking a toll I'm not sure I want to pay.  Where is the water going to come from?  What are the 38+MM California residents going to do?  What will the farmers do?  What is it going to cost to live there in the future?

NASA’s top water scientist says California only has about one year’s worth of water left in storage, and its groundwater – often used as a backup for reservoirs and other reserves – is rapidly depleting. He suggests immediately rationing water.  rt.com 3/15/15

This is not a pretty scenario. We want out of the freezing cold in the northeastern U.S. but don't want to jump out of the frying pan into the fire.  

Of late, we are toying with the idea of a two year trial run in Italy.  It's been a dream for a long time but we're taking it much more seriously now.  Just last week, ex-pat blogger Mary set up a Skype session with us to tell us about living in Italy.  She's been there 6+ years.  She's a wealth of information and, even without sugarcoating, she makes living in Italy sound like a wonderful adventure filled with warm, friendly people with that zest for living, eating and enjoying their lives.  The whole thing is scary but wildly appealing at the same time.  

 Se non ora, quando?