Moving to the "country"?????? [Archive] - Beesource Beekeeping Forums

NeilV

10-26-2009, 07:54 PM

I've basically always lived in a city (if you consider Tulsa to be a city - population 385,000 currently).

However, I have located a place for sale that consists of 10 acres with a fairly modest house, zoned agricultural. This property is only about 2 miles from the city limits. However, if I blinfolded you and drove you there, you would think that you were waaaay out in the sticks. It consists of about 1.5 acres of mowed area with post oaks and about 8.5 acres that is pretty much wild, including a .3 acre pond. It has an incredible view that oversees about 5 square miles of rolling hills in the Osage Nation with no roads or houses. There are about 3 houses on the road to the place, which is a dead end about 3/4 mile long.

We would lose the option of having neighborhood kids for the boys to play with, although they are in public schools and could have friends over to visit. Also, this house has some of the more difficult aspects of rural life -- no city services, no police dept., no trash pickup, septic etc. -- and a pretty decent drive to a grocery store or fast food. The one-way drive to work or school for kids would be about 25 minutes, whereas it now takes about 10 minutes to either one. So we would be looking at 30 more minutes a day in the car to go where we need to go.

While I recognize that this is not moving "to the country" for a lot of folks, it would be a substantial change for me and my family. I like the woods, and as it is I feel cramped in town in more ways than one. But this still presents a difficult decision.

Has anybody else made a similar switch to a more rural spot? What did you like/dislike about it? Did you move back to town or regret the decision? Is it worth the drive? Generally, what do you think?

HAB

10-26-2009, 08:20 PM

Twenty years ago I purchased 200 acres in the country. No water, sewer, or cable TV. Best thing I ever did. Built my home directly in the center of it all. Dear, turkey, rabbits, bobcats, otter, and many other critters have all been seen here in the yard.
Sadly, the city has now come to me. The nearby city has doubled in size and now has incorporated us.

cow pollinater

10-26-2009, 08:23 PM

Do it and don't look back.:)
I lived in town for almost a year as a newlywed... It wasn't bad but I wasn't the real me. I see the same spirit in my son even though he's really to young to know the difference himself...
Do it for your kids and don't look back.:)
A good dog and ten acres beats neighborhood kids as a play date any day.
You'll be so content in your spare time that you won't even notice the extra drive time.

Also, I have a hunch that your mind is already made up or you wouldn't be asking a bunch of BEEKEEPERS whether or not you should move to the country.:D... DO IT!

Hambone

10-26-2009, 08:35 PM

I am in a simular deal Neil. Granted our town is a pop of 15k. But city living is pretty much all the same. I bought 5 acres outside of town a couple years ago. Done the test drives and it adds about 10-15 minutes to what we do most. County Law, County Ambulance, ect... but can't wait to build and move. Most of my friends live outside the city and the kids have a better time there than anywhere. There is so much to do. Fishing, ATV's, Build stuff in the shop. When I go out to my friends which is offen. Everyones kids are having a great time. You and your family won't regret it!!

One bit of advice. Low ball the crap out of them. It's a buyers market. Nothing better than getting out of town and for cheap.

Tom G. Laury

10-26-2009, 09:05 PM

Sure sounds like a nice place!

Beeslave

10-26-2009, 09:42 PM

I grew up in the country. When I was 23 I moved to Glendale Heights by Chicago for school. I HATED it. I only lasted for 3 months and decided to go back to the country. My daughters have friends stay over that live in town and they all wished they lived in the country. Now you said "on a dead end road". Go for it and don't look back. You will add years to your life.

peacekeeperapiaries

10-26-2009, 09:54 PM

Your kids will adjust and love the room to roam, my kids (son especially) is an outdoors kid and love that we live on property where he can roam, shoot, fish, and get dirty.....he sleeps very well at the end of the day.

Hambone

10-26-2009, 10:42 PM

Sure sounds like a nice place!

It better be. I need a place to stay during the The Big Bee Buzz. :p

magnet-man

10-26-2009, 11:32 PM

Neil, I am going to be a wet blanket here. First I know what you do and that you have to go to downtown Tulsa. When I lived in Louisiana I moved out to the country because housing was more affordable and there was more land. I now live in the city close to my job and everything is within two miles of me. My work is only 5 minutes away and I can go home for lunch if I want too. I will never move back to the country as long as my job is in the city. So here are a few things to look at.

