Dear Auntie Linda, September 15, 2015

 Dear Auntie Linda,. Joe and I have been married four years and have a newborn son.  We live outside a Midwest city.  Joe has been working for a chemical company and I am a stay at home mom and artist.  Our lives are good.  Uncle Jake, called last week to ask Joe to take over his 800 acre farm twenty-eight miles outside town, so he can retire.  Joe will inherit the farm upon Uncle Jake’s death.  Joe worked for Uncle Jake summers and holidays all through high school and college and has always looked forward to having the farm one day.  I know this is a wonderful opportunity, but I’ve never lived in the country and am worried about leaving my family, friends, and the comfortable life we have built. I am worried about schools and social opportunities for my son. What if we move way out in the country and I hate rural living?  City Girl

Dear City Girl, Twenty-eight miles isn’t that far.  A half-hour automobile ride gets you back to town.  Inheriting a farm sounds like a wonderful opportunity, especially since Joe knows what he is getting into.  If you give farm life a try, you may find you like it.  Since you are a stay at home mother and artist, you can work as well there as in the city. Growing up on a farm can enhance your children’s lives in many ways.  Certainly, they will have more time with parents.  A great deal of a child’s education is parental input.  There are advantages to rural life.  Life is what you make.  Auntie Linda

Dear Auntie Linda,  I got a call from my sister last week confessing that she had “borrowed” my information for a loan.  We have sequential drivers license and social security numbers since got them together on the same day.  She was able to convince a friend to accept my forged signature on an affadvit at her credit union as co-signer on a loan.  Since I am co-signer, they are coming after me for payment.  She pulled this same trick on my mother many years ago, getting my mother deep in debt.  I have no intention of paying this loan.  How do you deal with this kind of betrayal from family?  Rotten Sister

Dear Rotten, You are right not to get sucked in.  Your sister made this mess; it is hers to deal with.  Just distance yourself and don’t give her a second chance.  If you see her at family gatherings, just keep it casual.  Auntie Linda