Where do you want to live? I want to live where I can look outside and see turkeys and deer feeding across the meadow. I want to live where neighbors help each other out and wave when you drive by even if you have never met them. I want to live where your neighbor is next door, or 5 miles away. I want to live where you have to drive at least 20 minutes to get to the nearest grocery store. I want to live where the sound of gunfire is not alarming (most of the time at least, more on that later). I want to live where people on opposite sides of political lines can have supper together.
I could go on and on. We have found our slice of paradise but cannot help but think about these things as I see Forrest, Somer and Lily travel the country looking for their own slice of paradise. In the past year or so they have spent extended time in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennesse, Missouri, Oregon and of course, South Dakota. So far, they have not found it, so the search continues. There are things they like about each of these areas and things they don't like. Of course, we try to point out all the positives of everything in our area, but I think the winters (and wind) are two of the biggest drawbacks.
In a way, I envy them. They have the excitement of finding their next home, where will they end up? They also have the stress of finding their next home. We loved our nomadic lifestyle but are happy to have our forever home. It has been several years since Lily, now 13, has attended school. I wonder when they find their next home, if they will enroll her in school or continue with her home schooling. They have gotten to the point where some of the education is a bit challenging for the teachers, so they have turned to an online curriculum that they have found that teaches 8th grade (and up) subjects. They still do educational field trips in each area they are in though. The nice thing about the website they use is that it not only sets the curriculum, but it also grades it and maintains records for when she enrolls in a high school or colleges.
The last four days have been great, we had something going on each day. Here is a recap the four days I spent at home..... but first a funny story.
Forrest and I were driving around the property on our side by side when Kevin called to catch up. During our conversation, Kevin asked, "What's your crazy wife up to?". I looked towards the house, not expecting to see anything, but I do. I see Barb, on a ladder, leaning against a tree, so I reply, "At the moment she is on top of a ladder which is leaning against a tree". Why I did not find that alarming, I do not know. But Forrest and I did drive up there to see what the heck was going on.
She was hanging her dart board on a tree.
That night we went on a field trip as part of Lily's continuing education. Math, statistics and social economic are crucial parts of everyday life so we felt it essential that we help Lily learn more about these areas. Where did we go you ask? The VFW of course where all children should learn necessary life skills! With the Queen of Hearts over $30,000 how could we not go? No one won so the game continues for the 42nd consecutive week. Only 10 cards remain so someone is going to win soon!
Saturday was Bonnie's birthday. A milestone birthday! Barb spent the morning preparing for the big day starting at 6am when she put a pork butt in the smoker. She then made a cake and potato salad. Around noon we went to the Harvest Moon Festival in Custer where we enrolled both Zoey and Chloe in the pet costume contest. Neither won, but they seem none the wiser.
That's right Harry, it is a dog video!
After that it was back to our house where Dan and Bonnie joined us to help with more of Lily's home schooling. More math, economics and Phy Ed when we played darts, jenga and dice games.
Sunday is football day! My Vikings were in England playing against the Jets. The game started at 7:30am Mountain Time and I woke up to find Zoey already pumped up for the game, traitor!
Speaking of dogs, we have 4 of them in the house much of the time. Zoey and Chloe spend a lot of time playing. Jack and Dakota, both over 10 years old, spend a lot of time sleeping.
A little later in the morning Kevin came over to help form the pad for the garage in preparation for our upcoming concrete pour. Forrest got a taste of what it takes to get a site ready for concrete.
Once that was done, we spent some time sighting in and practicing our archery skills for the upcoming archery season.
Monday morning, way too early, we headed over to one of Kevin's job sites to help him with a concrete pour. This one was a little sketchy and both Kevin and I were glad to have Forrest there as the first half of this pour had to be done by wheelbarrow up a ramp.
Back to the sound of gunfire in the neighborhood, we did have a little excitement recently when one of our neighbors (about a mile away) was involved in a murder/suicide. We did not hear the gunfire, a very sad story for these this couple in their mid 60's. They had just moved to the area, and we did not know them. Another one of our "neighbors" (10 miles away) was arrested for arson, charged with setting 9 wildfires in the area. Again, we did not know the individual but are happy he is off the street.
