ivinsfan
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
- Messages
- 9,969
blueslkyk...these things can change over the years too. After being raised an Army brat and then living in Utah, I ended up living on the same farm in a rural MN county for over 45 years, I'm still here.
Country people are like everyone else, most are nice, good neighbors, friendly and a few are mean spirited jerks. After living among these neighbors and a few people in small towns nearby, I realize these people are nice but very insular. More then a few live on Century farms, or the same town of 500 that Grandma and Grandpa were born in. When I was caught up in raising children, dairy farming, teaching sunday school and doing 4-H things seemed fine. But now with all that stripped away I realize how little I have in common with them.
I happen to think insular is also a good way to describe many LDS, they've never known anything else, see their extended family constantly and are happy, but somehow not engaged with other different people in the outside world or other ways of thinking and feeling. One would think with internet this might change but it doesn't. In my case it's left me feeling a little bit of an outsider in my own neighborhood, kind of like I'm not in on the joke.
The biggest downside for me in this is that at 70 my DH wants to continue farming and continue to live on the place he knows and loves and in my case I realize if he passes before me I'm either going to be pretty lonely or going to have to pack up, sell and move.. Restart my life..it's a stressful thought. I have talked to my DH about relocating now together, but he's not open to that at this point.
I hope you keep us posted on what develops in the next couple years and FWIW I'd love to have you for a neighbor.
Country people are like everyone else, most are nice, good neighbors, friendly and a few are mean spirited jerks. After living among these neighbors and a few people in small towns nearby, I realize these people are nice but very insular. More then a few live on Century farms, or the same town of 500 that Grandma and Grandpa were born in. When I was caught up in raising children, dairy farming, teaching sunday school and doing 4-H things seemed fine. But now with all that stripped away I realize how little I have in common with them.
I happen to think insular is also a good way to describe many LDS, they've never known anything else, see their extended family constantly and are happy, but somehow not engaged with other different people in the outside world or other ways of thinking and feeling. One would think with internet this might change but it doesn't. In my case it's left me feeling a little bit of an outsider in my own neighborhood, kind of like I'm not in on the joke.
The biggest downside for me in this is that at 70 my DH wants to continue farming and continue to live on the place he knows and loves and in my case I realize if he passes before me I'm either going to be pretty lonely or going to have to pack up, sell and move.. Restart my life..it's a stressful thought. I have talked to my DH about relocating now together, but he's not open to that at this point.
I hope you keep us posted on what develops in the next couple years and FWIW I'd love to have you for a neighbor.