How did you solve boredom?

[MTSilvertip]

Your'e fine, just don't leave city limits before you answer or you will disqualify yourself

One TOWN I lived in had around 75 residents. It was so small they shared their government duties with the ajoining county.
Don't know if that meets the strict criteria being imposed here or not, but it was a fun place to live. Creek right through town for fishing and swimming, gun range just outside city limits, archery range too on a local farmers field that ran right to the edge of town.

They had several festivals each year, street dances, fishing derbys, only 2 bars in town, one cafe, (although one bar did serve hamburgers), and you had to drive 40 miles to the next town of 1500 residents to do your shopping.

Very quiet little town, lots of good folks and things to do, but that probably isn't the information some on this board are looking for.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Teddy52

not many people living in a town of 200 that have horse barns.

( the OP .......was.....about living in a small town and not about living in a rural area outside of town )

Guess that depends on where you're located - I know several "don't blink when you drive through or you'll miss it" towns around here where pretty much EVERYONE has a horse barn - and maybe a goat or three and some chickens. Everyone I know who lives in those towns has plenty to keep them busy and entertained, from among the things mentioned upthread and then some.

It's just not all (though some is - the internet is almost everywhere, after all) the exact same things that they'd be doing in the city.

[Teddy52]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Yeah, I laugh when I hear people talking about "boring" country life. There's always something that needs to be done, and if you have animals, there's always, always, ALWAYS surprises, whether it be a foal out of that mare that wasn't in foal, or the neighbor's bull coming visiting or vice versa, or the cat delivering half a rabbit on your pillow, or any number of other things they think of to keep us entertained. Plus, of course, all the things mentioned above.

The OP was talking about living............"in a small town of 200 people "

Not often your neighbor ............"in a small town of 200 people "... even has a bull.

Yes........there is a huge difference between living in a town of 200 and out in the country where farm animals are common.

[Teddy52]

Originally Posted by MTSilvertip

Boredom??? Who has time!

I raise a lot of my own food, so there is the garden to take care of, gathering wild edibles in season, hunting and fishing and processing the meat.
I also raise livestock for meat, so caring for them, fencing, haying, repairing buildings and water tanks takes a lot of work.
Repairing and maintaining equipment, getting firewood, welding, fabricating parts and structures, felling timber and cutting lumber all take time.

For fun, I build furniture from scratch, and I also blacksmith. My handmade knives and axes are pretty popular, and the money I get from sales helps pay the bills. I also do specialty work for my customers, and do handyman work for several senior citizens in my area that can't maintain their homes.

I teach classes on hunting and trapping to kids including wilderness survival. I show them how to make spears, bows and arrows and knap stone for knives and arrow/spear points. The classes show the kids how to make shelters, purify water, edible plants, and some basic first aid.
I also play my fiddle with a local band that performs for nursing home residents.

I also hold down a full time job, and assist when needed with a seperate company that I designed but my partner runs.

I barely watch TV, I use the computer on my breaks at work, I don't have time to be bored!!

"I also raise livestock for meat, so caring for them, fencing, haying, repairing buildings and water tanks"

I doubt much of that is being done in a town of 200 people.

As I stated, world of difference between farm/ranch living and living in a town of 200.

[MTSilvertip]

Originally Posted by Teddy52

"I also raise livestock for meat, so caring for them, fencing, haying, repairing buildings and water tanks"

I doubt much of that is being done in a town of 200 people.

As I stated, world of difference between farm/ranch living and living in a town of 200.

But as also stated, I have lived in towns of around that size, and been able in town to raise rabbits for meat and grow a large garden and have fruit trees, so I was basically a small farmer on 2 lots of land inside city limits of a town with a population of around 800.
The mayor used to stop by my yard on his lunch hour and feed the rabbits as I was right behind city hall.

I've lived in the country where my nearest neighbor was over a mile away, in small towns of populations from around 75 to 6000, and in major metros like New Orleans and San Diego. You don't have to tell me the differences, but, just to be picky, I find fewer differences between the country and small towns than I do between small towns and large cities.

I also know of several barns within city limits of towns of populations in the 100 - 700 poplation zones, and towns of 35k or more that allow you to raise ducks or chickens within city limits.
I will agree most of the barns have been converted into garages, or even in a couple instances, homes, but blanket statements definitely do not cover all situations.

[Woodrow LI]

Originally Posted by Teddy52

"I also raise livestock for meat, so caring for them, fencing, haying, repairing buildings and water tanks"

I doubt much of that is being done in a town of 200 people.

As I stated, world of difference between farm/ranch living and living in a town of 200.

Not much different. At least not in the areas I lived in. I lived in Tariffville CT from 1952 until 1959 Population was less than 200 at the time. There were about 6 kids in my age group. Television was pretty much unknown. Yet we kept very active and never bored. We built club houses where ever we could. Often went hiking in nearby woods, for big time adventure walked to the nearest city, about a 2 hour walk.

We had adapted quite well at devising our own forms of entertainment. Oh, we were active readers and would often read a novel a day and trade books. We also collected stamps and had our own stamp club.

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

Originally Posted by STB93

I would like to know how did you solve boredom when you lived in your small town? I have lived in a small town of 200 people one time and the only thing I did was: watch Tv, walk the dogs, read, play games, check out the main town, and so on. What did you do?

I don't live in town, I live on rural acerage. Trust me, it's never boring. Between maintaining the property, cutting firewood, working on the house, there is always something to do. Casual time? Jump on the dirt bike or ATV and go explore. Take the dogs for a hike. Have a BBQ. Sit around a campfire. Get the firearms out and do some shooting in the back yard. Throw the canoe in the lake and go for a ride. Head out to the wood or metal shop and build something I've been putting off. If we're really bored, jump on the motorcycles and take a ride to a local marnia for dinner on the water.

The only time I have ever found myself bored is living in an appartment in a city. What the hell do you do in town? No yard or garden to work on. Walking-on sidewalks, lacks satisfaction. Eating out gets boring after a night or two. Shows? Meh, I would rather be actively doing something rather than watching something. Motorcycle ride? Urban riding sucks. Parks? eh, I have a nicer backyard than any park I've been to. Nightclubbing? Please, I'm not 21 any more. I guess there is a reason to have such fast internet in urban areas-to give you something to do rather than staring at 4 walls.

[CCc girl]

Rock on, Toyman!!!!!!!!!!!!