New Hampshire: any opinions?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Dont listen to Tryan. That "three weeks of cold weather" gag is a long running New England trick. Once you move there, sometime around mid december after you've had an engine block heater installed on your car and your roof has partially collapsed from frozen snow pack, everyone in the neighborhood sneaks up to your front door at 2am, rings the bell, and when you open the door and your first breath of outside air freezes all the hair in your nostrils, everyone laughs.

Then its up to you to trick someone else to move there. You're "it".

Misc2

 

[Orchidflower]

Good one, cute fuzzy bunny, good Misc2 joke!
Cars rusting in NH has been on my mind. I know the ice they throw on snow rusts them as I had a car rust out on bottom in Chicago (first car and you learn).
But does the sea air in the southern NH towns cause rusting of your car, also?
I have heard it is impossible to keep silver from tarnishing in Florida because of the saltwater if you live near a beach from friends who moved there, so it makes sense it might also happen in Southern NH. But I don't know?

 

[tryan]

CFB, that's a keeper. Wish we had more winters like that one!

Took a bath renting the lake house last winter because: it rained the entire week between Christmas and New Years; rained MLK holiday weekend. Finally got some "white stuff" in February. Was able to ski into April. Another warm winter - like last year - and I am moving to Canada.

Yeah, most towns salt the roads. But I still get 10+ years out of my vehicles.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

AHA! Tryan is actually a Canadian posing as a New Hampshirite so he can upsell you to Montreal!!!

Thats the nice part about living in california. Seeing lots of cars from the 60's and 70's still intact. The bad part is some of them are Matadors, Pinto's and Vegas.

There is a bit of corrosion factor if you live very close to the shore and enjoy [-]freezing monsoon-like offshore breezes[/-] direct salt air. Not as bad as having your tires shoot solid rock salt up into your wheel wells, but there is some. Trombone-Al probably gets a bit of this where he lives. Not sure if you'd get close enough to the waterfront in NH to get this. You'd have to park front-in, there isnt enough seashore to parallel park. Plus the prevailing winds are usually from the west and northwest, not east from the ocean.

Hey, for all you current new englanders...do they still have that incredibly annoying guy on the bank commercials pitching you the ATM cards that says "And when I go down to the cape...its my cape cahhhd"? :

 

[Orchidflower]

In Houston my electric bill for heat/air conditioning ran something like $150 in the dead of winter and dead of summer heat. But mine was low, low, low. My friends' had homes that ran $300-400-500 each month during the dead of winter and dead of summer (I had a bungalow, they had ranch or two story homes). Seems to me that the bill for heating and air conditioning would be about the same then: $2,000 a year as New Hampshire's bill that Tryan has seen.
Now I just have to figure out how to prevent salt from ruining my car. I wash my car with one of those underside style car washes ($10-14 here in Illinois to have it done) and watch for rust.
Is rustproofing worth purchasing then for your car? Anyone have any experience with this? I purchased my 2002 Solara new, and think it came on it supposedly.

 

[growing_older]

Used to live just over the border from NH. I'd suggest you need to live there a year to really understand the place and the six seasons:

winter
DEEP DEEP WINTER
still winter
mud
summer (sometimes short hot and muggy)
pretty leaves

I enjoyed my time there and did fine in the climate, but not everyone does.

 

[Outtahere]

Used to live just over the border from NH. I'd suggest you need to live there a year to really understand the place and the six seasons:

I live a stones throw from the NH border, growing_older pretty much has the seasons correct although mud (spring) can be pretty and sometimes warm. I agree, live here a year, experience all 4 seasons. If you're thinking about the coast or the mountains, in summer you have to deal with hordes of tourists, green heads (biting flies) at the seashore, black flies in the spring in the mountains and mosquitos in both locations from spring until fall. Oh and don't forget ticks carrying the dreaded Lyme disease.

 

[Orchidflower]

Hmmm...not very enticing info. But thanks!
NH has so much of what I want (antiques, history, low taxes, etc. etc.), but there ARE some definite negatives there. Just how much of the negatives can I endure? Good question.

 

[Moemg]

Costliest places to heat your home - Improve & Repair - MSN Real Estate

 

[Orchidflower]

I sat down and printed out the year around temps between Chicago (where I have lived over 15 years) and Boston. Boston is warmer overall in winter (Chicago is in summer); hence, more rain and more snow. But, in reality, not THAT far apart weatherwise.
Now I see why New Englanders buy those godawful LL Bean duck boots that are oh! so clunky looking!
Moemg, after looking at the study you post about heating costs, I gather much of the New England uses their fireplace for wood heat...cool!