That is our past 4 days in a nutshell. This morning Forrest and I are headed back up north to The Farm for a few days of father/son duck hunting. But first, a picture from the trail cameras. This one is for you Nancy, I know how much you love these little guys. Be careful, I think he knows where he wants to live and is headed your way!
Sounds like you did a great job helping Lily with her education :) Yes it's nice to be home where you know most of your neighbours around you. Sad about the Murder Suicide couple .... that happened to some friends of ours 25 years ago, no one had any idea there was trouble. You just never know. Good luck hunting with Forrest.
ReplyDeleteAs grandparents, we have a big responsibility to help educate our grandchildren. We are doing our best to give her real world experiences!
DeleteAll kinds of stuff going up there in the frozen north! But honestly, the murder/suicide thing happens everywhere, as does arson. Sad, but true. Where there are humans there will be trouble.
ReplyDeleteIf only there were a life without humans, just think how wonderful it would be!
DeleteWe love living rural too-I couldn't live in a city. Here at the lake we have the closest neighbors we have had since retirement-but we have a double lot so not on top of each other-and the neighbors use their lake homes for vacation weekends and we are a thirty minutes drive from two small cities. we also see turkey and deer where we live here at the lake, and many birds and water fowl In the colder months I love the lake views with the loons and other ducks plus geese and we have a pair of eagles that perch up in a tall tree looking out our front door--so it peaceful for us
ReplyDeleteOur lake experiences were similar. We had 100' lot with a weekender on one side and a elderly seasonal couple on the other. It too was the closest neighbors we had but totally livable.
DeleteYou have a special place there! Sorry about the bad happenings. Nice having the family there! Good luck with the hunting.
ReplyDeleteDo you ever wonder where your next residence will be once you settle down again? Will you ever settle down again? I am guessing, it will be somewhere within a days drive of your children.
DeleteWe lived in a small town in VA (pop. 500) for a dozen years and it as the sort of place where you knew your neighbors and most everyone knew everyone. We got the mail at the local post office as there was no house delivery, except for Amazon. Now, we live in a former textile mill in a city of 90,000 which is quite a difference. At times we miss our old house into which we put a lot of work, knowing more would be needed, so for us it was time to move on. Hopefully, your family members will find their ideal place to live by the time your granddaughter is ready for college. But, it sounds like she is receiving a wonderful education being on the road.
ReplyDeleteAn old textile mill apartment or condo doesn't sound too bad at all, at least in the setting that I am visualizing. I do not see us ever moving, but one never knows.
DeleteHope you have a successful hunt and a great time with your son!
ReplyDeleteWe are more than halfway through the week and we are having a great time!
DeleteI want to live right here where I am surrounded by family, the Jenga looks like something out of Minecraft. I have never heard the sound of gunfire, the closest would be hearing it on the news
ReplyDeleteWhat different worlds we live in, it is hard for me to imagine living somewhere where guns are not part of the culture. May sound weird to you, but that is the hunting culture we were raised with.
DeleteYour place sound like our place except we have lots more trees and we have more snow and cold. Your kids would not like Minnesota. I always thought I would like to live in Ten Sleep Wyoming or Sandpoint Idaho...but then there is snow:) Good thing you brought Forest along..as a wheelbarrow full of cement is really heavy. I wish them great luck on their adventures finding the perfect place to live! Good luck hunting and I am not sure why in the world God made a skunk:(
ReplyDeleteForrest and Somer have mentioned Sandpoint as one of the places they could see themselves. If I remember correctly, they said it is now very expensive there now.
DeleteAfter eldest daughter settled here, we move across province to be near. Then the grandkids comes along and we were able to spend much time with them. So we are happy to be here. /AC
ReplyDeleteOne of our children moved all the way across the country to get as far away from us as possible. The other is a moving target just so we can't move near them. The traveler comes and stays with us for weeks, the other never comes to see us.