1. About 25 minutes drive to take the kids to school? Is that when Rosy Scenario drives or is that when you drive during the actual time you would be taking the kids to school or to the office. What would be the round trip time if your wife had to drive the kids to school and return home. How often would she need to drive to school twice a day, drop off and pickup. How long will the trip be in five years when traffic increases? How much will you spend in gas at $2.40 vs $4.50 a gallon? Don't forget Mom's taxi service will be busy when the kids get older.

2. You will love that country high speed internet. How much work do you do from home now? Can you do it with dial up?

3. There are also hidden cost when you live in the country. Your homeowners will be more because you are not near a fire station. Remember one of the things the insurance agent ask is how far is your house from a fire hydrant and the fire station. Groceries are more expensive if you want to support the local stores, otherwise you need to drive into the city.

Around 10 years ago my wife pushed hard for years for us to move out to the country. I said no and I was not going to do that drive again. Life is to short to spend my time driving to and from work and not having time to enjoying myself when I get home. My son at the time thought it would be "neat". He now says thank goodness you said no. I have tons of friends close by and can see them everyday with out any trouble. My wife? She now says the gas bill would have killed us and our son wouldn't be able to go to Booker T Washington. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington_High_School_(Tulsa,_Oklahoma) ) In 2008, Booker T. Washington placed 65th in Newsweek magazine's list of the top 100 public high schools in the United States of America. There is only one other school in Tulsa that can provide the education a gifted child can receive at BTW and that is Cascia Hall (http://www.casciahall.com) for $10,875 a year. Of course you and I would qualify for financial aid there. The kids there have a lot of disposable income and therefore a lot of alcohol and drug use.

In my book education and socializing of the kids come first. I don't know what county the land you are looking at is in, but you better check out the schools.

Will I move back to the country? I don't know, I would like purchase a few acres and put a small weekend or summer home there if my wallet can afford it.

LAS

10-26-2009, 11:45 PM

Hi Neil had to chime in here. Six years ago when looking for a first house to buy I had to drag my wife out of the city "Tulsa" where we both grew up. We bought a house on five acres twenty minutes from tulsa "sounds like the same area" northwest of Sperry. I dont think I could drag my wife back to the city IF I wanted to. My children have loved growing up in the "country". Goats, chickens, Bees, Dogs, Treehouses, Fishing, Snakes, Bugs just to name a few. I have loved living here to. I have a big garden, shoot my bows and guns whenever I want. I have shot a deer on my own land and shared that with my three children. My kids really know how to "play" and that is real evident when other "city kids" come over. Both my wife and I work in Tulsa and the drive "under thirty minutes" is not bad at all. Actaully I like it, It is time to wind down Before getting home. YOU already named some of the issues we do have, which we deal with just fine. We have had to work extra hard to find neighborhood kids, that socialization is important to me. You are right about no fast food or pizza delivery is that a good thing, I think so. overall I love It wont be going back, just farther out. Go for it!!!! Luke:thumbsup:

mdaniels

10-27-2009, 04:34 AM

I have a 25 minute drive to work every morning and live in the country--I wish I had more than 2 acres, but am grateful for what I have. I will live here for as long as I can afford to do so--I love it.

nursebee

10-27-2009, 06:19 AM

14 acres of hobbees here. Just outside city limits. Lack of true zoning can be a downfall, we have an interesting neighbor. Homeowners is not noticeably higher. The best thing we did was plant long term trees FIRST. House can go up in months, trees take a lifetime.

NeilV

10-27-2009, 06:49 AM

Magnet-Man,

Here is the thing about this house that makes it so tempting -- it is in Tulsa Public. I already got lucky and got my first kid into Eisenhower Elem., and from this part of town, we would pretty much be guaranteed that my 2nd kid gets in there too. And from Eisenhower to Carver and then to Booker T. (BTW, that's where I went to high school). So I could live in the country and still get those schools.

