This pandemic has left few people’s lives untouched, and  Steve and I are no exception. The pandemic’s stresses made my chronic illness much worse (I’ve tweeted a bit about it here and here). Then the last straw broke in 2020 when Quibi, the company Doug Liman’s development team had just sold Steve’s latest work to, went out of business.

We’d been muddling along as best we could since, but we’ve drifted into an unsustainable situation. This past summer we hit the wall. We could no longer afford our mortgage. My loss of income due of chronic illness had caused debt to pile up for medical bills over the past several years, and we still had two kids (at that time) in college. So we’ve decided to sell our house and use the equity to pay off that debt.

I confess, I feel nostalgic. This is the house I bought in 1985. I was 27 years old, only recently returned from Kenya and feeling deeply displaced and disoriented. I was homesick for my friends in East Africa. The US seemed so strange, after almost three years away. My house was my landing pad, a safe place from which I could build a life for myself. Four years later when Steve and I married, it became our place; the space where—other than a few years  in Texas and five in NYC—we made a home and family together.

We raised our kids here. My neighbors have become among my closest friends. I’m deeply sad to leave it all behind.

But we’re making the best of it. Being rid of all that debt and a mortgage we can’t afford will make a huge difference in reducing the stress we’re under. And we’ve received so much loving support from our family and friends. This move will be a chance for us to face the future anew; to see what possibilities and opportunities the future might hold.

If you want to help out and have the coins to spare, we have a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of repairs and renovations. (The house has been in need of some serious TLC for quite a long time; it’s never had a renovation in almost 75 years.) We’re trying to raise additional funds right now, so Steve can hire some help to get the work finished quickly. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who’s helped us make it this far.

For grins, here are some short videos—most are 30 seconds or less—taken about a week ago, showcasing Steve’s work on the house. The first set of seven is narrated by my sister Kay (who has been so incredibly supportive—love you, Kay!) and include our friend Dulcey, whom you’ll also meet in the videos (thanks so much for your help, Dulcey; you rock). The second set three is narrated by Steve. Enjoy!