Anybody else regret moving to the country?

[teeceetx]

Get that dog. Buy a gun and get trained, for personal protection. And pay attention to what others on here are saying about prepping. You can then decide what level of prepping you are comfortable with.

It'll all work out fine, just stay positive.

 

[shanrose]

If your wasps are anywhere near a garden hose, get yourself this car wash wand and fill it with blue dawn soap. Hit them with the soap spray and they'll be dead right there. Get it from Northern Tool, Walmart or Amazon. Way cheaper than wasp spray.

Wash-N-Rinse Spray Gun, Model Number WNR5D​

Most anything kills them; Brake Kleen, WD40, starting fluid...just don't use around the fire

Wow thank you. I'll look for it on Walmart now. The wasps are near the hose.

 

[shanrose]

Get that dog. Buy a gun and get trained, for personal protection. And pay attention to what others on here are saying about prepping. You can then decide what level of prepping you are comfortable with.

It'll all work out fine, just stay positive.

You have a calm and good soul. Thank you for the calming encouragement. I've been meaning to learn how to shoot. My hub leaves a small gun with me when he has to go anywhere - but I have never handled guns and have never shot one. I think that learning to shoot will help me to feel more secure. It's funny how talking to others on here helps to crystallize your thinking - I hadn't thought of getting a dog until we began discussing this topic and it helped me to see what I need to do.

Many thanks!

 

[teeceetx]

I've been stung maybe a dozen times in my life, and all but one was by wasps. I HATE them. I hunt them down and kill them with prejudice wherever I find them.

IMPORTANT: Get trained with that gun!!!! There's nothing more dangerous than being untrained with a lethal weapon. DO IT NOW!!

 

[sonya123]

We have been here 8 years , and live in a crappy house built in the 1940s and are dirt poor farmers now BUT there is no way in hell I would want to move back to a large city ( we lived in Orlando) , or even smaller one. If the shape of your house is important, lol, yeah, you must be a city person....
I hate having neighbors right next door, I hate not having room, city traffic, planes flying over the house, people everywhere, plus the expense of living there. Oh and light everywhere all the time, You can't block it out of the bedroom no matter what.
Now we have our own hiking trail up our own mountain, food walking around on the pasture ( and in the backyard , sheep are mowing there today) , closest neighbor 1\4 mile away, most are Amish. Varmints can be shot or trapped if they bother you or your animals if you have any . No city people telling you what shape your house must be in either . Never seen a police car in our neighborhood at all and we don't lock our doors ( there are no functioning locks)
LOL, you would hate our livestyle! We have sometimes dirty ( when it rains a lot) spring water coming off the mountain, sometimes there is no pressure if one of the neighbors forgets to close a hydrant or something. I cook on a woodstove in winter, our water is heated through that also ( cold water only in summer) and I cook outside on the porch in summer on a propane stove. The house sometimes is 40 degrees in the morning in winter until you get the stove going ( carry wood inside, pile it in the stove , light it)
No ac either of course, and limited electric

 

[M0del_31]

We have been here 8 years , and live in a crappy house built in the 1940s and are dirt poor farmers now BUT there is no way in hell I would want to move back to a large city ( we lived in Orlando) , or even smaller one. If the shape of your house is important, lol, yeah, you must be a city person....
I hate having neighbors right next door, I hate not having room, city traffic, planes flying over the house, people everywhere, plus the expense of living there. Oh and light everywhere all the time, You can't block it out of the bedroom no matter what.
Now we have our own hiking trail up our own mountain, food walking around on the pasture ( and in the backyard , sheep are mowing there today) , closest neighbor 1\4 mile away, most are Amish. Varmints can be shot or trapped if they bother you or your animals if you have any . No city people telling you what shape your house must be in either . Never seen a police car in our neighborhood at all and we don't lock our doors ( there are no functioning locks)
LOL, you would hate our livestyle! We have sometimes dirty ( when it rains a lot) spring water coming off the mountain, sometimes there is no pressure if one of the neighbors forgets to close a hydrant or something. I cook on a woodstove in winter, our water is heated through that also ( cold water only in summer) and I cook outside on the porch in summer on a propane stove. The house sometimes is 40 degrees in the morning in winter until you get the stove going ( carry wood inside, pile it in the stove , light it)
No ac either of course, and limited electric

You just described one of my camping/fishing trips

 

[Canon29]

Finishing your posts with .02 is kinda cool. I get that you’re posting from your point of view and it’s your two cents.