The drive issue is a big consideration for me. It really is less than 25 minutes in theory, I have used that as a conservative estimate. But adding 30 minutes in the car a day is a bid deal. Not that living in Broken Arrow would be any different. (However, I can't understand why people live in a suburb AND commute, which has all the bad and none of the good). Right now, I like having the option of running to the house for lunch and the 20 minute round trip.

I have looked into insurance, and it is higher than in town for sure, so that's a consideration too.

I had not thought about internet. Is it possible to get a high speed internet connection through sattelite. The realtor pointed out the dish and explained that was for internet, but I did not understand what he meant. I figured that if it has phone service it has internet. I will need to look into that. Thanks for that info.

Luke,

This place is south of Sperry, North of Tulsa, West of Turley in that area where there's not much of anything. But its not far from you. Good to hear from you, how are the bees?

Neil

magnet-man

10-27-2009, 08:02 AM

Eisenhower is a mile from my house. Taking my son to BTW is killing us on gasoline and I can't wait till he starts driving. I don't know anything about Carver. Years ago the TPS had a booklet that had all of the stats on the schools. Percentage of students with A, B, C but also how the students body ranked on standardized test. That was an eye opener! Mayo had a very high A and B percentage of grades but when it came to standardized test they were poor. Patric Henry had very good standardized scores and fewer A's and B's. The wife insisted on PH's district and unfortunately housing is very expensive there. I have a friend that lives 1.5 miles away and has twice the house for the same price.:( I have heard Mayo has improved.

Your land is in an area that Tulsa is not growing towards so traffic load in the future might not be that bad.

Still that drive would kill it for me.

There are two types of satellite internet. One is two way satellite and has more lag between a click and the update. This is because the signal goes up to the geosync satellite back to earth and then back to the satellite and back down to you. the other system uses the phone line for the input, mouse clicks, and only sends information to you via the satellite. This last system has less lag but requires a phone line. Both systems also charge for the amount of data moved.

indypartridge

10-27-2009, 10:43 AM

I lived the first 45 years of my life in towns & cities. Five years ago we moved to a log cabin in the woods, far out in the country. I got bees and my kids got horses. My drive to work is about 70 minutes, provided I leave home by 4:30am so I can beat traffic. Yes, home-owners insurance costs more, as does several other things. I'll never go back. Even when gas hit $4/gallon, I thought it over, and there's just no way I'll return to city living.

It's been wonderful for my kids. Only have two left at home, and I dearly wish I would have made the move years earlier so my older kids would have benefited. Haven't had TV since we moved, and haven't missed it. Internet access is via HughesNet satellite. My kids read, talk to us and have no shortage of things to occupy their time. Plenty of kids at church & 4-H. My teen daughters prefer horses to boys, and that is a major blessing!

But it's not for everyone. There are considerably more chores than when I simply had a subdivision yard to care for. Re-read Magnet-Man's comments - there are two sides and you need to consider both. When my wife and I decided to make the leap, we figured that if we didn't like it, we could always move back to the city. "Worst case" for us was *not* moving, and always wondering if we should have.

Barry Digman

10-27-2009, 02:32 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf0Dm-OaTNk

NasalSponge

10-27-2009, 02:46 PM

We move out to the very small town of Luther (owned 13 acres but lived in town) just before our first born came on the scene and loved it...had all 4 kiddos while we lived there. Would not have traded it for the world and neither would they. Moved back to the city 12 years ago and although I miss MANY things about small town life...what I do not miss is the drive and wearing a vehicle out every 4 to 5 years, still every-so-often we go looking for homes in a more rural setting...;)

Looking at it on the map...not too bad, very close in. I work with a guy that lives in Collinsville and works at the airport.

Hambone

10-27-2009, 03:32 PM

You will need to ditch your suits, sell your Prius and get the proper country life attire. Here is a check list I put together.

