I'm doing fine, thank you. I've moved on and won't be moving back to that county.
I grew up there (bored silly) and moved back about six years ago when a friend I met elsewhere moved there. She was in very poor health, with no hope for recovery. She was married and had two grown sons. One son is married and has a teenager and a baby on the way. The family relied on her for everything and would not accept the extent of her medical issues. They were in denial, no doubt. She moved her family to my home town because of all the stories I'd told her over the years about life in that oh, so quaint little town. It was just what she was looking for.
Anyway, Robin needed a friend who would let her vent and cry and who would laugh with her. She needed someone to listen to her worries and fears without adding to them. I was unhappy where I was so I moved there because she was there.
Have you seen "Tree of Life," a recently released movie starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn? The scenes taking place in the 1950s were shot in Smithville, my home town. Even in 2011, it's still 1950s quaint.
Thought I'd open a small cafe or get serious about a writing career. The cafe never happened but the writing did. Over the years, I grew very bored with the small town and the lack of good food at the supermarket and in restaurants. Before writing, I was a professional chef and I've studied nutrition all my life so good, healthy food is just a part of who I am. I knew I could continue writing from anywhere so that's what I've done. Can't do that with a food establishment.
My plan was to move on after Robin died. That happened in May. I saw her two days before she passed away and we had a good laugh together; I'm so grateful for that final memory of her.
Since then, I'd been planning a move far away but had thought I'd actually have a workable plan in place when the time came. I learned a wildfire makes the plan.
Right now, I'm living in private quarters at my sister's house. It's about 30 miles west of Austin, which is where I want to finally land (I think). I think I'll soon have my writing biz running a little more smoothly than it's going right now. I'm planning to start looking for a place to rent long-term in Austin after the first of the year. That's where all my best friends are now. Interestingly, my very closest friend there is named Robin, too!