 

[growing_older]

Climate is distinctive if you've never been there. But climate isn't the whole story. Lots of the area is still quaint, lovely spaces and there is a deep sense of history that's very enjoyable. Depending on exactly where you are there's a nice "town" feel to many places and good access to both seashore and mountains.

 

[Sandy]

If you can handle the winters in chicago, you can swing NH. A bit colder (more humid so it feels colder), but less biting. Definately do some extensive visiting during all of the seasons.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I miss the quaint "skkkkk skkkkk skkkk" sound my american express card made when trying to get the ice off my windshield after a days work, and the charming curses I uttered because I'd left my ice scraper leaning against the side of my house that morning.

 

[Moemg]

I miss that sound my engine would make in an attempt to start .I also miss driving on ice .What a challenge and most of all I miss when the power lines were down and it was 6 degrees and don't forget digging out after the plows have well you know !

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Aaa....RUH...RUH.....RUH.......rruh....rrr...rr..r...clickaclickaclicka...

 

[toofrugalformycat]

Gee whiz guys, you're bumming me out, I'm at the beginning of an Anchorage winter!

If you're looking for single men, here's the place. But you know the saying, "The odds are good, but the goods are odd."

 

[Orchidflower]

You guys sound just like my experiences in Chicago's snow. I remember having to get out of the Vega (dates me, huh?), coming home from a fancy dinner so I had a long dress on with heels and the whole bit, and having to rock the freaking car back and forth--with it running--to get out of a snow drift in the street...lots of fun..uh, huh... This is when I wish I had asked some guy to be my date, but didn't.
Houston is so humid that when it is 32 degrees it turns biting down-to-the-bone chilling and icy cold! 32 degrees and below is a living hell there. 32 degrees in Illinois is comfortable sweater weather if you are just running to and from the car. So, I get what you mean by the humidity affecting the cold.
I know I will only live in a city environ in NH, anyway. I just cannot see myself getting stuck too much in the snow there. Maybe in a city with a train to Boston like Exeter, Dover or Durham. I plan on making it so easy on myself as I can there.

By the way, where do all the Alaskan men go after 50-55 years of age? There seem to be all gone by then. I noticed as my son is thinking of possibly going there. I told him I couldn't as I would have no friends it appeared there my age.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

By the way, where do all the Alaskan men go after 50-55 years of age? There seem to be all gone by then.

Soylent green.

 

[toofrugalformycat]

Orchidflower wrote: "By the way, where do all the Alaskan men go after 50-55 years of age? There seem to be all gone by then. I noticed as my son is thinking of possibly going there. I told him I couldn't as I would have no friends it appeared there my age."

Well, my DH of about that age wants us to move to Hawaii but I'm dragging my feet. However, there are lots of us boomers still hanging out up here, both sexes (as I constantly remind him).
I just checked the US census for 2006. In New Hampshire, the percent of total population that are males 50-54 is 3.8%, whereas for Alaska it's 4%. That doesn't take into account marital status. I'll let you crunch more numbers.
Age and Sex for States and for Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006
Truth be told, there is some migration south, some permanent, some snowbirds, as people age, it's true, but not ALL men leave. I notice that my joints are a little creakier each winter, and DH may just prevail if we can do it and manage to remain ERed. I'd rather be a snowbird than move permanently. I love it here.
One caveat - most doctors here do not accept new patients over age 65. Unless something changes we may have to move because of that.

 

[Orchidflower]

OH MY GOD!!! Doctors in Alaska do not accept new patients over 65!!!! YIKES!!!!!!!! They must have a tremendous shortage of physicians up there! Since I'm 63, guess I'm scr*wed!!!

 

[toofrugalformycat]

We have plenty of doctors here, just no HMOs. Doctors get away with charging very high prices compared to the lower 48. Doctors here claim they lose money with every Medicare patient.
The "free clinic" takes anybody but you don't get your choice of doctor. So DH and I are shopping for young internists who will take us now, so by the time we are 65, they will still be in practice and we won't be new patients.
I didn't mean to hijack this thread. I'm a newbie. Moderator, if I'm screwing up, please erase me and tell me what I'm supposed to do otherwise.

