I'm going to really miss living in Corvallis because of the parks in Corvallis. Albany doesn't have any parks. One summer, I hiked up Bald Hill nearly every day. I love Bald Hill park. I love Chip Ross park. I love hiking up Oak Creek into that forest, too. I love Willamette Park, the trail from Crystal Lake boat ramps to Willamette Park.
I'll miss Winco Foods. Albany doesn't have any reasonable grocery stores. That will be harder. Since I will live in a house, means paying city water and I found out Albany city water rates are over twice as high as those of Corvallis. Plus the water supply is shit, comes from canals running through farmlands, farmlands dumping run off from pesticide and fertilizer laden grass seed farms and cow crap into the canal system that becomes the city water supply. I have been in Albany houses. When the water faucet's are turned on, the water coming out smells like clorox.
But there's one thing Corvallis does not have---affordable housing. Of the dozens of houses we looked at, only four in Corvallis came under my brother's price range--a crappy run down trailer in south town, two broken down houses in need of a lot of repair, thousands of dollars in repair, and a zero lot line place, down on Wake Robin.
Albany has lots of affordable housing and Lebanon has even more. I love Corvallis, but my brother couldn't afford to get even the cheapest of houses here. So I must settle for Albany. I'm a little jittery about moving to a massive residential district in Albany, but it's between that and the streets and it's a lovely wonderful house.
I live on a very thin financial margin. This move is going to make my life harder in some ways and easier in others. I'll live in a nice house, but will be able to afford even less, with the move. In other words, I'm moving into even deeper poverty for the time being.
While I made few friends living in Corvallis, I made friends of places--like Bald Hill. And Chip Ross. And even Winco Foods.
I do drive from Corvallis to Albany, on cat stuff, about once a week. Now my big outings will be once a week drives back to Corvallis, to shop at Winco. But how will I pass time otherwise, in Albany? I'll find ways.
My financial setbacks from the move will last for a year at least---changing over utilities and all that, that affects a person for a long time who lives on so little to begin with, takes a long time to recover from small things. Moving isn't small. It takes bucks to move. A lot of bucks.
If it were not for my cats, I think I'd be pretty content camping out, like in a small camper or even in my car and a tent, living by a stream, cooking over a campfire under the stars. Or in a small cabin out in the woods. I've lived like that before, and I liked it. You don't have to worry about mowing a lawn so the neighbors don't complain, or scrounging the money for utilities, or pretending you're anything at all.
Then you live in a house, and all of a sudden you're rooted. You start getting glued to stupid TV shows you don't even like. You think you have to be on the web all the time maybe, or need more and more of this and that, to make up for what you don't have, what you really want and that might be just to lay under the stars by a river or a stream and cook over an open fire, flickering and hissing, and jump into a mountain lake in the morning, with a yell of jubilance.
Well what can I do now, but move to Albany, and try to like it. Oh, I'll like it all right, and the mountain lakes and rivers I so love to be inside of, come summer, now will be even closer to my jubilant spirit.
10 comments:
you can actively hate the place, and then you've made a decision to be miserable, or you can tell yourself there's got to be SOMETHING good about it, seek it out and find it. I had to make that decision when we moved to KF. There's no wonderful ocean here, but i like the mountains and i like the snow and the sunshine and the fact that there's an active music community here, even if its a style of music i don't particularly like. I hope it works for you.
Thanks Pril. I know I'll like it. Just getting the jitters over leaving things familiar. I've lived in Corvallis over 30 years, just getting jittery over it.
Why did you move to K Falls? I've only been there once I think. A very quick trip, there and back in one day, to deliver a cat, so I didn't see much of anything, given most of my trip was in the dark.
I think there are probably good things about everywhere. Albany, since it is right on the freeway, will be closer/quicker to getting anywhere else, you know. And my gas bills will be so much lower, since it's just a hop skip and jump from Albany to the Jefferson clinic I use for cat fixing. I'll be chopping most of that mileage (and driving time) out! That will help me financially immensely. And besides, most of the cats I take up to be fixed are from Albany, so it will make things much easier. In that big garage---no problem housing cats before and after surgery. I know it's going to be wonderful. I'm already scheming ways to store rain runoff from the roof to use for watering the lawn, plants, etc.
Plus there's room to invite people over, for parties, video watching, holidays, fun stuff. The sooner I move there the better. I can always drive over here or take the Loop bus over to climb Bald Hill or hike in Chip Ross.
We moved here because it's where there was an opening for the husband's job. I didn't want to, AT ALL! heh.
I just looked at one of the city pages for Albany- now, i tell ya, i'm something of an architecture freak. I would love to see some of those old houses and try to draw them.
This year our house was big enough to cram a christmas tree in. The next house, i hope, will be big enough to have people over, and maybe i won't have neighbors that call the cops on me at 7:30 on a Friday night for having band practice.
oh.. rain runoff- my dad used to do this when i was a kid. For some reason he stopped when he married his third ex-wife. But he had gotten some big plastic barrels somewhere and cut his drainspouts higher and that's where we got our water for the plants. They were always full, even in SoCal.
If you really can't get used to the water, you can get a filter that attaches to a faucet that takes the chlorine and most of the other crud out of the water. There are several different types and styles.
They cost a few dollars, but with most of them the filter can be replaced, and lasts for most of a year.
I've had to do that a time or two in various places. I suspect both you and the cats would appreciate the difference.
Good luck.
dan
Hey, that is good news!! I know Albany is a shithole in many respects but there are far worse places... like NW Indiana or anywhere in the Chicagoland. There's also the South.
My intuition, whatever it's worth, knew you wouldn't end up on the streets. This is a new beginning that will have more upsides than down. No place is perfect, Jody. At least you will have a roof over your head and for that, I am really happy for you!
I hope you can keep in touch. We don't mind having you over on a FRI night for some drinks and chat.
We will ALL miss Chip Ross park by the way, thanks to the big honkin Megachurch Calvary Chapel. Thanks guys. We know that mountain "meditation center" will come in handy for your congregants. Thanks, Calvary Chapel. Since you are automatically above the animals whose homes you are destroying, no need to apologize to them.
As far as getting the chlorine out of the water, I think all you have to do, is let the water sit 24 hours in an open container. So, it won't be an issue.
Pril, you'll have to bring your band up and practise in my big garage! You can stay over, like if you're headed to Portland. We will have some fun!
I can't believe it. Next year, I can have a Christmas tree. Plenty of room for it there, even if the cats end up climbing it.
Mr. Dan, you'll have to come over with your wife for a housewarming get together, maybe in March. You game?
I think I could have the plastic water tanks raised up a bit, to collect water, and then, that would provide a gravity feed to say water the lawn with soaker type hoses. I think it would work well. Besides, now I can experiment with such devices and devising.
Let me know when and yes, we will come.
There's some brutal poverty and drug use in Albany, but there's also lots of good stuff about it, I think.
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