Cowboy Hat
Duster
Belt with your named branded on the back
Spurs
Chaps (I recommend the fuzzy ones)
Boots
Handkerchief
Wranglers (tucked inside the boots)
Plaid Shirts
Shot Gun
Large Truck with a 55 gallon diesel tank in the back.
Wallet that sticks 6” out of the back pocket

NasalSponge

10-27-2009, 04:57 PM

Wallet that sticks 6” out of the back pocket

And is chain driven! Other than that I think that is a very comprehensive list!!:D

dragonfly

10-27-2009, 05:21 PM

I moved away from Fort Worth about 20 years ago (population was probably similar to Tulsa at the time). I now live 8 miles south of what used to be a small town, but it has grown. I wouldn't trade living in the country for anything I can think of. The 45 minute drive to work is worth every bit of it. Our place is 12 acres, about half is "pasture" or weeds and wildflowers iow.;) The other half is fairly heavily wooded, and it has a nice creek, that in normal rainfall years, has water in it. If I had my own way, I would live much further out than I do.

magnet-man

10-27-2009, 05:42 PM

My commute to the office turned into an hour drive after a few years. That is like getting into a car and staying in it 24 hours a day for 13 days. Your day will be broken down like this if you take a 30 minute lunch. 10.5 hours for work, 8 hours sleep, 1 hour in the morning to have breakfast and get into the car. You are now left with 4.5 hours of free time to have dinner and enjoy yourself. Don't ask me what my life was like during tax time. :no:

Says a lot about keeping an apartment or house in town and using the country as a weekend or summer home.

CentralPAguy

10-27-2009, 05:47 PM

I am a country boy at heart, but live in a town right outside Harrisburg. My drive to go from the West Shore to the East Shore of the Susquehanna River takes me about 15-20 minutes to get back and forth to work.

I love the convenience in living in the town, but at times chafe at the restrictions. I would love to have chickens and other small animals, but can not.

We have public water, sewage, paved streets, walking distance to the libraries and schools. convenient access to the grocery stores, hospitals, bus service, train service, access to taxi cabs and a whole lot of pluses.

A bad side of urban sprawl is the constant barrage of noise. We constantly have airplane flights overhead and sometimes it shuts down conversation. I can hear the train horns. And I hear the rumble strips that are on I-83 and I I hear the Tractor Trailer with their air brakes and the incessant traffic.

Most of all, I miss seeing the stars. When I retire, I am going to move to a sunnier warmer rural climate and watch my chickens peck and my bees buzz and say howdy to all my wonderful neighbors.

My advice is go to the Country and find Americana. Its got your name on it and is waitin'.

Barry

10-27-2009, 06:57 PM

You will need to ditch your suits, sell your Prius and get the proper country life attire. Here is a check list I put together.

Don't forget the bib overalls. Depending on your physique:

http://www.rawganique.com/Images/Mens/rg346-070914-1882.jpg

http://www.gangstas-hugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/hillbillyoveralls.jpg

beedeetee

10-27-2009, 07:24 PM

I grew up out of town on a farm. When I got out of college I bought a place in town, but could never get past a few things. Sitting my patio I could listen to my neighbors. I don't know why that bothered me so much, but it did. When our kids got to about school age we got concerned about the kids that wanted to be their friends.

Before they started school we bought a place out in the country. We do have 30 minute drives to work. I grew up that way and you have to plan. You need a pantry. You plan trips to stores.

I have satellite internet and am using it right now. I have internet at work also and really don't notice a difference unless you want to set up a vpn or something similar. You don't pay by the download, but you do have a maximum per day. You can't download movies, but for browsing, e-mail, pandora radio there is no problem. I don't notice a delay anymore than work. That said, if you can get DSL do that, it will be cheaper.

When friends are out to our house they keep on talking about how quiet it is and how many birds there are.

You do pay to live in the country. A little more insurance, internet, gas, less close (distance) friends (this last one bothers my wife more than me, but she grew up on a farm too). It may or may not be worth it to you. I don't actually notice the drive. Mine has no traffic to speak of, so it gives me time to transition from work to home attitude. Having to go home to meet someone (the satellite dish installer) can be a hassle.

After 5 years in town (plus 5 years of college) I could never get used to it.....

Countryboy

10-27-2009, 08:31 PM

Your neighbors can't see every little thing you do when you live in the country. Many folks don't appreciate it until they have experienced it, and then experienced a lack of it.

