Excellent analysis of country living. I can't see anything you do different than what we do other than the lady in the house does use the proper facility, while mine is just off the front porch.
We have one neighbor that is 275 yards away that we can't see for the trees. Next nearest is about a mile.
We own 2.5 acres for the home. Farm is 45 miles away, so I'll add my response to the OP here.
Zero turn mower to get around the 45 trees is a requirement unless one wants to spend two days a week a 8 hours a day on a cheap garden tractor.
We are three miles from the nearest store which is a dollar general, but typically must travel another 4 miles to a grocery store.
It takes a bit to realize you need to buy double requiring another freezer so trips to the grocery store aren't happening daily.
Septic and water well's aren't a big thing but do require some maintenance. One will have to educate themselves or ask on OSA how to maintain them.
Critters can be a major issue or not an issue at all. Depends on where your living. Pigs in some areas can destroy a lawn as well as armadillo's, or you can have some deer or turkey visit the yard for a great visual experience.
There is not one answer to all of the OP's questions, but we are here to help.
I could never live in the city or suburbs again.
Country living, 100 acres up here in the mountains, six miles of dirt road twisting up the mountains, passing only four houses since leaving a paved road. Very private, especially since the nearest neighbors are two miles up the road no car traffic from them, they are Amish
, South of us closest neighbors are four miles. One family, roots been on the same property since 1878 they told us. The ranch across from us (430,000 acres) has it's own air strip, we never hear the helicopter or plane land. The view from our deck is amazing, just wow evening sun setting , our own range, trails, stocked pond that is spring water fed yet neither of us fish, go figure.
Wild life , every day deer, turkeys, road runners tons of birds, snakes, beavers on the property next to us. Neither of us hunt. I seen a bear last year running down the road. We seen a mountain lion twice. Plus, you should see the sky at night ...so many stars without the glare of city lights. My husband is like a little kid on his side x side. Coming home with fossils, arrow heads, old knife rusted to nothing, old shell casings. He made friends with the other neighbors, they let him ride around on their land "exploring". He takes a lunch, extra can of gas and is gone all day now that it is warmer.
It's a good thirty-six miles to town. Sixteen to the nearest business a gas station / bait shop / store / deli. No phone lines, cell phones work...sometimes you have to go outside for better connections. Our electric company keeps the power on longest we been without power six hours. We have a back up generator. Our own wells (3) , septic and fenced in about three acres so the dogs are safe. We keep stored water in tanks on hand about 10,000 gals.
You city people should toss your tent or hitch your camper and spend a weekend away from it all...you don't realize what your missing in life.
Country living, 100 acres up here in the mountains, six miles of dirt road twisting up the mountains, passing only four houses since leaving a paved road. Very private, especially since the nearest neighbors are two miles up the road no car traffic from them, they are Amish
, South of us closest neighbors are four miles. One family, roots been on the same property since 1878 they told us. The ranch across from us (430,000 acres) has it's own air strip, we never hear the helicopter or plane land. The view from our deck is amazing, just wow evening sun setting , our own range, trails, stocked pond that is spring water fed yet neither of us fish, go figure. Wild life , every day deer, turkeys, road runners tons of birds, snakes, beavers on the property next to us. Neither of us hunt. I seen a bear last year running down the road. We seen a mountain lion twice. Plus, you should see the sky at night ...so many stars without the glare of city lights. My husband is like a little kid on his side x side. Coming home with fossils, arrow heads, old knife rusted to nothing, old shell casings. He made friends with the other neighbors, they let him ride around on their land "exploring". He takes a lunch, extra can of gas and is gone all day now that it is warmer.
It's a good thirty-six miles to town. Sixteen to the nearest business a gas station / bait shop / store / deli. No phone lines, cell phones work...sometimes you have to go outside for better connections. Our electric company keeps the power on longest we been without power six hours. We have a back up generator. Our own wells (3) , septic and fenced in about three acres so the dogs are safe. We keep stored water in tanks on hand about 10,000 gals.
You city people should toss your tent or hitch your camper and spend a weekend away from it all...you don't realize what your missing in life.
I wonder if that, translated into Latin, is the motto of any government agencies.
I saw T-shirt on a fellow where the front read, “You can be over prepared” and on the back it read, “NOT”. This comes to mind when considering country living.
My wife and I have a place in New Mexico that is 40 miles from the closest hospital, grocery, sheriff’s dept. and any decent restaurant. The closest neighbor is 6 miles away and the next 8 miles away. The closest Wal-Mart is 50 miles away and we love it there, even with what some would consider inconveniences.
