Yep, it's 2015. Eh.

 The Gregorian calendar new year. Meh. The last several days of 2014 have not been the best, with injuries, things broken, and general meh. And a cold wet start as well. Two months into the Pagan new year, and while there have been a few good things, like Shawn finally moving up at work, for the most part it has been a slow spiral down already. I need an updraft! 

 Over the last couple of months, the realization that my business skills are suck-o-rama has made me rethink what I can do now that my child rearing days are over. The bakery has tanked, and standing out in the freezing cold, rain and blistering sun at a farmer's market to make a whole $20 a week it just not worth it. Since I'm a baker, not a cake decorator, I don't have those big ticket items like wedding cakes. It is too easy to pick up some cheap cookies or what passes for 'artisan' bread in the grocery store/Wal-Mart than to take the time to place an order with me. 
 The same goes with a Pagan shop, without a brick and mortar in a business area, it is too much hassle for anyone to come into the neighborhood at odd hours to pick up a couple of things which are easily bought online and delivered to their house. 

 With the house deteriorating and not enough cash to fix it up, we are forced to return to renting out the converted garage space. This entails either putting in a bathroom, which there is no way we can afford that at 15+K, an off grid bathroom, which is inexpensive, but will take a special kind of renter to deal with, or making it a housemate situation, where they use our kitchen and bathroom, not an appealing prospect, as we just got our house back from children, and we do enjoy living alone. A tiny house in the back would be better, but again, the catch-22 of the money to build it. With Austin pretty much staying at 96% occupancy, getting someone in isn't the problem, it is getting someone long term who we can live with. Not that it matters, one way or the other, come spring, we will have someone else living here. 

 Yea yea, I know, be thankful for a house, food, etc. I am, but I am also a single paycheck away from being homeless, and that is not something I want to experience in my old age. And just surviving is not living. So back to being a landlord, as much as I don't want to, it is better than the alternative.