 

[haha]

By the way, where do all the Alaskan men go after 50-55 years of age? There seem to be all gone by then. I noticed as my son is thinking of possibly going there. I told him I couldn't as I would have no friends it appeared there my age.

Orchid, are you still in Chicago? If so, consider staying put. It is hard to build up social networks in new place, provided senior center centers are not your style. And overall, I believe bigger cities are better.

I went dancing last night with four women over 55, up to maybe 62 or so. They are nice people, trim, good dancers, but basically depend on other women for companionship. If you tastes are at all specialized, or if you like traits in men that many other women also find attractive you are in a very competitive situation. Their universal complaint and issue is that older men are lazy slobs that don't want to get off the couch and have fun. I am not commenting on the correctness of this view, just saying that it is common.

In fact, I know a number of women dancers 45+ who are married, but cannot get their husbands to make the effort to become competent dancers themselves, so they go out alone. This works for a while if the husband is confident and doesn't miss his wife on weekend nights. But eventually they find that no matter how expert they may be as dancers, men won't ask them to dance. So then it's back to the old high school situation of women dancing together, when for the most part they would prefer to dance with a man. In Argentine tango, a difficult dance skill and a very gender polarized dance scene, some aging women who really enjoy the dance invest the time and money to become leads, after their run as follows is over. As leads they can then ask other women to dance, and often choose for skill in the follow rather than youth and sex appeal. In some dance communities it is accepted that women can ask men. This is a lot better. Most people will still go home alone, but they have had a nice social and loving experience involving both sexes, so it is a success.

I don’t know much about activities like Volksport. I would like to try this but it often is on weekend mornings and I have usually been out late the night before and I am too old to miss a lot of sleep. I participated in mountain hiking clubs when I was younger, so that may or may not be good for an older woman. It can be one heck of a workout, as often the men are in a race to see how far they can get. Mushrooming seems to be a good activity, it gets you outside in groups that include at least some single men and you are moving at a reasonable pace because you have to be able see the mushrooms. Same is likely true for birding, though I don’t do that so I have no personal experience.

One thing I can say with confidence- unless you were to find some place with zero men, the statistics won't have much effect on you. It helps to be forward, very outgoing, and socially fearless. Anywhere where there are lots of singles, people will show up for potlucks, New Years Parties, football afternoons, etc. If you have space you are in a good place to hostess these events. I try to never miss any of these things, and I usually have a really good time.

Ha

 

[Orchidflower]

Thank you for all the thought and time you put into that post, haha! I appreciate it.
However, I would rather have a rectal exam on State Street than dance with another woman. That just sounds too pathetic for me somehow. I would figure out how to dance alone first. Or not dance at all.
Senior centers? Maybe in 20-25 years, but not now. Good God, man...that's for "old" people my mother's age (89).
Regardless, believe it or not they mushroom where I am alot as it is very woodsey here. I have been thinking that sounds like fun and my type of thing. Hiking I love. Birding I would like to get into for fun.
No, I lived in Chicago for 14 years then moved for 22 to Houston and back to Chicago for one year before my aging parent had a stroke; so, here I am in a medium sized area in Illinois, but NOT Chicago, which is about 3 hours away.
When I left Houston I lost so many relationships because I worked all the time. And I mean all the time. Wasn't in Chicago long enough to form any new ones of lasting value (only one year) and have been busy here; so, wherever I land, I WILL be starting from the get-go all over again. No relatives except my son, and Lord only knows where he will end up with his law degree.
Am I outgoing? Does a bear poop in the woods? After over 30 years in sales management, you can only guess how forward I am. I curb it sometimes to appear demure..ha!
Yes, I swim with some old geezers of 65 and up at the pool that are men. Some are active and bitch about their wives holding them back from socializing, and some of the men are just plain old fuddie-duddies who hate computers and anything that isn't of the black and white genre at the movies. Fun to talk with, but I sure would hate to be stuck with one.
Your post is about so good an argument as an older gal can find for FINDING YOUNGER MEN! Well, if I am doomed to suffer with that situation as an older woman...so be it (hee hee hee!). I will try and take one for the team of senior gals out there and sacrifice myself. I'm so selfless (ha!).
And you are so right, haha, that the situation of finding male company of similar age over 60 is hard for women and very "competitive." One of the reasons an old gal needs to do the demographics and find a spot loaded with old guys over 60 (which leaves out Alaska--not that I would live there).