Rural living

It sure was cool sometimes! I think that if you lived in a place with no winter it would be cheaper. We didn't have time before the snow flew to build a porch and have a woodstove, which would have made a huge difference. Because we had to use alternate heat sources (propane for furnace, gas to run the generator, etc) the fuel costs really added up. We didn't have any TV except to watch DVD's, which is still the case. I don't really miss the TV, except for the news, which we listen to on Sirius, so I still feel in touch with the world. I could never live in the city, too many people, too much noise, polution, never dark, etc. Do you live in a large city? Do you feel safe where you live? What kind of home business do you have?

what part of canada are you in? i am in southern ontario and would give my eye teeth to move out to the east coast (i am in love with the whole anne of green gables/pei/east coast thing.) as for my part time home job (i also work outside of the house) we sell stuff on ebay, write on mylot (i used to write for other sites as well and have some stuff published. i also have sold some arts and crafts on etsy.com

We live in s/e BC - about 5 hrs from Calgary, AB. I think that PEI, Cape Breton, NFLD are awesome. If we could afford it, we would like to buy some property in Cape Breton. Never happen though, unless we win the lottery! I make jewelry and sell on consignment in some stores & galleries, it is very busy in the summer months with tourists & visitors. What kind of crafts do you like to do?

I am with you man! I have always loved the boonies - I am a born/bred mountain girl. We tried the prairies of Alberta for 3 years and it honestly nearly killed me. Don't get me wrong, all of the earth has it's own beauty, but I can't live fenced in. We have wildlife on our property also, does with fawns this spring (one with triplets! I have never seen that before!), elk, coyotes and supposedly wolves have been moving into this area. I have only seen the tracks (that was a bit of a rush) but am a bit worried as we plan on critters here (cow, ducks, chickens, horses, etc - pretty much whatever I can talk my husband into!). We have lots of birds here close to the river, bald eagles and ospreys too. Beautiful. How exciting to see panthers! I remember as a kid we had one on the top of the ridge that used to sit and watch my dad working in the field. Never came down to bother our animals though. Do you hunt and eat the hares? I've tried hosenfeffer (can't spell it, but rabbit stew) that was actually pretty good. I guess mammal is mammal? I am so glad to meet someone with like philosophy. I too, am staying here! Would love to correspond with you too - yours is the best response I've received to date.

there's a town called cape haze nearby where the eagle's nest every year, i fish everyday and these amazing guy's just swoop down and grab what i have been fishing for, for hours. it 's truly outrageous watching them.

no i do not hunt, i went once but could kill anything. i fish but i catch and release

Thank you very much! I love this pic too, it's of Mirror Lake, but not sure where it's located? My daughter found it for me. I hope it's a real place, but don't really care as it is so beautiful. I do love where we live, so quiet and peaceful. No neighbours telling me what to plant, how to plant, where to plant, mow my lawn, quiet my barking dog, turn down the music, put out that campfire, etc. The snow is not too bad if you keep up with it, my husband has a plow on the back of the 4x4 that works not too bad. Although, I did tell him at one point this winter "I didn't mind no power, no phone (or cell either as we don't get service here), no running water, etc. But... I didn't come out here to die from a heartattack shovelling snow!!!

I take it you live in the city? Do you feel safe where you live? I have never really lived in a city, and am nervous of large crowds. When I see stories on places like New York, Japan, China, India, etc, I get queasy thinking of being around all those people. I do like people, but not in such numbers! Also, here in Canada, especially on the west coast, there are some real problems right now with violence on the streets. They are afraid to go to school, work, the store, anywhere. I could not live like that - ever. Give me the bush, a bear bell, a good dog and my husband and I am at peace.

I live here in Philippines and I wish I could travel in countries with snow. I have always been wishing to see snow since I was a kid. And since our country is tropical we don't have snow. But I am proud to say we have a lot of beach, nice tourist spots and wonderful historical places here. I wish I could see your pictures with snow. I promise to myself that once I get the chance to travel with my husband to countries with snow, I will make a snowman! It may sound like a kid but I really feel young at heart most of the time. And that inspires me more to fulfill my dreams.