Still, I wonder if .02 is a wicked new cartridge. I mean your posts pack a wallop.

Meant as a compliment, and my .02

It's a little reminder and a light disclaimer- sometimes folks take things a little too seriously.
Sometimes I worry it's a slight copout, but it seems to reduce the number of arguments I get into.

A man wouldn't care less about the house format! Women do!

Too true! Though as much as I hate all the wife inflicted projects (like yesterday i swapped a perfectly good ceiling fan for a different color) I do appreciate living in a home with a woman's touch.

I think women act as a (begrudingly I'll add "neccessary") driving force behind men, my wife certainly does for me considering domestic life. Too often when I'm faced with a situation my brain reverts to caveman and I realize I just don't really care much about the little stuff and would let many things fall into ruin. It's easier to live without in my opinion and im a notorious minimalist. My wife however wants to have her cake and eat it too- and as crazy as it drives me, when I cater to her caprices my life does get always better. If she wasn't in my life I'd be eating venison wearing my buckskins and very likely sleeping ina cave- but with her I've found deep meaning in investing in our lives, becoming a father and overall improving the scope of my knowledge and range of my abilities. So it's really the least I can do when she decides its time to change how something looks.

It not without its bruises though

As to the rest of your comment- I think you'd enjoy the return to the city... short term. The danger of nostalgia is that often you forget the problems of the past and decry the benefits of the present.

Your husband sounds like a good man! Put him to work, but don't take him out of his element! The conditioning will wear off it just takes time (like any investment) to be fully realized.

.03

 

[sonya123]

You just described one of my camping/fishing trips

how would you like to be on a trip like that for 8 years? LOL

oh btw I AM a woman ( not LGBDXYZ either!) and I don't care about the house, as long as I can sleep well at night, which I do here

 

[M0del_31]

how would you like to be on a trip like that for 8 years? LOL

oh btw I AM a woman ( not LGBDXYZ either!) and I don't care about the house, as long as I can sleep well at night, which I do here

I wouldn't. That's why we called it a trip. I been tent camping so cold, I shoved most of a warm 100' extension cord in my sleeping bag; the ends went to a generator and electric heater.

 

[dademoss]

I'm not really qualified, I don't think we are moving to the "country", although right behind our back fence is a crop field (corn this year). The 2 bigger cities are 11 miles away. The village we live in, Clarksville has 2 gas stations/quickie marts, a Family Dollar, Church and a stop light. I can walk to the post office and fire station. 2 non chain restaurants are close and we have to drive to one of the cities for "fast slop"

It's a nice change from the places I have lived for 64 years, high density residential neighborhoods.

 

[Mountain trapper]

You sound like my husband - he's in his glory here. He bought solar but hasn't installed it yet. You are right: it's not easy living this way. I don't know if this will pass and I'll acclimate to it. Maybe if I had a dog I'd feel safer - dogs usually sense danger long before humans. Hubby doesn't want another dog but they're the best protection IMO.

Our terrier was a great watchdog. She was a little thing but went after our neighbors two big Rottweilers. The neighbor told my hub "that dog has b*lls!"

Do you have a dog? I've been considering getting one. Just the presence of a dog might scare off the coyotes? Although if they're in a pack they could go after my dog.

Lot of changes. Figuring it out. Love talking to others on here and the distilled wisdom.

