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Ayuh. Nothen like a quiet wnteh walk among snow-laden pine trees.
I love to take the dog out back in the woods after a heavy snow. I pull on snow laden branches and let the sparkles sprinkle over us. He looks at me like 'why you do that human?'
I have projects for the winter, too. Creative stuff that I never really had time for when I was working.
I also have an exercise schedule in place (finally ! yay for me!! bowling, swim, and the ubiquitous Pickleball!!!) nothing crazy but enough to keep me from petrifying.
Oh, PS, also experimenting with soups and stews for dinner.....nothing like a hearty meal with some good bread.
Yes, that too. Not just hunting but any land use "dont look at those trees, those are my trees".
In my area there has always been a "sharing" mentality with those who have acreage. Hunting was sometimes posted but thats because land owners didnt want you getting that buck they had been scouting and watching.
As more and more "transplants" move in I began seeing more and more posted signs. More and more acreage is being bought up, some by gated developments, some "hunting preserves" where locals once hunted, hiked, looked for mushrooms or accessed local swimming holes. I have actually had people tell me I cant drive on their roads.
I know they bought the land and it is theirs but its still hurtful that these places families have used for generations are now off limits unless you have the $$$$$ to join their club.
This one is a toughie.
The ranch is insured to the boot and part of it is incase a poacher trespasses on my land, steps on a rattlesnake and sues me for it. After all, I am a single woman with a ranch, I must be rich (that is, don't sue poor people).
It's wild land with wild animals and if you don't belong there, if you don't have my permission, stay off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe
........city people from Portland, OR would drive up to the forest for the day or weekend, and they'd bring their humanely-trapped mice with them to set free in the country.
What they didn't realize, was that when they pulled into the far road of my property, thinking they're in the country now, they'd get out of their cars on my property to let their mice loose on my property!! I can't tell you how many times I ran screaming at them like a banshee asking them if they want me to round up all of my critters and drop them on their front lawn! Or at least take them all the way into the dang national forest!.........
Such possibiliites of mice and such don't worry me much. As said, it is wild land around the house and the snakes, owls, birds of prey, and the like will take care of the mice. Those that have gotten into the house are wonderful toys for my Super 6 of Cats.
What does concern me is that since we are on the border of major academia, it is abandoned pets. I don't think I have come across any yet, out here in the country, but if I do, if I can take them in, it is off to the Vet to see if they are chipped, examined for whatever, and then room & board till I figure out what to do with them.
People who abandoned pets are really low on my list. That they would do it out in the country, my country, well, they, the people, probably can't get any lower and there is a chance that they, the animals, might be saved.......though probably much higher odds of going the way of the mice.
Last edited by TamaraSavannah; 11-10-2023 at 10:36 PM..
Not an irritation so much as it makes me laugh: city folks move out here and panic when a tarantula walks onto their porch. Can't count the number of times we've had to explain to new folks that the vast majority of the critters around here will not bother them if they don't bother the critters.
Anyone moving into a rural area needs to learn about the local flora and fauna, then try very hard to not upset the local ecosystem by throwing insecticide everywhere, killing every snake they see without knowing if it's venomous, and just not learning how to co-exist with what was there first.
Speech over, back to my local feeds to see which newby is panicking about what.....
Not an irritation so much as it makes me laugh: city folks move out here and panic when a tarantula walks onto their porch. Can't count the number of times we've had to explain to new folks that the vast majority of the critters around here will not bother them if they don't bother the critters.
Anyone moving into a rural area needs to learn about the local flora and fauna, then try very hard to not upset the local ecosystem by throwing insecticide everywhere, killing every snake they see without knowing if it's venomous, and just not learning how to co-exist with what was there first.
Speech over, back to my local feeds to see which newby is panicking about what.....
That reminds me of Spiders and Snakes by Jim Stafford.
I'm not going to type a short story about it, but I was once surprised by a wolf spider on my screened porch. I'd never seen one before, was startled, and threw the plant pot in my hand at it. I killed it. I never saw another one on that property.
I'm always disappointed that people don't learn the history of the area that they move to. Many of the now small towns used to be bigger and more important places.
The garbage thrown out the car windows when they’re driving thru our isolated and rural roads. It’s happens most during the summer and holiday weekends.
Really im very rural country rock roads are full of plastic airplane bottles and fast food bags. Ass wipes are everywhere.
Really im very rural country rock roads are full of plastic airplane bottles and fast food bags. Ass wipes are everywhere.
Yep, but I must say that one of the things I love about where I live is that people, for the most part, do seem to appreciate the beauty of our area -- plus every May our town hosts a pre-season town clean-up in which volunteers scout all the main roads (not many of them, though, lol) for litter (and as this is done every year, there is not much litter to clean up).
What bugs me? This is a wilderness district and yet so many people drive fast with very bright headlights.
