Just sayin'

Maria's family in Indiana are in a frenzy of planning for Thanksgiving this week.

Yes, Thanksgiving is eight weeks from today, but plans must be made.

I find myself noticing that I haven't seen my son Sean in Portland, Ore., since we attended his wedding four years ago. it's been 17 months since I saw my son Steve and granddaughter Lisa.

And there are no plans to see any of my relatives over the holidays.

Why? Because Maria has very limited time off and because money is extremely tight what with two house payments and high gas prices.

Our Indiana Realtor is handing us off this week to a partner who specializes in rentals and who will work diligently to find someone who can pay enough rent to cover our house payment there. This seems unlikely because I can't imagine someone wanting to pay $1,030 a month to rent a four-bedroom house in that small town.

Excuse me while I return to the fetal position.