Snowmageddon Aftermath

geo in mi · #21 02/12/10, 06:00 PM

Nothing like an epiphany once in awhile. I had some thoughts during the monster blizzards of 1976 and 77?. I was then in a suburban home only three miles from town and it took three days for the Indiana National Guard to break through with a halftrack so the snowplow(that's right, the county had one (1) snowplow) to clear the drifts. But we were all connected by telephone and neighbor helped neighbor--even the kids went around with snow shovels--yes, those little puny "city" ones(not the kids, the shovels), to clean out the driveways and scoop tunnels to the door.

Maybe you need to set up a checklist of sorts for a lifestyle that doesn't involve chucking your job and friends and trekking out to the outer limits of the 'boonies'. As many of us, you are probably limited in your choices, anyway, by your job location, your children, and many other things. Not too many of us opted for the Studebaker covered wagon trip over the Oregon trail to a new home in the wilderness. I know, my search had to center around commuting distance, and I wanted to live near(some, but not all) people and neighbors. I wanted enough land to do my thing--which meant some gardening, room to stretch, a secure water access, firewood, enough space and outbuildings to raise small animals if it ever became necessary. Included on that checklist were proximity to a hospital, decent schools, and a reasonable
"character" or hominess about the area and town. A library was on that list, and....I wanted proximity to a University, for a learning culture, theater, public radio, malls, maybe, and just a good place to call home. Took awhile, but I found it, and you can, too. Some here might scoff, but, to me, it's home, and this is where I make my stand. (Home---stead) No apologies about it. Once in awhile we all sing that song, "No man is an island, no man stands alone."

CherieOH · #22 02/12/10, 06:11 PM

The way I see it, you can play it safe and lie on your deathbed regretting the things you never did, OR you can do things and lie on your deathbed with great memories. I'd rather go with a smile on my face.

country_wife · #23 02/12/10, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyra

Thanks for the posts.

I really didn't want this to become a country vs. city thread. I only wanted to know if there were others, like myself, that were affected by the storm of the century on a deeper level. That this monstrosity of weather had caused others to question themselves.

Is it rare for your area to get a lot of snow? If so, then most likely you won't see another snow like this for many years. I've noticed that southern snows tend to be heavy, wet, and slick. When we lived in the south, our whole town would shut down in the event of a few inches of snow, whereas here, no one thinks twice about venturing out and schools rarely close.

It is good that you are rethinking your plans before your move, and I wish you the best. Homesteading isn't just about living out in the middle of nowhere; it's about living wisely.

TheMartianChick · #24 02/12/10, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyra

You can't place homesteaders into one stereotypical box. There are plenty of homesteaders who live in cities and are entirely self-sufficient.

It isn't just about the hospitals. I have realized that I want to have social interaction with something more than farm animals. I want to be part of a community. This storm has made me realize that I want to be in an area that isn't cut off from the rest of the world. I really don't see anything wrong with wanting to upgrade my homesteading plans.

There really is no definition of a homesteader that is carved in stone. Everyone decides what level of self-sufficiency that they want. Some want to build their own homes. Others, like me just want a house in the country on a few acres that we can work with. I have a business plan for my farm-related business that changes slightly, the more that I learn. You've just learned that you don't want to feel isolated and you've adjusted your life-plan. I think it is great that you've learned something about yourself before making what could be a big mistake for you!

Old Vet · #25 02/12/10, 09:05 PM

Where I live it is an hour to the nearest hospital even in good weather and much more during snow and ice. I call 911 (which we finally got last year) and it will take 30 minutes to get a sheriff out here even with saying I shot at a guy. But I can get a volunteer fireman out here in about 7 minutes. And a neighbor in 2 minutes. If I have a emergency that will mean that I go to the hospital the Volunteer Fire man can call a helicopter in a real emergency that will have a paramedic on board and he will be here in 15 minuets.

Toads tool · #26 02/12/10, 09:33 PM

You pose a good question.

