Writing My Own Ticket.....to freedom

The black dogs?

Nico, seven years old, a Heinz 57 mix. Rescued from a local shelter. He had been given to a little boy as a  Christmas present. Mom wasn't keen on the idea. Nico ended up in the shelter at 4 months old. We were told he would probably grow to 40 pounds.  He's now 80 pounds. His puppy-hood was rambunctious to say the least. He chewed anything that moved and everything that didn't. He got so excited one day he ran right through a pane of glass. When his favorite visitors came over he would pee on their shoes, he couldn't help himself.

At seven he has mellowed. He still loves visitors but he's a tad more relaxed about them. He loves squeaky toys and sometimes sings along with his squeaky ball.  A few squeaks and then a howl, a few more squeaks and a howl.

Nico

Then there's Lucy. Owned by a lovely old lady Lucy was adopted from a shelter when she was a pup. Her owner, Betty, died last April and left a note with her will asking us to give Lucy a home.  She adopted Dad right away and sleeps in his room.  She's a border collie/spaniel cross. Maybe 35 pounds, but with that collie attitude she holds her own with the big guy. She's 8 now. She was a little uncertain for a month or two, but now she's part of the pack. She could use a few sheep to herd, but she makes do with Nico and me.

Lucy

The blue skies?

Anywhere warm in general, but Portugal in particular. After 26 years of marriage my husband D. and I are pretty fed up with Canadian winters. But moving somewhere warm isn't just a matter of buying an airline ticket. The easy way is to retire somewhere warm and live on your pension.  But first you've got to have a pension (like millions of others we don't).

D. worked in theater and film as a carpenter for many years. The art world isn't famous for it's long term planning or pensions. Then he went freelance and worked for himself. Even less chance for a pension there.

I worked for as a legal assistant, then as an IT professional for lawyers, then as a technical writer.  My pension contributions wouldn't pay for our dog food for five years.  So there we are.

How do we get to Portugal?

Olhas de Agua, Southern Portugal

Well, that's what I'll be blogging about. I have been a writer of one sort or another all my life: a journal keeper, a short story writer, an online journalist and a technical writer. So I have decided to write my way out of this corner we find ourselves in.  I am going to write us all the way to Portugal and a new life in a warm place, dogs included!

The Plan So Far

I realized I would need some way to make a portable income, some way to make money that did not rely on living in any particular location. After much research I decided to write about what I know, what I like, and put that information into a website or two.  Then I will place Google Adsense ads and do some affiliate marketing. With luck people will be interested in what I write about and maybe they will use the ads to investigate possibilities or buy something I've recommended. If they do I will make a few pennies here and and few pennies there.  Over time, with diligence and good writing I hope to end up with an income that will support the blue skies dream.

If you are curious about how this might work, or just interested to see if I succeed or fail, please feel free to follow along.  I'll be here two or three times a week with updates on what I'm writing about and what I'm learning about AdSense and affiliate programs.

An open door in Silves, Portugal

Right now there is no definite time line. I'd love to be in Portugal at this time next year.  Could it happen?  Well, I believe anything can happen, but I'll keep you updated with my progress as we go along.