Come Live with Me in the Valley

Are these getting harder or is it just me?  The 30 Day Non-Facebook Prose-Instead-of-Pictures Challenge is a real challenge. Note to self:  next time try a 5 Day Challenge.  As usual, here is today's challenge:

17.A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Wow!  Now that I think about it, this is quite easy.  No, it's not the threat of cancer in my life.  Nor the debt ceiling crisis and possible economic straits.  Yes, those are huge.  But too negative.  Let's be positive, shall we?

In yesterday's post, the moral of the story was Carpe diem.  I drew the short straw with my genetic code.  The past five generations in my maternal line have lived to the ripest oldest age of 65.  On my paternal line, the same number of generations provided only 84 years to the longest surviving generation.  Giving me anywhere from a good 20 to 40 years left.

Carpe diem!  Seize the day!  Plan my dream house, my retirement house, my death-or-divorce house.  (Death or divorce would be the only things that would make me permanently leave the house.)

In the process of planning the dream retirement house, we need land to build it on.  Along comes Google Earth.  Lo and behold, when using Google Earth, I found an actual hidden valley.  A long, narrow valley.  Part of the Shenandoah Valley.  But world's away.  My own Shangri-La.  Now to find the perfect lot in the perfect valley.

The huge impact was made possible by the good folks at Google (Earth) who showed me a valley big enough for my retirement.

[Title taken from this.]