In regards to rural broadband
You may or may not have fiber optic phone lines - if you have fiber optic lines, you can get dsl.
I believe there are a couple satellite broadband providers. I use Hughes (formerly Primestar.) It's not the greatest, but it beats dial-up.
Also on the market is a wireless modem that plugs into a USB port. It has a dedicated phone line. My cousin has this and loves it.

Check to see if you can pick up a WiFi signal, or share a WiFi network with local rural neighbors.

Hambone

10-27-2009, 09:49 PM

Don't forget the bib overalls. Depending on your physique:

:D:D

I gotta put on some weight. That's great!

Tom G. Laury

10-27-2009, 09:59 PM

When you can laugh at yourself, you are a wise man.

justin

10-27-2009, 10:47 PM

my life is a little more rural than that, and i enjoy all the aspects of it. my wife says she does but she really talks on the phone all day and then drives to town to volunteer for all kinds of stuff. if i didn't have to work i would never leave home, except to go to the woods.

dragonfly

10-28-2009, 12:24 PM

if i didn't have to work i would never leave home, except to go to the woods.

I hear ya bro. Me too.:)

Da Yooper

10-28-2009, 02:49 PM

I was born and raised in the Milwaukee area but spent much of my summer time in a little town called Cedar River, MI while I was growing up. When I got married I took my wife to Cedar River for our honey moon. We talked about where we wanted to live and she being country at heart was thrilled to move to the U.P.

You could NOT (never say never..God can be convincing) pay enough to move back to the city.

I don't miss my neighbors car being broken into right outside my bedroom window. In fact I don't want my neighbor right outside any of my windows for that matter.

Right now we are only 10 minutes from town on 13 acres so driving isn't an issue. We did live 35 minutes for 4 years and I can say 10 is much nicer but I would still do the 35 if we had to.

As far as cost...yea I suppose there may be some things that cost more. But for us our property taxes are lower living in the township of Menominee as opposed to the city of Menominee. Water and sewer is dirt cheap once you have the well dug and the septic in. I can dump my 500 gallon hot tub or water my grass anytime I want without worrying about a bill for the water department (some electric involved). And if I pee outside I don't have to flush at all. :o

To each his own but I... love the room, love the privacy, love the peace and quiet, love the fact that if I think I forgot to close the garage door or lock the front door I don't have to turn around and check.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Fred

charmd2

10-28-2009, 03:50 PM

Ok I live in the middle of nowhere, and 15 min. from the closest "town" 45 minutes from work.

I love where I live. I wish I had a personal tractor. The roads are absolutely impassable during a large snow fall. The driveway washes out at least twice a year.

If it rains heavily the roads flood over and we're flooded in.

When the ice storms hit we were at the end of the line getting power restored.

The water and septic don't change much. You always have the well pump going out, the septic tank over filling, type of issues.

Nothing major, for a hillbilly like me, but if you or your spouse are born bred cityfied, then not having a toilet, or shower for a few days until you get the appropriate parts/equipment, or person out to fix it can potentially be an issue.

We burn wood for heat, it is cost effective for us, it also saves us in the event the power goes out.

We have to buy bottled water for drinking. Our well is not good for drinking.

However. All said and done, I will not move back into town until I am unable to maintain my acreage by myself. It is definately more work than a city yard, and yet is far far more rewarding.

wayacoyote

10-28-2009, 08:03 PM

I'm trying to catch up on this one. There's a lot to read.
I wanted to make a point regarding "socializing kids." You're kids will be socialized no matter where they are... they will be socialized to that society. While the opportunities are fewer in a rural situation, that very principle can be a benefit by helping parents avoid unwanted "socializing influences" that can abound in more populated areas. Fewer opportunities mean fewer good and bad influences giving parents MORE opportunities to guide the child into healthy learning from each.

I like our country living and the life skills and socialization that he's getting. And the compliments that we get regarding him (though not necessary to us as parents) certainly reveal that others find him well-socialized as well. We put his socialization as a high priority, which is exactly why we choose a rural lifestyle.

beedeetee

10-28-2009, 09:01 PM

Earlier I talked a little about growing up out of town. One other cost came to mind. When we got into high school and started sports and other social activities, my Mom and Dad got me a car. I also had to drive my brother and sisters to things. Later it became my brothers car and responsibility.