I rather look at it the other way. When i do get to the hospital, there won't be a wait.
Probably offsets any time the ruralness might cause.

Just a question of what side of the penny you think is shinier.

Lyra · #27 02/12/10, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaineFarmMom

For what it's worth, I've been gardening for 25 years. My gardening style changes as necessary. What are you thinking of doing now?

My gut says that this is not a freak event and even if it is I would rather be safe than sorry. I will be changing everything including how early I start, garden layout, getting a greenhouse (sturdy one), and changing the varieties of plants. Start acting as though I live in upstate NY instead of PA.

I have a couple great books on gardening in Maine. Now I get to put them to use.

Lyra · #28 02/12/10, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geo in mi

I know, my search had to center around commuting distance, and I wanted to live near(some, but not all) people and neighbors. I wanted enough land to do my thing--which meant some gardening, room to stretch, a secure water access, firewood, enough space and outbuildings to raise small animals if it ever became necessary. Included on that checklist were proximity to a hospital, decent schools, and a reasonable "character" or hominess about the area and town. A library was on that list, and....I wanted proximity to a University, for a learning culture, theater, public radio, malls, maybe, and just a good place to call home. Took awhile, but I found it, and you can, too. Some here might scoff, but, to me, it's home, and this is where I make my stand. (Home---stead) No apologies about it. Once in awhile we all sing that song, "No man is an island, no man stands alone."

Now I am on that same page. Before the storm I would have settled for a small town out in the boonies and driven up to 45 min for work or real culture. I have even been looking at real estate. As I said earlier, I have done a 180 this week thanks to the walls of snow.

oldmania · #29 02/12/10, 09:53 PM

These deep snows in the Shenandoah Valley have not made me rethink my plans. If I hit the lottery, I am STILL moving to Maui.

chewie · #30 02/12/10, 10:07 PM

altho i love to live in the waaay-out boonies, we are now a bit closer than we were a year ago and its nice. (instead of 30 mins to a tiny town, we're now 15 mins away). esp with teenage daughters, who need a town trip much more often than ever! and i have an art studio now that i can invite guests, whereas before there was no way to gain traffic way out there. just yesterday a man came to buy soap~!

but, if i didn't have a strong partner, as my DH is, i am betting i'd not be able to even do this much. (physically strong) i doubt anyone could argue that both types of homestead have their ups and downs.

i think you have just changed your mind a little. that's great, you are now more able to find what you are wanting, what will make you most happy!! and its best to find this out now instead of after you made a big purchase! its not a contest over who can live out the farthest, but more a 'contest' of how best you can be happy, and the only one who can judge is you!

deb · #31 02/12/10, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyra

You can't place homesteaders into one stereotypical box. There are plenty of homesteaders who live in cities and are entirely self-sufficient.

It isn't just about the hospitals. I have realized that I want to have social interaction with something more than farm animals. I want to be part of a community. This storm has made me realize that I want to be in an area that isn't cut off from the rest of the world. I really don't see anything wrong with wanting to upgrade my homesteading plans.

We have community and culture in the "boonies" and as a bonus we also have lots of room to put 3 ft of snow. There is plenty of "culture" : Master Gardener programs, plays, quilting clubs, historical societies, artist guilds, poetry and book readings, and live music performances. We had Scottish Country dancers with a live band performing at the historical society last weekend

You can choose to live in the city if you wish, but don't blame it on a lack of the "arts" and culture.

deb
in wi

Beeman · #32 02/13/10, 08:01 AM

Great post and much better to think about it now instead of when you're 'living the dream" as we like to call it. Another part of your line of thinking is that it's a proven fact that if you live you get older and things get harder to do. You have to decide just what you want to expend your energy on.
Actually this past 2 weeks and this thread makes me think a lot about the do you go to a warm climate for the winter thread. I am ready for a warm vacation right now.

