Wanting to live in the country, isolated for about a year
 

Hi everyone,

Please forgive me if this is not the right place to post this.

I'm 22, male, and I currently live in a one bedroom apartment with my two cats, about to finish college in Texas for my undergrad in Music.

Long story short, I have a repetitive injury like carpel tunnel preventing me from making a career out of music for now. I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life once I get my degree soon.

I have this dream of living isolated in the country, about 30 minutes from a city, for a year or so. I'm asking for info and resources on how to find a small home with some land to rent. Also info on how people work and make a living besides farming. And info about the types of people and things I would need to look out for. For now I'm planning on getting some books like "Encyclopedia of country living" and "Your cabin in the woods"

I'm not extremely handy but I'm learning a lot very quickly in my apartment. Putting up shelves and furniture, cleaning and dealing with my appliances. I even just built a soundproofing plug with a handle that goes in my window frame to block out noise from the ACs. (Can you tell I like my peace & quiet?) I've learned I get a lot of pleasure from building something and maintaining my living space.

I'm open to moving anywhere, the nicer the weather the better I suppose! I'm really wanting something that is very separated - so I don't really have "neighbors" yet be a bit of a drive from a small town/city (30mins-1hr)

Thank you!

If it's only a year you might look for an off-season caretaker job somewhere. There was a website posted some time ago, if you get the right search criteria you might find it.

Carpal Tunnel and similar injuries can be caused by the 7th vertebra being out of alignment. Go to a chiropractor a few times. Then, see a massage therapist.

Living ‘in the country’ may mean that you have neighbors, but they are widely dispersed. You may back up to fields and woods, yet have three neighbors within a mile down the road to the left, and twenty neighbors within a mile on the right. It’s harder and harder to find a place that has no other humans within five miles in any direction. There is usually a reason a place is very isolated, like no water or because other reasons make it inhospitable.

Perhaps if you went camping in a ‘primitive’ area for a couple of weeks it would give you the solitude you crave. The, maybe you could be happy living in a more sparsely populated area rather than the middle of nowhere.

Thanks Maura, yes I think I'm looking for something in between - maybe 2-5 acres of land that is my own. So neighbors are "down the road" instead of right "next door" if you know what I mean.

Welcome, and where would you want to be? That does make a bit of difference. By that I mean near Houston or El Paso, or Des Moine? There are different factors every where, some are the same but most IMO would be different.

Why not WOOF for a season and see how you like working outdoors in all kinds of weather, raising animals etc.

Once upon a time long ago, like 50 years or better, farmers started to grow larger and buy the neighbor's place when they passed on or retired. Often, they would rent out the house for enough to cover the taxes, as time went on they didn't want to do upkeep on the houses and they started to go down. One year there was a rash of house fires in my area as those old houses caught fire in the night and next season, the house site was plowed and planted.

There may still be areas where you could find one of those type houses to rent with a couple of acres while the area around was being farmed. Driveing around in the area and talking to mail carriers and feed store operators might be a good way to locate something.

If you could find a care taking position that would be an ideal situation for you. The type of property you are describing sounds like my homestead, which used to be a hunting camp in the middle of the state forest. I asked a local real estate agent for secluded farms. No close neighbors at that time, but since then we have had a couple move in on vacant land within a mile or so.

As for making a living, that is what I have my internet connection for.

I'm thinking it might be best to stay in Texas, as there is obviously a lot of land here, and it would be easier for me to visit the area before I committed to renting. But as far as that, I do not have too much of a preference as to where in Texas. Just not too far down to the deep south of Texas.

As far as work, I appreciate the input of different ideas by everyone. Right now I work an online job, that I have been doing part time while in school, and am able to pull about $800 a month with 50-60hrs. If I worked closer to 120 hours, as in full time each month, that would probably give me a substantial amount. That could get monotonous, and I feel like I might want something else to do, but at least that will be a way from me to earn money.

As far as woof - that sounds like an interesting idea. I just worry about being unlucky and living with some odd people.

Edit: I should add that I am from DFW, Texas

I don't know if this still happens or not but back when farmers would hire on summer help,room and board and a few bucks to spend on the side.It was daylight to dark 6 days a week and you were too tired to have a beer at the end of the day but one summer of this would give you a real good idea of what country life really is. You will get to see the good and the bad of the lifestyle. The place I worked at one summer hired on juvys out of the criminal court system in Chicago.Those boys had a bad attitude but it didn't take long for them to fall in line once they wanted to play tough guy.And at the end of summer they left with a whole new outlook on life and no doubt became productive members of society.

Just a thought! Up to it?