The "social" aspect wasn't a big deal at all except that we always needed a ride somewhere. Just another cost of living in the country. When my boys got old enough we did the same thing. We bought a car for them to get themselves to sports and other school/social activities.

walking bird

10-29-2009, 06:37 PM

Hey Neil. You might want to drop in on one of my blogs, http://www.suburbanranching.blogspot.com It's an attempt to chronicle our experience with a similar kind of move 15 years ago.

NeilV

10-30-2009, 05:11 PM

WB, I checked out the blog, and that's pretty cool. I never could figure out where you got "Walking Bird," but now have a good guess.

For anybody who cares, we have not pulled any triggers yet but probably will. One reason I'm inclined to do this relates to my kid. We drove out to this property at night to get a feel for what the drive would be like. My 5 year old got nervous and said "this is creepy" when we got to the woods in the dark. I've got to do something about that, whether or not we move.

Neil

dragonfly

10-30-2009, 06:01 PM

Neil- I wouldn't worry too much about your son's creepy feelings of the woods just yet. I was scared of the dark, even into my teenage years, whether in the woods or in our house. (and I turned out perfectly normal:D)

dragonfly

10-30-2009, 06:02 PM

WB- your ranching blog is really looking great!:)

brooksbeefarm

10-30-2009, 06:34 PM

Always lived in the country (except for 10 years when i was in the service and first married) wouldn't think of living anywhere else. There is one down side of living in the country nobody's mentioned. When we were younger ( in the 50's) we had some second cousins (girls) come vist from Colorado.They heard mom ask us boys to go pick some blackberries, they said they never picked blackberries and wanted to go. I ask if they knew what ticks and chiggers were, they never heard of chiggers. Well to make a long story short they found out what chiggers were that night, they looked like they had chicken pox even had them in their eyebrows.:D Don't know if there mad at us or not but this is 2009 and we've not heard from them sense the 1950's.:scratch: If you take your wife and kids for a walk in the woods do it in the winter. (no ticks or chiggers) I do know chiggers just love those nice tender city folk. Jack

Hambone

10-30-2009, 10:26 PM

My 5 year old got nervous and said "this is creepy" when we got to the woods in the dark. I've got to do something about that, whether or not we move. Neil

That's not uncommon and easy to fix. Camping, Scavenger hunts, and a real good one is Boy Scouts. Or at his age Cub Scouts.

walking bird

10-30-2009, 11:10 PM

WB- your ranching blog is really looking great!:)

thanks DF, it's fun. It's teaching me to remember to bring a camera with me all the time; I keep missing stuff that I'd love to post.

Biggest, most regrettable missed shot: Two rattlesnakes, reared up and swaying, and then entwining and rolling around on the ground. Don't know if they were fighting over territory or... having fun. :)

NeilV

11-07-2009, 02:48 PM

Well, we broke down and signed a contract on the rural spot today for a price I can stomach. However, its not over yet -- the contract to buy that place is contingent on me selling this place. Got to get to work on this place and see what happens.

Most of the stuff that Magnet-Man says could be right, although schools and internet are not problems (won't even change). The drive may prove to not be worth it, but its still really not a bad drive (20 minutes to my office, 25 to my kids school). Mainly, I felt like this was a chance to do something different and that I'd always wonder about if I did not take my shot. Even if I can't sell this place for a reasonable price, then I still took my shot.

Thanks to everybody for the comments. If this goes through, I'm going to have lots of questions about how to do stuff.

charmd2

11-07-2009, 03:43 PM

Congrats. :) Hopefully yours will sell in a hurry. I have no clue how the real estate market is doing there, but ours is beginning to rebound.

Barry Digman

11-07-2009, 07:36 PM

You need one of these now. I love mine, even though I don't get to run it as much as I'd like.

http://www.kubota.com/f/PRODUCTS/l2800/index.cfm

TwT

11-07-2009, 08:21 PM

when you go out walking in the woods and hear this, run :lpf:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqxzWdKKu8

NeilV

11-07-2009, 10:01 PM

Funny you should say that, but this very evening I was walking in the woods and heard actual banjo music. (I was at a potluck dinner/hot dog roast at the local nature center and they had a bluegrass band.)

honeylove

11-08-2009, 07:32 AM

when you go out walking in the woods and hear this, run :lpf:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqxzWdKKu8

whoa!thanks for that one! I love the dancer!