I can take a leak outside anytime I like and shoot all day if I chose, and not bother another living soul. We can see the stars at night and have no traffic noise. When I look out at the landscape there are no houses and structures obstructing the view.
There are trade-offs. One has to plan carefully when it comes to groceries and anticipate items one might need to deal with any repairs, etc. So when we go there I make sure to take anything I might need to deal with any situation, whether I use the items or not.
We are totally off-grid and run with solar and generators. I enjoy the challenges and find myself in a different state of mind when spending time in the quiet.
We use our cell phone’s Hotspot for the Internet and they work fine; albeit a little less speedy than our high-speed internet here at home.
I guess the point I am making is there are trade-offs when living in a rural setting, but if one prepares, the trade-offs are well worth the extra efforts; at least they are for my wife and I.
Also, the grand kids have a blast in more ways than one. They can roam all over, explore and they enjoy shooting the heck out of .22 firearms.
Life is about trade-offs and one has to weigh what they are willing to trade in regards to the convenience of a city life vs. the peace & quiet of a rural experience. Country life is not for everyone and city life is not for me!
That brings to mind the theme song to the TV show “Green Acres”.
Be prepared!
My wife and I have a place in New Mexico that is 40 miles from the closest hospital, grocery, sheriff’s dept. and any decent restaurant. The closest neighbor is 6 miles away and the next 8 miles away. The closest Wal-Mart is 50 miles away and we love it there, even with what some would consider inconveniences.
I can take a leak outside anytime I like and shoot all day if I chose, and not bother another living soul. We can see the stars at night and have no traffic noise. When I look out at the landscape there are no houses and structures obstructing the view.
There are trade-offs. One has to plan carefully when it comes to groceries and anticipate items one might need to deal with any repairs, etc. So when we go there I make sure to take anything I might need to deal with any situation, whether I use the items or not.
We are totally off-grid and run with solar and generators. I enjoy the challenges and find myself in a different state of mind when spending time in the quiet.
We use our cell phone’s Hotspot for the Internet and they work fine; albeit a little less speedy than our high-speed internet here at home.
I guess the point I am making is there are trade-offs when living in a rural setting, but if one prepares, the trade-offs are well worth the extra efforts; at least they are for my wife and I.
Also, the grand kids have a blast in more ways than one. They can roam all over, explore and they enjoy shooting the heck out of .22 firearms.
Life is about trade-offs and one has to weigh what they are willing to trade in regards to the convenience of a city life vs. the peace & quiet of a rural experience. Country life is not for everyone and city life is not for me!
That brings to mind the theme song to the TV show “Green Acres”.
Be prepared!
We're on just under an acre in Southern Logan County. When we first moved out here folks were telling us we lived in the boonies. Over the years there have been 100s of more homes built between us and the 6-8 miles we travel to the store. We're total electric and on our own well. We've got several neighbors with horses, goats, donkeys and other animals. We've had to deal with snakes, skunks and huge alligator snapping turtles in our back yard. I've been in the front yard and had bullets ricochet right over my head. I have no idea where the shots came from. There are folks with ATVs but they haven't rode across our yard. But there have been cases when some folks thought it would be okay to ride their horses across our yard after it rained.
We have some Mexicans who live both north and south of us . . . they love to share their music with everyone on Fridays and the weekends.
Needless to say, as soon as we're able to do so we're buying more land and moving ourselves.
I could never live in the city or suburbs again.
Country living, 100 acres up here in the mountains, six miles of dirt road twisting up the mountains, passing only four houses since leaving a paved road. Very private, especially since the nearest neighbors are two miles up the road no car traffic from them, they are Amish
Wild life , every day deer, turkeys, road runners tons of birds, snakes, beavers on the property next to us. Neither of us hunt. I seen a bear last year running down the road. We seen a mountain lion twice. Plus, you should see the sky at night ...so many stars without the glare of city lights. My husband is like a little kid on his side x side. Coming home with fossils, arrow heads, old knife rusted to nothing, old shell casings. He made friends with the other neighbors, they let him ride around on their land "exploring". He takes a lunch, extra can of gas and is gone all day now that it is warmer.
It's a good thirty-six miles to town. Sixteen to the nearest business a gas station / bait shop / store / deli. No phone lines, cell phones work...sometimes you have to go outside for better connections. Our electric company keeps the power on longest we been without power six hours. We have a back up generator. Our own wells (3) , septic and fenced in about three acres so the dogs are safe. We keep stored water in tanks on hand about 10,000 gals.
You city people should toss your tent or hitch your camper and spend a weekend away from it all...you don't realize what your missing in life.
This sounds ideal to me, but afraid I'd be doing it alone-- don't think I'll ever convince my wife..
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