TheMartianChick · #33 02/13/10, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deb

We have community and culture in the "boonies" and as a bonus we also have lots of room to put 3 ft of snow. There is plenty of "culture" : Master Gardener programs, plays, quilting clubs, historical societies, artist guilds, poetry and book readings, and live music performances. We had Scottish Country dancers with a live band performing at the historical society last weekend

You can choose to live in the city if you wish, but don't blame it on a lack of the "arts" and culture.

deb
in wi

This is very interesting to me... I lived in a small village growing up and attended school in the next town, 15 minutes away by car. We truly had none of the things that you mention, other than the nice church lady who taught me to play the piano.. My parents worked in the city which was 30-40 minutes away and there were a lot of cultural activities there. It never actually occurred to me to look for cultural activities in the country... I was just looking for peace and quiet, a place to raise my animals and time to run my business.

Now you've got me looking for culture...

geo in mi · #34 02/13/10, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyra

I need to face the facts that not every small town will do.

I think this is key to your search. Throwing darts at a map probably is how a lot of folks start, and I don't think you get many bulls-eyes on the first throw. I have a very bad, time consuming(wasting?), idle pastime of looking at a map and trying to visualize just how life would be like in some remote village in some far-off state. Obviously, if you attach your moving van to a string on that dart, you will likely find disappointment 99% of the time. So, as a "list-maker" as well as a dreamer, I have to sit down on the stump once in awhile, tablet in hand, and commence with the list of priorities. If I hit an area that is a question mark, then I do the Winnie the Pooh thing: "Think, think, think." Which means using Google, taking trips, finding summer festivals, anything possible to discover all the things that really are at the end of that dart.

Looks like you will be sitting on your own stump for awhile. Don't give up, you'll find the boots that fit you eventually.....

upnorthlady · #35 02/13/10, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deb

We have community and culture in the "boonies" and as a bonus we also have lots of room to put 3 ft of snow. There is plenty of "culture" : Master Gardener programs, plays, quilting clubs, historical societies, artist guilds, poetry and book readings, and live music performances. We had Scottish Country dancers with a live band performing at the historical society last weekend

You can choose to live in the city if you wish, but don't blame it on a lack of the "arts" and culture.

deb
in wi

Well said! We have many performing artists here in the country who do live shows, theatres, and recordings. We also have book discussion clubs, many fine artists and sculptors. They just aren't as 'visible' and prefer a quieter life. I agree that we aren't lacking for anything out here in the boonies.

ET1 SS · #36 02/13/10, 08:56 AM

After we moved here [Maine] we went the first two years with very little snow [just like this year]. Then we got hammered a couple years.

After the first season that we got hammered, we went out and bought a tractor.

A front loader and backhoe, makes a huge difference in our attitude to seeing snow.

We have a long driveway. A couple hours driving my tractor will move a foot of snow nicely.

I do form large piles of snow, but they can be anywhere that I decide to put them [unlike a plow-blade on your truck where the snow is pushed but you have no say in where it gets pushed].

The only move further 'up' is a tractor-mounted two-stage snow-blower. It lifts the snow and throws it 50 foot into the woods. No snow banks get formed.

Willowdale · #37 02/14/10, 01:19 PM

When something goes wrong at my place in the city, I call 911. When something goes wrong at the farm, my daughter calls Officer Tom, or Kevin the Game Warden, or Jim to see if he can plow a path for her before it's time to go to work. It's a community, and those relationships are all two way and require maintenance, and there are pluses and minuses to both.

Kudos, Lyra, for using the storm as a learning experience to help you plan and prepare yourself! A dose of reality from time to time is a good thing :-) You'll be fine, and better prepared whatever situation you decide works for you. Also don't fret being traumatized, later you'll be over the shock and you have a chance to learn to deal with all the things you never thought about before!

seedspreader · #38 02/14/10, 04:35 PM

I wanted to mention this also...

In Russia, they move to the cities in winter (it's much more energy efficient to share the heat) and then in the summer they go to their dacha's. And they are pretty serious about raising their food.