Yes we have a dog, a German Short-haired pointer. We don't let him out at night because I don't want him barking or chasing game. One day last year I saw him in the backyard playing with a coyote. That coyote would come around everyday for awhile. The only critter that I'm the least bit concerned about here is rattlesnakes. I kill everyone that I see around the house. I've got a jar full of rattles. When the grandkids are here they carry a pointy snake stick when they go hiking. They're 7 and 8 years old. Last year they called me on the walky talky and said they found a rattler and wanted me to come down and shoot it. Another time they caught a rattlesnake in the chicken run. They chopped it up with a machete and fed the hens. The gkids camp out by themselves, and they go with me on the trap line.
There are far more vermin in the cities to worry about than anything out here.

 

[Amish Heart]

You really need to learn to shoot, Shanrose. To clean a gun, load it, use it, be safe with it. It will give you a sense of empowerment that you need. Also find a project where you live that you love, and that is yours. Something outside.

 

[sonya123]

I wouldn't. That's why we called it a trip. I been tent camping so cold, I shoved most of a warm 100' extension cord in my sleeping bag; the ends went to a generator and electric heater.

well we are not living in a tent LOL, we do have a house, a large one actually with a functioning roof and 2 chimneys ( 4 rooms, 2 bathrooms with running water , and a huge livingroom and kitchen)
We just don't have regular utilities , I am thinking about adding to our solar and getting rid of the electric completely with as much as their prices have gone up lately

 

[INresponse]

When I lived in the big city the grocery store was a mile from the house, and with all the traffic and red lights it would take at least 10 minutes to get there. Walmart/Sams Club was about 2 miles away and it would take over 20 minutes to get there and parking was always full. Plus, there are people in the city, lots of people, FAR too many people.

Where I am now it is 8 miles to the next town that has a gas station, Family Dollar, and a mechanic shop. It is 12 miles north to the small city that has a small grocery store, an ACE Hardware, auto parts stores, a Family Dollar, 2 gas stations, and my family doctors office. The big city (small big city) is 25 miles south and has several grocery stores, Costco, a mall (which I never go to), Home Depot, Lowes, farm stores, a large hospital, and most everything you may need.
It may seem like a long drive to the city but I am not waiting at a red light for 2 or 3 cycles just to get through intersections. During the long peaceful drive I can relax and look out the windows and see nature, although occasionally you need to watch for deer or cows in the road, but that happens less often than idiot drivers encountered in the city.

Relax. Get a nice chair and sit on the porch. Coyotes come around, get the motion activated sprinkler things that will spray water when something walks near, or a BB gun, or a pellet gun, or a sling shot (wrist rocket is a good design) with some small sized river stone for ammo. You just need to get close and scare them off and over time they will know to stay away.

As for the cat, give it to someone who wants a cat. It isn't "your" cat, you just got stuck with it. No reason to regret giving it to someone who wants it.

Pick a small project, finish it on a weekend. Pick another small project, finish it the next weekend. Make plans on how to redo the bathroom and get estimates from a handyman and a few companies to do the work. One step at a time.

 

[old tex]

Interesting topic: I have to say that the OP seems timid in her post & that is probably the big problem. I've lived all over, different states, different countries & in cities & rural areas & each has it pluses & minus's. The pluses you enjoy & the minus's you address & fix. Not enough storage, that's a pretty simple fix & not always an expensive fix, for example. House lay out is wrong, change it. But the big thing you need to change is draw up a list of issues & then address them with your husband. Try to solve them together & compromise to make both of you happy & feel secure.

 

[Pearl]

What trouble are they having?

Oh - and we're battling fire ants and red wasps. AAAARGGGHHH!

The wife wouldn't come out of the house until the husband concreted 40ft around the entire house! Bugs, snakes, deer, anything that moves! They lost several dogs to coyotes!

 

[DrHenley]

Normally people can afford a larger house in the country than in the city. Lower housing costs, lower property taxes...don't blame "the country" that you moved into too small a house! That's got nothing to do with it being in the country.

