Tim,

I appreciate the encouragement. It really isn't about the money tho.

The way things are turning out, I am going to be reversing roles with
my wife for at least the next few years. I'm actually looking foward
to doing this for several reasons:

1) Caring for my baby girl (22 mo) and possibly one other being planned
for is going to allow me to lay down the foundation of my children
being a lot closer to me by the time they become teenagers.

2) Up where we are going, there is fairly little light pollution. Last
time I actually had a chance to see the entire Milky Way was in my
mid-20's.

3) I'm essentially an ABD in Computer Science with about 20 broken
years experience working from drivers from GUIs to everything
inbetween, in 5 languages and 10 platforms, and I'm only 43. There
isn't a whole lot I haven't done for either small companies, large
ones, or on contract, so it is all starting to become the same....

4) What I'd really like to do is create Open Source tools at a much
higher level of quality than I have seen by a lot of sometime authors.
I have plenty of ideas and now at least some time every day to think
great thoughts that won't be owned by an employer.

5) I got into hardware and software primarly as an escape from an
abusive family growing up. After being on antidepressants for 10
years, shrunk to a fare-thee-well, and having a terrific wife and a
wonderful girl for my family, my family has become my escape from my
work rather than then other way around. This is a good thing, but it
is no wonder that I am tired of working for a wage.

6) I am looking forward to doing a lot of homebrewing and a little DX
where I don't have to worry about how my antenna looks to the
neighbors.

So I really don't know what I want to do. I am learning that being a
full time homemaker won't be all scones and cream but that the some
time I'll have to be creative will be more than than I had been having
in a cube.

Problem is, I don't know just where to start.

The Eternal Squire