DeleteIt was far easier to enjoy growing up rural, back in the day. Now I call my little southwest cubby our paradise... Beach, Sun, Sand, Ocean and mountains or desert a short distance away. But a gunshot is never good and it's hard to really get to know the neighbors.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wonder if I could live in a place like you do. I think we all can adapt and make the most of where we are. Some people think we live in a lonely and desolate place and could never do it.
DeleteI like your "I want to live" list--fits right up there with our list. We are weary of owning two houses but don't want to spend the entire Montana winter in a RV. I loved reading about your son and his family--I so admire people who can homeschool their children. And I admire their lifestyle--looking to find their forever home. Enjoy your duck hunt!
ReplyDeleteWe often think about getting a 2nd home somewhere but struggle with the same thing. The burden of owning a second home and "having" to go there. For now, we are content with the camper in the winter, but that might change someday.
DeleteEveryone has a different idea of what they call Home.
ReplyDeleteNot good when there's violence between those who have spent their lives together.
Have fun on your Father/Son outing.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Very true. I do not know what their story was or what happened, but it is all very sad.
DeleteI love where I live, but I know one place I would love to move to, if I could afford it. I'd love further up the coast of Maine, on the coast. But even though that will probably never happen, I am 100% happy where I live. I don't know if there is really a perfect place, and I wish your family good luck in their search. Enjoy their visit!
ReplyDeleteYes! We could definitely see ourselves in Maine too, on the bluff overlooking the ocean watching the lobster boats going by. Does it get any more relaxing than that?!?
DeleteI noticed you all are wearing long sleeves. The temps must already be getting cool. NICE! That Barb....she is very active and my only question is why you didn't hang the dart board for her? 🤣🤣🤣. I would tell your kiddos to check out Texas, but if they do....make sure they come in the Winter or Spring. Way tooooo Hot in the Summer. How awesome that you all are helping lily. I know several kids around here that are home schooled and they do great....She will too. Happy Second week in October.
ReplyDeleteThat is because my lovely bride is so stubborn she will not ask for help! I didn't even know that was on her agenda that morning. Texas is a great place! We almost looked for property around the Junction area, but would have missed the winters too much.
DeleteYou live in a good spot. Keeping busy, as usual. :)
ReplyDeleteI had a pet skunk when I was a teenager. Was a real sweetie pie! De-scented and fixed, of course. They don't sell them in the cities and haven't for a long time. Wild animals are off limits and I am glad. People don't know what they are buying, you know. We sold racoons and monkeys, too. Pet shops have changed for the better.
What an interesting life you have led. I have been reading your blog for a couple of years now and do not think I have ever read one that talked about your life history or the fact that sold monkeys and racoons. That would be an interesting read for many of us now and your grandkids years from now.
DeleteIt's always interesting to visit you and see what's happening where you live. That's an interesting question regarding where a person or family could live. I think a safe neighbourhood would be best -one where neighbours are helpful and friendly. We've travelled around, but there's no place like 'home'. Have a good week. All the best!
ReplyDeleteI have never lived in an unsafe neighborhood, but I think you are right, that would be number one. I have heard horror stories about neighbors and would definitely move if we were unhappy.
DeleteWhere you live sounds ideal for people who want solitude, many do.
ReplyDeleteEducation travelling, it's not always easy. We met many mums and dads when travelling teaching their young children, but if they stayed in a town they had to go to the local school whilst there if staying awhile.
I enjoyed your videos...have fun with your son when you go duck shooting.
Barb loos good on the ladder, love darts and haven't played for a long time.
Take care.
In the past, they had enrolled Lily in the local school while they were in an area for an extended period. Post covid and now that Lily is older, it is much easier to homeschool her.
DeleteThere are trade offs anywhere you live. You just have to decide if you're willing to make them in any one place. I think we have found that with family in the area, a friendly neighborhood, good outdoor activities, and enough money to afford the high cost of living.
ReplyDeleteUp until recently, I thought we had 3 of those 4. Now with these to couple of incidents and taxes going up, we only have the outdoor activities.