 

[Bacpacker]

Grew up in the country farming. Moved to the city when i got married and hated it. Got a divorce and moved to a bigger city while in school. Moved back where i grew up,, but still in the city while getting established with a new career. Then We moved to the county 30 years ago. Best move ever. But now they have built so many houses in our little town, I'm ready to move further out and into the mountains.

 

[shanrose]

you shoot a pistol or rifle? Why wait for hubby to shoot coyotes? Some states have a bounty on them. Concentrate on learning new skills, you'll be happy you did.

I've never shot anything. I don't think I could shoot a coyote unless it was a threat. My hubby has guns and he leaves one here when he has to go somewhere. But I've been meaning to get him to take me shooting. I do have to learn new skills. It's all a little scary. I never handled guns, never dealt with wildlife, and now I'm plopped into the midst of them. But it is beautiful here. We have deer that come right into our yard. A tornado hit and knocked down some huge trees but thank God didn't hit the house. I'm dealing with all these scary things!

 

[shanrose]

Normally people can afford a larger house in the country than in the city. Lower housing costs, lower property taxes...don't blame "the country" that you moved into too small a house! That's got nothing to do with it being in the country.

Yes the house isn't designed to my liking but I'm also dealing with coyotes and other wildlife and it's a little scary for me. That's why I'm seriously thinking of getting a dog.

 

[shanrose]

Grew up in the country farming. Moved to the city when i got married and hated it. Got a divorce and moved to a bigger city while in school. Moved back where i grew up,, but still in the city while getting established with a new career. Then We moved to the county 30 years ago. Best move ever. But now they have built so many houses in our little town, I'm ready to move further out and into the mountains.

I talked to a guy who said that he bought remote property and what did they do? Put a big cell phone tower across the street from him.

We have to face the reality that they're pushing Agenda 2030 which will end property rights. They want us in high rise tiny apartments in 15 minute cities. We're in weird times. America is over unfortunately.

 

[Bacpacker]

Itll be a cold day in hell before I ever move to a 15 minute city

 

[shanrose]

I've been stung maybe a dozen times in my life, and all but one was by wasps. I HATE them. I hunt them down and kill them with prejudice wherever I find them.

IMPORTANT: Get trained with that gun!!!! There's nothing more dangerous than being untrained with a lethal weapon. DO IT NOW!!

Thank you for the warning! I will take it to heart. I grew up never seeing a gun. It wasn't until I met my husband that I saw a shotgun up close. I will ask my husband to take me out shooting in the next couple days. I love the wisdom that I'm absorbing here.

 

[shanrose]

Itll be a cold day in hell before I ever move to a 15 minute city

You and a lot of other people. Look at the Bladerunners in England cutting down the cameras. I've wondered what will be the breaking point in America. We all know something big is planned and it's all done in secrecy. I just pray to the God who made me because all these changes for the worse are hard to deal with.

 

[shanrose]

housThe wife wouldn't come out of the house until the husband concreted 40ft around the entire house! Bugs, snakes, deer, anything that moves! They lost several dogs to coyotes!

Oh no! That's a. shame for those dogs. I wonder if one dog is enough because coyotes are in packs. I guess I'm going to have to get my husband to sit by the persimmon tree and shoot them. That's a good idea to concrete around the house

 

[Amish Heart]

Yes, but look at your place as your haven. You can change things there and make them like you want to. It's your place, your world. The city is not like that.
I was reluctant to learn to shoot, till I saw the need. About 15 yrs ago. I was scared to death. I remember looking at my first gun (a 45 smith and wesson) and decided that I was going to love that gun. I carried it with me around the house (unloaded for a long time) practiced dry firing, until I got really good at shooting it (with some lessons). It's good to get very comfortable with a firearm. Start with a 22 if you have one. Our little granddaughter shoots a 22 no problem. I've taught a number of women how to shoot and always start with a 22, moving up to a 9 mil. Don't let a guy get all macho on you and hand you a high caliber handgun or rifle for the first time, then laugh when it scares the daylights out of you. None of that. Guns are great for us older ladies. They are truly the great equalizer. Learn to shoot and you'll learn to love it. Other places to learn stuff for ladies....BOW groups...look those up. I'd go for a 3 day trip and bring our 3 daughters. (Becoming an Outdoor Woman). Great fun, did it for years.

