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To MissingAll4Seasons: Thanks for the fascinating information about the winter in your tent. You were able to keep temps inside the tent warmer than I would have imagined possible, but now I think I understand how. I'll bet the 3" foamboard had a lot to do with it. How many times per night did you have to get up to stoke the fire in the stove on the coldest nights?
On the coldest nights, we slept in shifts so we could feed the fire every 1-2 hours; but the average for most of the winter was twice a night, not so difficult since I'm a night person and DH is a morning person. We also have an inside thermometer with a minimum temperature alarm that goes off anytime it gets below 50 in the tent, which is usually right before the fire burns down completely, so we didn't need to rebuild a whole new fire in the box at 3 am. Ripley, our dog, was also good about nudging me awake to feed the fire if it started to go out before the alarm went off.
This winter we'll have a much more efficient stove with a larger firebox, so I expect we'll get a little more sleep If we do manage to get the cabin built and completely insulated before winter sets in, we should be able to sleep the whole night without feeding the new stove at all.
We moved to rural New Mexico, the Land of Entrapment, oops, I mean the Land of Enchantment, 2 years ago and are ready to move back to the Pacific Northwest and a little closer to the city. Our little community has no stores, no gas station. Nearest shopping and mediocre medical care is 1.5 hours away. Biggest problem is probably the caliche mud roads--the county does not maintain them properly so during the monsoons and winter, they are nearlyimpassible--what happens if you have a medical emergency? (We signed up for emergency medical helicopter service--but they can't fly in these monsoonal electrical storms). When you move into a small rural community, too, the locals may be friendly but will always consider you to be an outsider. Will probably be here a while but only because it's not easy to sell property way out here. It was a huge mistake moving here where the deer and antelope roam, but until the house sells, I'm enjoying the quiet, the "big" sky, and being able to walk outside in jammies because the nearest neighbor is 5 miles away.
We moved to rural New Mexico, the Land of Entrapment, oops, I mean the Land of Enchantment, 2 years ago and are ready to move back to the Pacific Northwest and a little closer to the city. Our little community has no stores, no gas station. Nearest shopping and mediocre medical care is 1.5 hours away. Biggest problem is probably the caliche mud roads--the county does not maintain them properly so during the monsoons and winter, they are nearlyimpassible--what happens if you have a medical emergency? (We signed up for emergency medical helicopter service--but they can't fly in these monsoonal electrical storms). When you move into a small rural community, too, the locals may be friendly but will always consider you to be an outsider. Will probably be here a while but only because it's not easy to sell property way out here. It was a huge mistake moving here where the deer and antelope roam, but until the house sells, I'm enjoying the quiet, the "big" sky, and being able to walk outside in jammies because the nearest neighbor is 5 miles away.
I don't intend this to sound mean at all (geeze, I've made plenty of mistakes), but don't you think most of the above should have been foreseeable?
We moved to rural New Mexico, the Land of Entrapment, oops, I mean the Land of Enchantment, 2 years ago and are ready to move back to the Pacific Northwest and a little closer to the city. Our little community has no stores, no gas station. Nearest shopping and mediocre medical care is 1.5 hours away. Biggest problem is probably the caliche mud roads--the county does not maintain them properly so during the monsoons and winter, they are nearlyimpassible--what happens if you have a medical emergency? (We signed up for emergency medical helicopter service--but they can't fly in these monsoonal electrical storms). When you move into a small rural community, too, the locals may be friendly but will always consider you to be an outsider. Will probably be here a while but only because it's not easy to sell property way out here. It was a huge mistake moving here where the deer and antelope roam, but until the house sells, I'm enjoying the quiet, the "big" sky, and being able to walk outside in jammies because the nearest neighbor is 5 miles away.
T&G Gal, regardless of your selection criteria and research that resulted in moving to an area that doesn't suit your needs or dreams, there's no reason to stay and suffer without exploring every option. How about house-swapping?
For instance, you could compose an ad for the CL in the Pacific Northwest area you wish to return to, specifying your desire to trade houses with someone THERE who wants to try the rural homesteading life in the Land of Entrapment. (That was pretty funny.) You know, the old "one man's trash is another man's treasure" thing.
House-swapping is a great idea, especially in today's economy. It would be wonderful if the banks would let you assume (reasonable) mortgages (if you want to) without a complete re-loan. You'd think that would be better for them financially than having a bunch of foreclosed homes that they can't sell on thier books. Perhaps take House A's mortgage and House B's mortgage and split the difference or something (assuming they're relatively the same size, etc). The thing would scare the poop out of me is having to claim the "forgiven" difference as income on my taxes... eeekkk!
I wonder if it is a reaction to the sheer delight being expressed nonstop by their husbands, who get so carried away by it that they are ready to move here tomorrow You know, but for their wives not be as willing.