NeilV

12-24-2009, 01:18 PM

Since I pestered everybody by asking for advice, I thought I would give an update on what's happened.

At first, we entered into a contract to by the house in the country. I was still uncertain about that move, and I put in the contract that we had 20 days to cancel and get the earnest money back. After we signed the contract,my wife and I just got a bad feeling about it and had many doubts. I started having dreams about driving kids to 8 places at once. So we cancelled the contract about three days later.

However, we decided to keep our house on the market, since the government is handing out money and interest rates are so low. Basically, it seemed that it is a good time to move, and we are still cramped as can be in this house.

About three weeks ago, we got a contract on our house and we have a January 29, 2009 closing date. A really crazy detail on the sale of our house is that the buyer used to keep bees. I HAD TO GIVE THEM A BEEHIVE AS PART OF THE DEAL, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE THAT!!!! Anyway, maybe I'll have another beekeeper friend out of the deal.

Problem was, we sold our house, but we could not find anyplace to move that suited us. My wife wants a decent neighborhood where she can go on walks and the kids can play and be safe (I wanted that too, but that's her main request). We both want a place where we can grow a garden. Also, I'm cheap and don't want to be house poor by having a crazy mortgage payment. In other words, I wanted something that is hard to find.

Lo and behold, we found a house for sale that is not in the greatest part of town (which holds down the price alot), but it is in a fairly decent pocket of neighborhood, good sized house, 2.3 acres including about 1.5 acres of pasture, a shop where I can do beekeeping stuff and its adjacent to a greenbelt and trail system. This place had been out of our price range, but they dropped the price and we made an offer. The problem was that the price drop attracted other buyers, and we got into a bidding war that I thought we were going to lose and/or go above our top price.

But, we pulled it off and now have a contract to buy this place. This is going to be a good place to keep bees. There is a bunch of open space with clover in the area, along with the usual city bee plants. Also, and an area that is about 3 or 4 acres of persimmon trees of all things. I've got plenty of room to keep the hives completely away from any neighbors. Somebody else already keeps a horse in the pasture, so I won't have to keep that mowed and can use the part that the horse is not in for a garden plot.

So this has worked out in the end. I'm going to have country living in the city. And if I can get moved it, Derek's serving bar-b-que on the weekend of the Big Bee Buzz (March 20, 2009) and any beesourcers who go to the Buzz are invited. (I'm assuming Derek's up for this, since he seems up for anything fun.)

The only thing left is inspections, but I'm hopeful.

Merry Christmas and thanks for the advice,

Neil

honeyman46408

12-24-2009, 02:15 PM

Merry Christmas Neil and Happy New Year wishes that things will keep going as good as they sound now :applause:

DRUR

12-24-2009, 02:49 PM

Somebody else already keeps a horse in the pasture, so I won't have to keep that mowed and can use the part that the horse is not in for a garden plot.
Merry Christmas and thanks for the advice,

Well, horse manure makes an excellent garden fertilizer. Also, it is my hope and prayer that your new adventure is blessed.

MapMan

12-24-2009, 05:34 PM

I didn't chime in earlier, since I was waiting to see what happened... Now I see you actually found a place where you can spread your wings (and allow some bees to do the same).

By the way, moving out to the "country" means more like 10-15 miles away from a small hamlet of perhaps 500 folks, and at least 30-40 miles away from a larger city of perhaps 1,000-3,000 folks.

On the map, look for a place called "Middle of Nowhere". That's where we live. And I like it. But seriously, we have to travel 30-35 miles to get to a good job (my wife does, I am fortunate to only drive ten minutes), and my last remaining child at home drives 35 minutes to get to a good high school.

We like the solitude, and we have great neighbors 1/2 mile or so in a couple directions from the farm. It can get nastly cold, snowy and now rainy (freezing now) in the winter (and a couple of months too long). But the rest of the seasons are fantastic!

Wishing you and everyone here the best in 2010!

MM