My Subaru shows its scars from a deer hit and at night, I drive 5-10 mph slower on a no passing road......and I have people right on my tail.
Well, once bitten, twice shy.
Drives me absolutely bananas. Those totally obnoxious headlights and they’re right up your ass. You couldn’t drive at the idiots “acceptable speed” even if you wanted to because you become blind as a bat from the blinding glare. Obnoxious inconsiderate buttholes. These are the same idiots who move to “the country” from the city and want to exterminate all of the deer because they can’t drive 80 mph because they have to worry about hitting a deer. Idiots.
This is, by far, the best post I've ever read on the subject. The things on this list aren't just wise and kind, they show thoughtfulness and being community-minded. After all, if you're moving into a new small town, it's hopefully because you [i]want[\I] to become part of the town.
If you want to make friends, be a friend. If you wait for everyone to come to you first, that says more about you than the people whose town you moved into. Don't have the attitude that they should come to YOU first or that they should listen to YOUR suggestions for how to do things in THEIR town. Think of it this way: If a new neighbor came into your house and started asserting themselves or making suggestions as to how you should do this or that, how would that come across to you? Most of us would think, "Who do you think you are coming into my house and telling me how to how I should do things?" Well, that town is their house and, like it or not, you're the guest until you're accepted differently.
Of course, if you're asked for suggestions, that's different. But, even then, be careful of how you word them. "Maybe we could try..." comes across a lot less abrasive than "I think we should..."
Naturally, some folks don't want neighborhood dogs on their property for their own reasons and that is understandable. But, you can still put a bowl of water on the edge of the sidewalk on hot days. I've seen plenty of folks do that in big cities even. A gesture like that will at least be a sign to others that you're a good neighbor. I've seen plenty of dog walkers chatting with the people who put out bowls of water.
Anyway, I just thought this was an excellent, excellent post!
Quote:
Originally Posted by profnot
I suggest you take things slowly. It takes longer to make friends in a small town. Pushy people are usually avoided so don't be too enthusiastic. Just be positive.
Start meeting people by doing a little easy volunteer work.
*Bake things for the community center fundraiser to benefit the library, senior center, playground, etc.
*Don't suggest improvements. If they haven't heard of gluten-free yet, don't inform them. City people tend to give too many lectures.
*Don't become a committee member until you know people better. Small towns have a lot of gossips and petty people. Get the lay of the land and know where the unpleasant people are so you can spend time with the more interesting people instead.
*Join in with community chores. If a few people spend a weekend sprucing up the library by adding holiday lights or something, join in. Friends of the Library could be a good group to check out.
Misc
*Drive slower than you usually would. Small towns usually lack sidewalks so kids, dogs, and everyone is walking out in the street. Tourists drive too fast.
*Hostess gifts are more modest in small towns. (Not everyone can afford nice ones and you don't want your gift make someone else's gift look puny.) A bottle of wine or bunch of yard flowers is fine. Scented soaps are good for women - just one or two bars (not a boxed set).
*Wear nice socks. Lots of homes in rural areas do not allow people to wear shoes indoors because of the dirt and mud. Do as your hosts do. Set aside a place for shoes near your front door for visitors who remove shoes when indoors even if you don't.
*If local people make crafts to sell, buy a few to support the locals. There will usually be a few holiday and summer crafts fairs so you won't have to buy lots.
*If the town has Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), participate. If you just don't want to subscribe and get their produce, at least donate $20 in the spring to help buy seeds.
*Participate in the library. Introduce yourself to the librarians and get a card early on. Ask to be shown how to use the online catalog at home to request materials.
*If you don't like dogs, get over it. Country people tend to love their dogs. If you don't want visiting dogs in the house, create a comfortable area on your porch for them so they are out of sun and rain. Put out a bowl of water.
Besides the obvious things like outright rudeness, driving aggressively, and having a superior attitude (either about themselves or the place they came from), what do city dwellers or suburbanites do that irritate you when they visit or move to your town?
I have reed several comments on this forum about how annoying some "outsiders" can be, and so I am wondering what newcomers and visitors should or shouldn't do when they are in rural areas. My husband and I have not encountered anyone who wasn't friendly and pleasant on our many driving trips and vacations to rural areas, but when we lived in rural Maine for three years, we didn't develop any friendships, either. So now that we have bought a lot in rural Wisconsin on which to build our retirement home in a couple of years, we just don't want to start off on the wrong foot by doing something that would offend or annoy our neighbors -- so thanks in advance for any advice!
Btw, we are friendly introverts, so the lack of friends didn't bother us a dozen years ago, but I do think that it would be nice to have at least some "friendly acquaintances" in our senior years.
P.S. The place we are moving to is a small town rather than a spread-out farming community or "a lot of nothing" kind of place; and it is middle-class, fairly affluent, and evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
NOTHING!''
"Besides the obvious things like outright rudeness"
You do live in a weird world!
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I never saw another one on that property.