Could is also be saying less about the women's view of rural living and say more about their relationship with their husband? If they enjoy their husband's company seems like they wouldn't feel isolated. With cellphones that have unlimited long distance and with internet access I find it insane people could complain about isolation.
I've never lived as remote as many of you. But got a taste of becoming self sufficient living alone in Northern AZ. Yes we had shopping but where I lived when it snowed sometimes I could not get out for 1-2 weeks to get groceries because they didn't plow the roads and at the time I was having a lot of trouble walking. So I learned to plan ahead, stock up on food and eat very little. Family would send emails worrying about how lonely I must be--I wasn't most of the time, even when it snowed 6 feet in one week and the snow plow hadn't been by for 4 days.
I moved closer to family. Now its small town, but not really rural. However the nearest grocery is tiny and oddly has very little fresh produce or meat, mostly prepackaged and snack foods. Like I said its not rural so I can't understand this. But I have learned to apply what I learned living out West. I still do go into the next biggest town 5 times a week mainly because I signed up with the gym there which is 20 mile drive each way. I take insulated totes with me and pick up produce, meat, kefir and the very hard to find lactose-free milk and have stocked up on food. I spend 2-3 days a week not going out at all because the 40 mile trips take up so much time and the traffic exhausts me for some reason. Family emails me say "its ok if you stop by any time and visit when you get lonely". Thing is I don't get lonely. Family says if you need help with anyone just let us know. Need help? I'm used to taking care of everything on my own.
Visits have become a chore as we have little in common, they have no activities or hobbies and all they do is watch tv. I watch little tv and give me this bizarre look when I tell them this. Half the time I have no idea what they are talking about. I find this exhausting and miss the isolated winters and the wide open space of the West where I could walk in the woods and not see anyone for hours. I don't understand why some people can't be by themselves and find things to keep them content. I do not understand my own father's request to come over and "sit with him". He's halfway deaf and won't get hearing aids & we have nothing to talk about even if he could hear, he has tv on for hours on mute, he doesn't want to go out and do anything...I do not understand this need to have someone sit with you. I really cherish my alone time and doing my own thing. His wife talks 90 miles a minute and can literally spend 4 hours talking non-stop & gets mad if anyone else says anything. I really prefer quietness unless someone has something intellectual to share. Why don't others?
Visits have become a chore as we have little in common, they have no activities or hobbies and all they do is watch tv. I watch little tv and give me this bizarre look when I tell them this. Half the time I have no idea what they are talking about. I find this exhausting and miss the isolated winters and the wide open space of the West where I could walk in the woods and not see anyone for hours. I don't understand why some people can't be by themselves and find things to keep them content. I do not understand my own father's request to come over and "sit with him". He's halfway deaf and won't get hearing aids & we have nothing to talk about even if he could hear, he has tv on for hours on mute, he doesn't want to go out and do anything...I do not understand this need to have someone sit with you. I really cherish my alone time and doing my own thing. His wife talks 90 miles a minute and can literally spend 4 hours talking non-stop & gets mad if anyone else says anything. I really prefer quietness unless someone has something intellectual to share. Why don't others?
No wonder your father won't get a hearing aid; he doesn't want to listen to his wife talk non-stop! I have known two or three complusive non-stop talkers and it is pretty incredible. Interesting that those who know the least about something often have the most to say about it.
As far as your final sentence ("Why don't others?"), the answer is easy: Because others are different from you. This is not a criticism of you; I, too, don't care for shallow, meaningless conversation.
No wonder your father won't get a hearing aid; he doesn't want to listen to his wife talk non-stop! I have known two or three complusive non-stop talkers and it is pretty incredible. Interesting that those who know the least about something often have the most to say about it.
I'd never thought of that, but that makes perfect sense about the hearing aids. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
I don't get the compulsive talking thing. His wife claims she talks so much because talking at work has been banned (probably because of her) and she said growing up she was left alone on the farm in the middle of nowhere and had no one to talk to. Well I was an only child, plus shy and was not allowed to play with other kids. So I never talked to anyone much either...but that doesn't make me want to talk non-stop now. If I go to visit Dad and she's there she talks like a chipmunk on amphetamines the whole time. So it doesn't feel like I'm visiting with my father! He's mentioned about as polite as a person could say that its not necessary to talk non-stop and she gets mad. I rode back from dinner with them, her driving and she stormed back 80mph on winding country roads weaving between cars, mad as H#!! dumped us off in their driveway, then stormed back out on the road to go driving and therapy shopping for about 4 hours. I'm terrified to ride with her and worry about her driving dad everywhere. She does this several times a week. Wonder why I hate going over there?
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If we do manage to get the cabin built and completely insulated before winter sets in, we should be able to sleep the whole night without feeding the new stove at all.
so EVERYONE can hear them complain.