DeleteNOOOOOOO ..... NO more skunks!!! Just wait til your pups meet one in person!! I do question your neighborhood now ... maybe it's better NOT to know your neighbors. Have fun with that concrete pour! It's going to be fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI gave that skunk directions to your house, so we do not have to worry about it. It's waddling southwest as we speak!
DeleteI grew up in your neighborhood, well at least a similar neighborhood. I suspect that one can find similar neighborhoods all over the country in rural America, once you overcome the obstacle of fitting in after you move there. I have seen a lot of people move into a rural area and not get along particularly well initially because rural people are usually a bit reserved and slow to build up into a friendship, even if they wave at you when you drive by!
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved to rural Wisconsin, it was a lot like you described. We would have never fit in, but our kids would have having gone through school there.
DeleteIn South Dakota almost everyone is a transplant, so it is much easier to fit in.
Gay and Joe
ReplyDeleteGood morning Jim. I think having traveled the country in our MH for 9 years gave us lots of opportunities to find places we loved. No place is ever perfect, but Tucson came really close for us. Yes, the summers are hot, but the other three seasons have a lot to offer. Your neck of the woods is beautiful. So is Colorado and Montana. I loved all those places, but not the winters and snow. Have fun on your hunting trip with Forrest…
ReplyDeleteWe start melting at any temperature over 65. 45-55 is perfect. Throw in a little snow and it's perfect!
DeleteHunting for a place to settle down can be both thrilling and exhausting - and every time I decided a place was right, something would happen and we would end up somewhere else! I guess, in the end, you end up living where you are meant to be at, at that time in your life :)
ReplyDeleteWe have lived or had homes in 3 states, and you are right, each one of them were great homes for us at the time.
DeleteWe want to live somewhere that we don't see anyone else (except birds and critters) when we sit outside, where we're close enough to a good grocery store to easily run out to pick up something "necessary" for tonight's meal, where we don't have to shovel or be under gloomy skies most days or be cold, a place that has some good restaurants and a decent airport just far enough away that we can get to it but not so close that we have to deal with the traffic it brings. And.....very little traffic! We found our home has most of those things so we're happy!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the perfect setting for you! Us, we like a little gloom and sno. Certainly don't mind shoveling once in a while and love the scenery of fresh fallen snow.
Deletewhere do i want to live?? some things here we disagree on. i am happy and content where i am, i have lived here my entire life. i have just enough property where people are not on top of me. i want to live close to stores...i love deer but i also enjoy my flowers so i don't want them on top of me. we have to be happy here, because both of our moms need help and we are the only ones of our siblings that are willing to do it!! i can dream but that's all it will be, a dream!!
ReplyDeleteYou have a beautiful setting up there on the bluff overlooking the river! Deer and flowers just don't mix, I can see how you would get frustrated working so hard on your flowers just to come out one morning and see them nipped off by some deer overnight. Neither Barb nor I had the responsibility of elderly parents. Both a blessing and a curse.
DeleteWhen you said "...more on the shooting later...". The thought came to my mind, "Barb finally shot Jim...". Hard to find a perfect place... Florida is nice, hurricanes are not. California is nice, but the earthquakes and all the nuts and corruption... I think anyplace is going to have issues. Good luck Forest and Sumer and Lily.
ReplyDeleteThere probably is not a perfect place, but there is several "perfect for now" places. I think Barb and I could be happy and adapt pretty much anywhere as long as we are together.
DeleteI always have to go and relax for you after I read your blog! Haha! Someone has to take up the relaxing minutes that pass on each day:) Sounds like Lily is getting lots of "valuable" life lessons while visiting. Sorry the girls didn't win the costume contest. I'm sure they were the cutest! Hope you had a wonderful father/son hunting trip.
ReplyDeleteOf course they were the cutest! I don't think Zoey got one vote as both Barb and I voted for Chloe hoping she would at least place. Lily was so excited to dress her up and have a chance of winning.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI am happy where I live for 34 years now, most of the neighbors are nice and friendly. The stores/restaurants are 20-30 minute drive away. We have the Prettyboy watershed area which is like a park setting around us and the lake a short walk away. I always enjoy seeing your cute furbabies. It is nice to have the family visiting. Take care, have a great day and happy weekend!