Sparticle · #39 02/14/10, 05:51 PM

I can't read all the replies, but just wanted to chime in. I used to live in Houston Texas with some of the best medical facilities on the planet. I've been there through weather events and evacuations. I do believe it would be harder to get to a hospital there, during those times, than it would be to receive care at a small town even an hour away. During the Rita evacuation, people were dying on the freeway (my brother is a fireman, aunt and uncle paramedics so I know) stuck in complete gridlock for 16 or more hours. Ambulances and firetrucks stuck right with them. It can take 3 - 10 days as we've seen for any relief to get to the interior (or even exterior in some cases) of large cities after a big storm hits. Go to ANY store in Houston when a hurricane is 2 days out and there is no food or water, shelves are wiped clean. I've been through it also when the ATM's and the banks (that you could even get to) were out of money. Anyone selling anything when the power is out, it's cash only and usually expensive.

It's rough and I only made it through because I was incredibly prepared. I had already kept on hand for over 2 years : simple dried food, water, gas, cash and an evacuation route printed that avoided all major highways and swung well out of the way of the normal direction. I got to my destination in 6 hours (usually takes 2 1/2) and people I worked with, were stuck on the freeways over 16 hours in some cases and not getting even half that far.

A major weather event will probably happen more in your lifetime than your personal emergency care needs. During these events, I would feel safer far from town with my own well thought out and well stocked root cellar and cistern and safely built house.

True it's a gamble, like anything. Yes I could fall off or through something and a hospital is over 30 minutes away, but there are usually volunteer firemen all throughout counties and a call to 911 usually yields more than enough help. I feed my family right and exercise, mindful when I'm working, and do my best at living a healthy self sufficient lifestyle. I'm also learning herbal healing and first aid. I'd like to bet I stay healthy enough not to have to worry about that. I feel there would be more of a case for the need for help during a natural disaster, as I've said, and I'd much rather be out on my homestead during that time.

I know being newbies it makes you nervous. There is so much to learn and none of us will ever know it all. But just focus on the basics first and go step by step. Even if you are in a town, store 2-3 months supply of beans and rice in some metal trash cans. Get used to it and start slowly stocking up. Store water, gas and cash - just get a little extra every time if you have to. Start that now and learning how to store those basic things.

Then learn about compost, growing and storing vegetables a little at a time or even just a few basics like long storing food. What plant do you eat the most? Learn how to grow and store that one.

You'll figure out more as you go along, if you keep the goal of self-sufficiency in mind with every decision.

If you take even 20 minutes a day to learn one new thing, eventually you'll have it and move on to the next. It took me probably 3 years of being a city gardener and learning about the self-sufficient lifestyle before I was able/ready to move out to the country - 30 minutes from the big city, but still with a town and hospital nearby. It took couple more years to move even further out (about to build on land 30 minutes from absolutely anything) and I learn more and more every day. You can do it. Think you don't have time? Give up the internet, email, games and TV all except for 2 hours a week and see how much more time you have. What's more important to you?

Now at least you know how bad the weather can get there and can start to learn what to do if there is 3ft of snow at your place. I'm sure many people here offered advice on what to do during that type of weather, so you've got that now - one less thing to learn ;-)

Lyra · #40 02/14/10, 06:29 PM

Thinking it over, I have lived throughout the country and been through it all weather wise. Tornadoes, hurricanes, snowstorms, flooding, etc. This one is different. It is more of an event than a regular storm. The snow keeps on coming. As far as supplies and heat go, I am more than set and prepared.

The bigger question is - Do I want to deal with this year after year in a remote town? Maybe another winter won't be this bad, but even half of this is a pain to deal with. A lot of PA is rugged and remote. Snow can make a lot of difference on everyday life. I can see how this winter is affecting co-workers, friends, etc. I grew up in an area that received a lot of snow. I had forgotten what kind of toll it takes on people emotionally and how this much snow really changes people's lifestyles because they need to adapt to it.

I am definately downsizing my original ambitious goals because of this winter. After what has occurred over the last couple years, my gut is telling me to heed the warning signs.