Saw this interesting article online. It seems more and more retirees and opting for life in the country. As they say in the article, trading Thai restaurants and high speed Internet for homegrown veggies and birdsong.
It is a journey that I think a lot of us are taking...either already there, working toward getting there (like us now) or just dreaming of the day when we can.
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| Our "Retirement Spot" |
It's an interesting dynamic, seeing people move from the city to the country, and I have to wonder what is behind this? Is it the economy? Concerns about food and all the chemicals and processed nature of it? A need to live a simpler life to clear your mind? Worries about some natural/man made disaster?
Some combination of all?
Some combination of all?
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| Country Sunset |
For hubby and myself, it was wanting to get away from the hustle/bustle. Peace and quiet. Privacy.
ReplyDeleteAbout the only downfall is SSSLLLOOOWWWW internet, but I gladly give that up for no neighbors.
(that sounds mighty unfriendly, but it's not as bad as that came out sounding.....)
Hey, I totally understand. Peace/quiet is one of our main reasons we bought this place and want to be out there full time eventually. We're lucky, we still get a good cell signal out there and so we can use our phones as 'hot spots' for any internet we might need.
DeleteI have always wanted a porch!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, our house in town has a porch but we are rarely on it (you know, looking across the street at the neighbors is not always exciting) but out there, we sit on the porch every chance we get. Time stands still sometimes, ha.
DeleteWe actually did the opposite, giving up our rural home on an acre for a small house in town. My gardening practices have stayed the same though, just on a slightly smaller scale for just the two of us. I can only remember a couple of years, out of the last fifty, that I haven't had a productive (sometimes small, sometimes large) garden. Those two years were after a serious bout with cancer, and surgery, that took that long for recovery. Nothing less serious than that could keep me from gardening!
ReplyDeleteWhat do I miss about rural living? What Sue is looking for....the peace and quiet and privacy. What don't I miss? Easy access to shopping, doctors, etc. When you get up in age, as we are, those things become more important.
Don't forget the Toad you sadly left behind, Granny!
DeleteHa, too funny 3rd Shift Man. Granny, we're fortunate in that we're rural, but in about 20 minutes we can be near civilization, so that's a plus. But I totally hear ya about the ease of access to those things. That's an important thing to think about.
DeleteSide note, I think that's amazing that you've always had a garden like that. Pretty impressive. Glad you are healthier now too!!
@Stay @ Home, I miss the toad...and the view! Our previous home sat on a hillside, overlooking two of the three cities and the Columbia River!
Delete1st. Man, when they wheel me off to the old folks' home, I'll be packing a pot of tomatoes on my lap and a bucket of compost in my hand ;-)
I live on an acre in a quiet village, among houses that were built almost 100 years ago and are small by today's standards. I have neighbors, good roads, and live only about 3 miles from an interstate highway, yet it's a quiet place with plenty of privacy, lots of wildlife. Neither city nor country -- but I like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteSounds devine.
DeleteYes, sounds devine for sure! We're about 10 miles from an interstate highway (10 miles of turns and winding roads!) so it's convenient. Definitely country but close enough to city if we need it. Home is where the heart is, right? ;-)
DeleteI grew up in small town where gardening was a norm of life. Then moved to LA for 12 years and afterwards to East Coast working in Manhattan for nearly 4. Finally got out of large cities and into suburbs and now much happier than I've been in the past several years. Large cities are not for me. I like the quiet.
ReplyDeleteLA and NY? Wow, you DID have your fill of big cities, huh? Our current 'city home' is in one of the older historic neighborhoods so we fortunately have the small town 'feel' (though the mcmansion craze is seeping into our quaint little neighborhood) but then I get on the freeway and go "ugh" every day. Being in the country is like a time machine. A few hours out there can decompress me like I've been on a 2 day vacation. It's the oddest feeling, but one I love! Glad you 'escaped' the city, ha.
DeleteTime to connect again. After rearing two children, having businesses and watching the world become more and more chaotic, time out for ourselves is going to be a welcome reward :)
ReplyDeleteI love your description Dani. Time to connect again, couldn't have said it better myself. Once we get the farm fixed up, the land developed, and it's becoming more self sustaining, it will be a welcome reward indeed. It's an important journey isn't it?
DeleteThanks for the good article. I'm on that path, hoping to sell my house in the fall and finally get out to the mountains. Longing for peace and quiet and privacy. After all these years of horrible commutes and city living, with the last 16 near a school and all that hectic commotion, I dream of long days outside, not driven in by the noise and hyperactivity, enjoying the bird song and breeze ruffling thru the trees. Neighbors some distance away, not close enough to see, smell or hear...sounds like heaven to me!
ReplyDeleteWow, heaven for sure! I love the mountains, sadly, we don't have any of those anywhere down this direction, ha. You know it's funny what you said about the breeze and the birds...recently I was out there, I saw down on the couch, the window was open, I was drinking a glass of tea and I just listened to the breeze, the birds, the clock ticking in the background, an occasional rooster in the distance, it was pretty awesome. I got lost in my thoughts for about 30 minutes, ha. I hope you get exactly what you are looking for, it will be SO worth it!!
DeleteHuman desire for personal 'security' no doubt. Both mental and edible.
ReplyDeleteYou know, that's a great way of putting it. I like that! :-)
DeleteFor me, making the move to a more rural home will be about safety from the impending apocalypse, clean food, protecting nature, having more space, more quiet, and more freedom. I could get a barky dog, or have a bonfire, or have an archery range for my daughter, etc. without having a neighbor get mad! It may also be that living in a mobile home park has finally driven me to become a hermit as well.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes and yes. Personal security, peace and quiet, a longing to re-connect with the wisdom that has (almost) been forgotten, a necessity for *real* food and getting our hands dirty. It makes me happy that more and more people are becoming aware of the atrocities being committed in our society, but we still have a long way to go! I find hope in the little things...simple actions, shared wisdom, kind kindred spirits :-)
ReplyDeleteEven though I grew up in inner-city St. Louis, I have always known I wanted to move out into the country. I found a to-scale-diagram I made when I was 11 of my 'future farm,' and I loved nothing more than our yearly vacation of venturing into rural Missouri and going camping for a week.
ReplyDeleteEven thinking about it, for me, there was no specific reason as to why we moved out onto 9 acres; I just knew it was where I would be happiest.
This photograph is frame worth! The contrast between the foliage, sun, and dark over head sky is breathtaking. Thank you for sharing it with us all.
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