The JOYS of country living

[Car-Guy]

My grandparents lived in the country and left the doors unlocked even when they weren’t home. My grandmother said that they left the doors unlocked even when gone in case someone came by and needed a place to stay.

My grandparents (mother side) never locked their doors either in their small country town. Day or night, home or away, never locked them. When I was old enough to recognized it, I once asked my mom why? She said they didn't have anything to steal. They lived on public assistance and what the kids gave them.

 

[OK EE]

Some (not me) don't even lock their home/car doors around here. When we hear a siren (about twice a year), we jump up to see what is going by.

Garage is unlocked and keys are in the car. House gets deadbolted when we leave but that's only because the dog knows how to open doors and if we don't dead bolt it he takes himself out for a stroll and doesn't close the door behind him.

 

[MC Rider]

We could probably leave keys in car and house unlocked here. But I just don't like the idea, have never done that before. Ever. Not gonna start now. Don't really need the disk lock on the motorcycle in the garage either, but I have it so I use it.

 

[Koolau]

I don't worry about things that are out of my control. People die in the city that live where there is the best medical care with in a few miles or less.

Our time is already logged and what happens is out of my control.

I do understand why people live in these big cities because of medical care. I also know a few that moved where the best Doctors are, in metro areas and after a short time they are back living a simpler laid back life.

I agree that it's all personal choice. We did our 10 years in the country - and we did love much of that time. BUT that was then and this is now. We're old and getting decrepit. I'm no longer interested in mowing and putting rain gutters back on due to near-miss tornadoes, etc.

Heh, heh, but I have my memories of interacting with the critters (dear, snakes, possums, ground hots, etc.). Now the only critters we see are the (very) occasional roach (being chased by "our" Gecko). Very satisfying.

 

[ncbill]

A neighbor had his well fail and spent $50k+ to drill a new one. I think if our well failed I would consider either a rain harvesting system or something like the Aquaria Hydropack, which extracts potable water from the humidity in the air.

Hokey smoke did you see hoe much electric power that uses?

 

[street]

I agree that it's all personal choice. We did our 10 years in the country - and we did love much of that time. BUT that was then and this is now. We're old and getting decrepit. I'm no longer interested in mowing and putting rain gutters back on due to near-miss tornadoes, etc.

Heh, heh, but I have my memories of interacting with the critters (dear, snakes, possums, ground hots, etc.). Now the only critters we see are the (very) occasional roach (being chased by "our" Gecko). Very satisfying.

Oh I understand that totally.

 

[Fermion]

Hokey smoke did you see hoe much electric power that uses?

The small one is 288Wh/L I guess you could power it off of solar. The unit is $14,000 and 5kw of solar panels would be about $3,000. If you only ran it during the day when the sun was out and had it fill a cistern, you could get a reasonable amount of water for a cabin. It would be like 15 to 20 gallons a day from the solar.

I wonder how much maintenance they need.

 

[street]

Hokey smoke did you see hoe much electric power that uses?

Very interesting!! I would love to see some history for longevity and maintence on the unit.

 

[Koolau]

I'm wondering if there is some minimum relative humidity required to make it w*rk.

 

[Winemaker]

I read a long time ago you shouldn't water plants let alone drink water from a dehumidifier. Something about aluminum ions, mold, bacteria and other fun things.

 

[street]

I'm wondering if there is some minimum relative humidity required to make it w*rk.

Works best with at least 30% humidity. The high humidity the faster it will collect and it would cost less to run.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Its still not fixed and so far not been easy...

In our country family home we had well water for 27 years, until I retired. We experienced regular issues with the water, perhaps once per year, i.e. until I determined the pressure tank/pump relay would stick. I had it replaced, but a couple taps with a rubber mallet freed it up in the intermin.

 

[Koolau]

In our country family home we had well water for 27 years, until I retired. We experienced regular issues with the water, perhaps once per year, i.e. until I determined the pressure tank/pump relay would stick. I had it replaced, but a couple taps with a rubber mallet freed it up in the intermin.

Yeah, we had some issues with our pressure tank. Doesn't sound like such a big deal except I had to crawl 60+ feet in the crawl space to get to it. Not fun. Never a big fan of confined spaces like that (or of crawling on damp gravel) but YMMV.

 

[MC Rider]

Yeah, we had some issues with our pressure tank. Doesn't sound like such a big deal except I had to crawl 60+ feet in the crawl space to get to it. Not fun. Never a big fan of confined spaces like that (or of crawling on damp gravel) but YMMV.

I would not do that crawl, I'd be making a call. No grazi.

