Life in the INoB

So maybe you’re wondering, and maybe you’re not. But I thought I’d share the story behind the title of the blog. So. 

About a year ago, I was talking to my Father-in-law. I like him a lot. He’s smart. He’s got a dry sense of humor. He is super patient with my kids when they want to build Lego trains for hours at Christmas. And he likes me, too. (I think.)

But I digress. 

So about a year ago I was talking to my Father-in-law about some crazy stuff that was going on in Georgia. 

So foreclosures are a big deal right now. I’m not really looking to go into all of that craziness, but it’s enough to say the foreclosures are a Big Deal. And people in Georgia were going out, finding homes that were vacant and had been forcelosed on. And they were moving into these vacant, foreclosed homes. Then they would go out and file new property deeds as an independent nation. (No, I’m not making this up). Evidently, there’s some kind of loop hole in foreclosure law (at least in Georgia) that basically says that a bank can’t own property. So until the Georgia Legislature changes the wording of the law, taking over these vacant, foreclosed homes is perfectly legal. 

Well, as you might imagine, I thought my Father-in-law was joking. I laughed. Really hard. And then I realized that he was not joking. Stunned, I let this information sink in. Unbelievable. Here we are — worrying about make our mortgage payment every month — and others are just moving in with no financial investment  to homes that aren’t theirs. 

“Well, “ I said, “there’s this house I really like. I think I’m going to go move in, write my own deed and become the head of (yep, you guessed it!) The Independent Nation of Brooke.”

However,  since my husband is an ethical man, he talked me out of squatting in an unoccupied home (despite my deep, deep desire to own a home well out of our price-range). 

But the idea of an independent nation where I am in charge has stuck. Periodically, I come up with new laws for the IDoB. I promise to share some of the m with you. 

In the meantime, thanks for visiting the IDoB. 

P.S. I need a state flag, so feel free to submit your ideas for design in the comments section. 

P.P.S: Here's an interesting and recent story about this ... almost funny.