Sounds like the perfect rural setting and I love the pictures you take at the watershed and other places!
DeleteSo many places to choose where to live. Is there a perfect one? In the years to come maybe your son and daughter in-law wish to be a bit closer to you to see you more often. Treasure family, if you can.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that if we want to be closer to our kids we would have to move closer to them. That is not likely to happen, so we will be content with the visits we do get.
DeleteI want to live where ever my wife tells me to live. Just Kidding. We love it here at the SSUVFL. We often sit outside looking at the place we built and we can honestly say that this is perfect for us. That's why we never leave. Although I see you leaving your place a lot. Hmmmmm?
ReplyDeleteAre you though? If you want to live, you best listen to your wife. Could you imagine the muttering mass of humanity that you would be if you did not have to loving and caring wife?
DeleteYou do have an awesome place. In fact, the surroundings you have not is what I always envisioned myself in when we got older. Except mine would have been in Wisconsin. Woods, deer, bear, close to water for fishing. If it was not for Barb insistence in living somewhere there are no mosquitoes we might be neighbors!
DeleteI like to live in an urban area. I have always lived in or near the hustle and bustle of a big city. While we currently live in the suburbs but we are sandwiched between major highways so I can still have everything I need close by.
ReplyDeleteYour choice of living locations does not surprise me. With everything you guys like to do, urban suits you guys perfectly!
DeleteWe lived as nomads for the first 20 years of our marriage as the Air Force sent us hither and yon. We found things to love everywhere we traveled. Upon retirement from the military, I had to find a "real job". Spent a dozen years in Texas then circumstances brought us back to Florida. Not an ideal home site, but very nicely located between coast, forest and swamp.
ReplyDeleteSend that pretty black and white kitty down here! Over the years, habitat destruction has seriously reduced our skunk population. Some would celebrate. I weep.
I am not a fan either, as you know, they can really put the hurt on nesting birds in the spring.
DeleteYou have an amazing property. And many skills is building it.
ReplyDeletePretty scary, the deaths. I heard gunfire the other day. It sounded like someone practicing. It echoes through the forest.
From what I have seen, you too have amazing property! Any property that has wildlife like you have is amazing to me!
DeleteWell I think Lily is getting a wonderful education! And I hope they continue her home schooling wherever her parents end up. I can't believe that story about the gunfire! How tragic and terrifying. Poor souls. And I just don't understand what arsonists get out of burning things down. OK so not for nothing, in that picture of Barb hanging her dart board, that ladder is not leaning against the tree! Just saying. Now, where we live is nothing like you live, and there are charms to both, but for now I am happy to live here and don't see that changing. I hope that Forrest and Somer and Lily find their happy place. I'm a little surprised they didn't find it in Tennessee! Middle and East Tennessee are great places to live. If I did not live in South Carolina, I would choose East Tennessee (we have lived there before). xoxo
ReplyDeleteI think Tennessee is their top choice so far. I personally could not take the humidity; I would absolutely melt! That picture of Barb is a little later when she had to regroup and get a new chain. That time she unfolded the ladder like you see it there. I think we might build a stand for it out of 4x4's or something.
DeleteI always wanted to live out in the country but we live in the suburbs and I have finally admitted to myself that as long as I can get into the country within half an hour, I am happy here. From reading your posts and seeing all these wonderful photos, I would say you have indeed found your slice of paradise. I hope Forrest, Somer and Lily find theirs really soon. I love the Barbara on a ladder story. I have a habit of falling of a one-step stool so I am banned from ladders. That is the cutest photo of Chloe with her bottle of whisky. Very sorry about the murder/suicide, and awful that someone would set 1 fire let alone 9. You have had quite an eventful time since I last checked in. I hope your Fall is going well.
ReplyDeleteI doubt we will have live in a city, town or burbs again. Never say never though, it we become in need of constant care I am guessing we would end up in town.
Delete