 

[Patchouli]

Wow thank you. I'll look for it on Walmart now. The wasps are near the hose.

I put some Dawn dish detergent in a spray bottle, added water. I shoot at wasps, etc. with it and they are dead within seconds. I also sprayed the beginning nest/hive thingy and they all died within a short period. I hate using poisons.

 

[12icemaker]

A reality check is what you need to do, are you willing to trade convenience for freedom to live in an environment where your life is what you make it yourself?

It can be as hard as you want it to be if you have means to buy the things it takes to make the work easy.

A tractor with a cab and air and implements to do the needed jobs, some type of excavator, I prefer a Backhoe because of mobility with a cab, extendahoe and hydraulic thumb 12" and 36" buckets and a 4in1 front bucket, a bulk fuel tank to top off every time it gats below 3/4 with the proper knowledge to maintain it. If you are going to do a larger crop type operation.

A good shop building and equipment shed to store and protect the equipment from the elements.

Tools to maintain everything you have and the means to transport them if need be.

So if you are going to live by mail order you need to be able to go to the post office in any type of weather.

If you are not able to adjust to the safety of living in the country that leaving the thugs behind affords you just do some real research on AT

This link,

https://www.city-data.com/

it gives average reports on many aspects of most any city you wish to explore.

I live in a semi country environment with very little crime, yet we do have a board of supervisors who are political and somewhat out of touch with a "RESORT" mentality.

 

[LadyLocust]

We left a city where everything was close and moved to the boondocks. I don't like the house - it's not designed as well as my old house. I hate the bathroom and the design of the house. My old house was perfect. There is zero storage in the new house and I find myself getting frustrated and wanting to move back to the city. We have to drive 45 mins to get to stores. We have coyotes that scare the heck out of me because I'm a city gal! I know that something bad is coming upon us - I know that many of you know it too. Bas anyone ever regretted their move to the country and how did you reconcile it?

I grew up in the sticks and can only relate in that that’s how I felt when I moved to town. I struggled. As awful as coyotes are, I trust them far more than humans. It’s a lifestyle change. “The country” is often romanticized, but like any other place has its pros and cons. As far as the house, if you want to PM me a pencil sketch of the layout, I can look at it and see if I can find some ideas for you for storage. I’m not a pro by any means, but I do enjoy creating and playing with house plans.

 

[Hooch]

Alot of helpful advice already..

I won't rewrite what I've read and agree with regarding what others have pointed out.

When I read your posts, I'm not getting the impression that  you have not empowered yourself to take the bull by the horns in much of any part of your journey.

This is not meant as a criticism..just the impression and observation that I'm getting from how you are protraying yourself and situation.

Maybe life has found you always being taken cared of?

Leaving actionable decisions for your husband to work out or to teach to you is how you roll usually maybe?? and now your stuck in a position way out of your comfort zone and not used to solving issues?

Grit..
....it's that characteristic that saw our ancestors through hard times..

Mrs. Shanrose..somewhere in your DNA..your great grandma and other ancestors had the grit and determination to survive hardships most of us today would struggle enduring.

I think and hope that this transition of your physical location and acclimating to your new surroundings and experiences becomes also a transition of mindset for you as well.

If you truly believe what is comming down the road in regards of what our government plans...you will find enduring the hardships we will face in our future will be more tolerable if you give yourself permission to empower yourself now.

Things can be scarry..get used to it n face it boldly..
Information is power..be informed..learn stuff..
Learn to fail..get used to it..get back up n try again..
Learn to not ask for permission..just do it.

Again..I don't mean this as a criticism and I hope you can learn from folks here to make your life and country transition better.
If my impression is all wrong I'm sorry..