Fulfilling your dreams is something you should do all of your life!!! You are so lucky to live in a tropical area with all those beautiful beaches - I would love to see where you live (except I don't like tropical bugs!).I am on dialup and takes forever to download/upload anything, I'll keep trying but keep getting booted off.

Looking back, I guess there were some wacky moments! All in all though, a great experience. I feel like you... it is like going back in the past, but we were able to use/keep modern things like watching DVD's, etc. I think one of the hardest things was having to take "Navy" showers! It can get pretty chilly. For Christmas, my husband rigged a system (portable water tank under the trailer) so that I could shower with hot running water! Best present I have ever received! I am born/raised Canadian mountain girl - I have NEVER experienced a winter without snow. Check back as I will be uploading some winter pics of our place. Where do you live that you have never seen snow? I can't imagine! I love the sun, beach, heat, etc and sometimes think that I was born in the wrong hemisphere. Although we do have the amenities now, it does not feel "urban" in any way.

I sure know what you mean with the rural lifestyle type feel for life. I was always weird even then. I named all my chickens after the characters in Little Women. Um, yes, butchering time was very hard for me. I also like the DIY books, I especially love it when I run across some for free. It actually happens.

Yeah we named all the pigs, chickens, ducks too. Fat lot of good it did, they all still ended up in the freezer. Hey, I have a question - when I respond to what you have written, why does only your first comment appear? It makes it hard to respond to your response accurately without having to flip back.

I really liked what you wrote. I guess those of us who grew up rurally have a different "feel" for life (if that's the right word?). I have always lived my life not in fear, walked at night alone, let my kids go play at the park or a friend's house. We once went on vacation for a week and came home to find out that we had closed the screen door, but not the main door! Not locked, not even closed! Not a thing had been touched. Fireplaces and woodstoves are a good thing - it always pays to be able to look after yourself because there isn't always someone else to do it. I collect homesteader books too! Also, pretty much any type of DIY - I LOVE to learn how to do new things. My husband has no idea what he's in for when spring comes! Ssshhh... don't tell him, I want it to be a surprise!

It is probably easier than you think. We didn't exactly live w/out power, we just supplied it for ourselves with a generator. We just weren't connected to the grid. Having no phone (or cell either, no service here in this valley) and no internet was probably harder to deal with as I felt disconnected from my kids. The only way to connect with them was to go into town (30 min and 1 hr away respectively) to check cell messages. You would be amazed at how easy it is to adapt to - even if it's kind of a pain in the butt. For example, as long as the generator is filled with fuel - the furnace, fridge and lights work. Not so much fun when we had -24C and had to go out to fill it with fuel. I am proud that we were able to manage and it's a great story to tell the grandkids (when/if I ever have any)! Cheers and have a great day!

We have power and are connected now. Personally though, it didn't bother me a whole bunch. It would have been way better to be without during the summer months, but life doesn't always go as planned. I would rather be here with nothing than anywhere else with anything else! Cheers to you too!

I agree with you, life is simpler in a rural area. Also, the pace of life is nothing like in the city. I am glad you have a happy life! Cheers!

We didn't plan on it being such a long adventure! We had applied to have power on Oct 8th, but it wasn't installed until Jan 12th! We only got it then cause there had been a huge storm that knocked down trees and wires and the town near us had no power. I couldn't believe this when the power guy told me. Happy Mylotting to you also.

Thanks for your reply. I think that growing up in a rural area is a healthier childhood. Where abouts were you born? I think that in poorer areas, it must be better to grow up rurally, as at least your family can provide some things for themselves (grow veg, chickens, fish, etc). I would be scared in a city, even as an adult I don't like to go to the cities much. Do you think that small town is safer than a city in your country?

I'm afraid that I can't even begin to imagine living in a city the size of Chicago! Nature has a way of simplying things and giving peace to a person's soul, I'm glad that you've been able to be away from everything when camping. Small towns can be hard to deal with. The last community we lived in only had 284 people who actually lived in the townsite. The town is called Elnora and my teenage daughter called it Elsnora! I told her that boredom never killed a kid, but lots of stuff you find in cities sure will. I don't ever want to live in a town again either. The freedom of not even seeing neighbours is a wonderful thing sometimes. Don't get me wrong, we do have occasional company and see people when we go into town. Thanks for the reply!