Thank you for taking the time. Goodness knows you have a lot in your plate; take time to care for you. You're appreciated!

Today was Kevin's last day at work, and so it is a very sad time for us, and now we have to put all our energy into getting our house in L.A. ready to sell. We also have to get our house in Cathedral City cleared of whatever we don't want so that we will have more space there.

I really hate having to do all of this, and I am very sad about having to move from L.A., as I've lived here for 35 years - the longest I've lived anywhere. We won't be far away, but it will still be very different.

Lars, I’m sorry for what you guys are going through. One thing I’ve wondered throughout these conversations, and again now is, are you sure you’re selling the right house?

Oh Lars, I feel bad for the two of you. Ive been going through something similar at my mother’s house.I took eight bags of old financials records to be shredded today. My heart goes out to you, especially since you don’t want to sell.

I have enjoyed FNM all along and send a bg thank you for keeping it going. Thats an amazing list!

Lots of good luck to you both. thanks for your many kindnesses..

foodonastump, the house in L.A. has not increased in value over the past year and a half or so, but at least is remaining stagnant, whereas the house in Cathedral City has been increasing in value, and so there is that.

I thought it would be better to stay in L.A. and for Kevin to look for work here, but he is dead set on moving to the desert and working remotely, even if he makes a lot less money. Our expenses will be lower there because of lower property insurance, but utilities are higher there, due to the cost of A/C, even though we have solar panels, which we are forced to rent, since that was a condition of buying the house.

Food is cheaper in Cathedral City because we do most of our shopping at Cárdenas, an inexpensive Mexican market close to our house, and we do not have that many options for food shopping, relatively speaking.

There are no Japanese markets, and the so-called "Asian" markets are really just Filipino, and I do not like Filipino food. I will probably have to make trips back to L.A. to do to Japanese and Korean markets for items that I cannot find online. At least I can get decent sushi at Gelson's in Rancho Mirage or at a sushi restaurant near my house in Cathedral City, but it still does not come anywhere close to what I can get in L.A.

I also cannot get Ethiopian food in the desert, and so I will have to learn how to make injera bread - my attempts so far have not been great, but I can get teff flour online.

We are also going to have to change all of our doctors, and this disturbs me even more. My doctor in L.A. said that I can find good doctors in Palm Springs, but I am not happy about having to make the change. I just hope it will be easier to get appointments than it has been in L.A.

I can't imagine a doc would say anything different but the reality is that you're moving to a small town that lies at some distance from more populated areas. As you and your brother get older, should you have to face some of the health difficulties that many seniors have to deal with, you may find the medical treatment resources you need will not be available in town. The nearest medical school is Loma Linda, where a broad spectrum of top-notch practitioners and resources are available as at any other medical school. It's about an hour to the north, near San Bernardino.

Lars, real estate prices and markets are stagnant everywhere right now because of high mortgage interest rates. What difference does it make if the house you're living in goes up or goes down in value at any one point in time, if a sale isn't contemplated or imminent? It's not a ticking time bomb that will explode.

Good luck, I hope all goes well.

The population of metro Palm Springs-Cathedral City-Indio is 504,000, which hardly qualifies as a small town. The Eisenhower Health Group has many facilities in the Coachella Valley and ranks #1 in the Inland Empire and #20 in California, putting it in the top 5%, and it also has research associated with UC Riverside. I think it should be adequate for my needs, and it does specialize in geriatric care, since that is a large proportion of the population in the Coachella Valley.

I think that Eisenhower will have all of the specialists that I will need, and I am not worried about finding the care that I will need. I think I will be in good company, considering the demographics of the Coachella Valley. There are many worse places I could be moving to. It is definitely a step down from UCLA, but it is a step that I am willing to take.

For the sake of discussion, I looked at a list of US metro areas. All such metro areas, as the greater Palm Springs-Indio area you cite (a spread out community of many small towns) exist only for statistical analysis purposes. Central Valley's Visalia's metro area is about the same size. I similarly consider Visalia to be a relatively small region. Visalia isn't nearby but it gives context. In the setting of being in SoCal, an area whose population is greater than most US states, the Palm Springs area is not a major population center.

My own preference is to always live in or near an area that people travel to from smaller towns out of the area to take advantage of unique medical care that are available. That has Level 1 trauma centers. The nearest Level 1 centers to PS are in Riverside and Loma Linda, an hour away. Different personal preferences, I just wanted to mention the topic.

Lars, it matters not, I hope things work out well for you.

My goodness, Lars! That list is somewhat awe-inspiring! I'd no idea how many of these you've initiated - and that's not counting the parts 2 & and sometimes 3 sequels. You have my respect and gratitude as well. You certainly deserve a break🙂

I'm sorry you're feeling so sad. I think the older we get, the more difficult it can be to cope with big life changes - we get so settled in our creature comforts and routines.

I think Annie expressed it very well. Wishing you all good things...

The nearest Level 1 trauma center to my house in Cathedral City is in Moreno Valley, 49 miles away, or about 45 minutes. I am currently 45 minutes from UCLA during rush hour traffic. For me, this is close enough, and if I get shot or am in a car wreck, there is no telling where I might be at the time, despite where I might live.

I've been to Visalia, and it is drastically different from Palm Springs, especially when you consider the mean income of residents, not to mention the stores and restaurants.

Yes, I'd think with all the wealthy folks living in that area, high quality healthcare wouldn't be that hard to come by...?

P.S. I saved your list 🙂