It's too dry here for that dehumidifier things to make water here, I think. But we have a lake, river, wells, and hopefully a snowpack to replenish those.

I wonder if a couple taps with a rubber mallet would work on a noisy person.
But then I thought it would probably be considered assault. Darn.

 

[AudiDudi]

I would not do that crawl, I'd be making a call. No grazi.

<snip>

When I was 16, I helped my grandfather build his retirement home. One task I had, as he was doing all the wiring himself, was to go into the crawl space and fish the wires to where he wanted them. It's a good thing I was young and didn't mind spiders The other task was to do the roofing before it got to over 100 by 11am.

 

[FD1000]

I’ve never quite understood the appeal of country living. When we moved to the Atlanta area, people kept telling me that five acres was the minimum—and that ten was even better. When I asked why, the answers were always the same: more distance from neighbors, more privacy, more space to do whatever you want.
Then we bought our first home—3,200 square feet. Eight years later, we moved again, this time into a 4,400-square-foot house on what some would call “just” half an acre.
What makes it work is that we’re still in a major city. It’s quiet, but everything we need is close by: supermarkets, restaurants, auto shops, and several excellent hospitals and doctors—which matters more and more over time. Emergency services are fast and reliable. Parking is easy.
Our days are full. We see friends almost daily—playing bridge three or four times a week, going to the gym, playing tennis, taking walks around the neighborhood and the lake, and hiking regularly. Meeting people isn’t a challenge; it’s part of life.
And when we want to travel, we have easy access to a major airport that can take us almost anywhere in the world.
For me, that combination of convenience, community, and activity is a recipe for a longer, healthier life.
The country? Not for me.

 

[AudiDudi]

<snip>
The country? Not for me.

I like having multi 1000 acres in back of me and I can only see the lights at night of 1 "neighbor" and they are over a mile away in a straight line. Don't have to lock the doors, keys stay in the car and don't need curtains. But, it is not for everyone.

 

[old medic]

That's how it use to be around here.... But then folks wanted to move to the country... Then they complained about the lack of services and that dog continues to chase its tail. There was well over 12K acres of land in 3 tracts that had nothing but woods that we could hunt hike ride.... Now all private developments.

 

[FD1000]

Does keeping my keys in my vehicle make me happier or improve my longevity?

Easy answer, no.

 

[Fermion]

Does keeping my keys in my vehicle make me happier or improve my longevity?

Easy answer, no.

It is choices I guess. A walk in the country, maybe you get attacked by a coyote. A walk in the city:

"
SEATTLE — Surveillance footage obtained by KIRO 7 shows the shocking attack in downtown Seattle that sent a 77-year-old man to the hospital for over a week.

The senior was left with a broken arm, a broken knee, and a cut to the forehead, according to prosecutors.

The unprovoked attack happened near the infamous corner of 3rd and Pine."

 

[street]

Does keeping my keys in my vehicle make me happier or improve my longevity?

Easy answer, no.

Does locking my vehicle make me happier or live longer?

 

[FD1000]

It is choices I guess. A walk in the country, maybe you get attacked by a coyote. A walk in the city:

"
SEATTLE — Surveillance footage obtained by KIRO 7 shows the shocking attack in downtown Seattle that sent a 77-year-old man to the hospital for over a week.

The senior was left with a broken arm, a broken knee, and a cut to the forehead, according to prosecutors.

The unprovoked attack happened near the infamous corner of 3rd and Pine."

A large metropolitan area gives you options: you can find plenty of hikes nearby or head out to the countryside when you want, and when the weather turns, you’ve still got places like a mall for a walk or the gym to stay active.
And to be clear, I’m not comparing Manhattan, Paris, or Rome to the country. Many US cities have many more options.

 

[Ronstar]

.... you’ve still got places like a mall for a walk ....

I can't imagine going to a mall to take a walk.

 

[FD1000]

I can't imagine going to a mall to take a walk.

I don’t do that very often, but it’s nice to have the option, and I’ve used it several times.

Example: I also have access to hundreds of doctors and restaurants nearby.
That’s really the point: options. It’s one of the main reasons I choose to live in the city, on a quiet road, with many trees around my house, and I still have access to everything I need.

 

[Koolau]

It is choices I guess. A walk in the country, maybe you get attacked by a coyote. A walk in the city:

"
SEATTLE — Surveillance footage obtained by KIRO 7 shows the shocking attack in downtown Seattle that sent a 77-year-old man to the hospital for over a week.

The senior was left with a broken arm, a broken knee, and a cut to the forehead, according to prosecutors.

The unprovoked attack happened near the infamous corner of 3rd and Pine."

At least it's still captured on video.