Wade

If I was you, I would head south a couple of counties. Then I would drive around, stop in at cafes, feed stores, talk to mail carriers, etc. Ellis county would be hard to find a place, Hill , Navarro, Bosque, might have some rural properties like you are looking for. Heck some of the towns are so small it is rural.
CK out the little real estate books they have out, craigslist, small town realtors etc. I know a realtor that has lots of rental properties. Some realtors handle rental properties for the owners.
I wouldn't go North of DFW, those areas are becoming high rent areas.
ED

Carpal tunnel that keeps you out of music, but online work at the keyboard for fifty hours a month doesn't? And how will you manage for yourself using your hands, which most country/homestead/work situations call for? You might get a driving job in Saskatchewan---no-till drilling at planting time, fertilizing and spraying during the growing season, running the combine at harvest--and the winter off to do the self-contemplation you need to find yourself after going all the way through music training with no rewards yet .

I always thought one chooses a music career because one loves it and is good at it--not as a job, but a passion. Injury--hmmm, I would see a good doctor........ Just my own opinion.

Welcome to the forum.
geo

Thanks everyone, you've given me some good ideas to think about.

The computer work I'm able to do because I modify my laptop to meet my needs. For instance I use voice recognition to dictate, and use my phone as a tracking pad, so that I can have my arm and wrist had a comfortable position at all times. It's not perfect, but I can manage a couple hours of day doing this method. I wouldn't be able to work in office at a computer however.

I think because the injury involves a repetitive motion that aggravates the tops of my forearms, near the tennis elbow spot, I'm able to do larger movements. For instance, for the last several months I've started weightlifting, and can now safely lift 200 pounds off the floor. It's just playing, typing, another repetitive motions that seem to aggravate my symptoms.

Of course I've been to several doctors. I've tried everything from Alexander technique, physical therapy, occupational therapy, manual therapy, massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, elbow braces, medications, ointments, pillows and sleeping positions, eventually, culminating in me deciding to have surgery last year. The surgery is for radial nerve release, similar to when the pressure is relieved at the carpal tunnel at the wrist, pressure was relieved at the radial nerve at the outer forearm. There was no guarantee that the surgery would fix everything though. My symptoms are better than when they showed up a few years ago, but I'm still not able to play my instruments for very long at all.

if you get too far out in the sticks can you still get internet? Are you a fit person able to do hard work 8-10 hours a day then? I live 12 miles from a small town no walmart kind of town one food lion, rite aid, mac donalds. Jobs are hard to get in small towns, distance to get to and from can cause a problem, so why live in the sticks?

Wish I had a house for rent....especially if you play violin or cello. I'm out of practice and could use some lessons.

Id worry about the acreage more than how far from the neighbors you are , with the right neighbors you can live on a acre and never see them.
One of the loneliest places I ever lived was in a industrial area with thousands of people there from 7:30 till 5:05 By the time I walked to work and back again there just wasn't anybody around ,weekends were like something out of a old west ghost town!

$800.00 a month is not very much to live on and rent a house in the country. Around here you need 1st and last months rent to start,credit checks, references, then you have to pay your own utility bills. How would you tend acres of land, what if it s grass to cut weed wack. got a mower? Not to poop on your parade but renting a house is very different then renting an apartment.

Back in the late 70's I lived for a year and a half in a 12x14 uninsulated cabin on a river backwater here in Iowa. No electricity, pitcher pump on a sandpoint, outhouse and a Franklin stove for heat. Had an old Icebox to keep food in. Ate a lot of beans rice and tortillas. Cabin cost $250 a year. Good luck on your search but get your head in the game it will not be easy. By the way the closest neighbors (2) were about 4 miles away

I found my land by driving around and knocking on doors...chatting with people...getting referrals from them.

Two to five acres is going to get you next door neighbors unless neighboring properties are large parcels of land. Our suburban home had about three acres, a good portion of which was woods. Current property is nearly 30 acres and we have neighbors right across the road. The house next door is doen the road but down the road isn't all that far. It's amazing how close down the road can be, especially when you're talking about so little land.

One thing to remember is that if you're way out in the boonies you might not have access to good (or even any) internet. We're stuck with a 4G thingie. Sometimes it works better than others but it would never support an internet job. (I know because my last job was as an RN who educated medicaid recipients online.) we don't have much data either.

I would think you would have difficulty affording rent and food on $1600/month. Unless you work for a rancher I'm not sure how much you can learn about self reliance.

lots of places like that in Ozarks--south Mo. or northern Ark.

Look at the Real Estate forum - there is somebody there looking for a caretaker for several years in NE Tennessee. The thread is called "Homestead Caretaker needed - NE Tennessee".

This might not work for you since you still have a year to finish your degree. I guess my question is, if you aren't going to be able to work in the field, why continue to get the degree - unless it's already paid for?

I thought of that post as well but he said he didnt want to deal with old people.

Become a music teacher. Then you teach other people to play music and really only have to play your own instruments for 3-5 minute demonstrations a couple times a week. Teaching is a great gig because it is stable with benefits and provides you with summers off to homestead ;)

I did? No I don't mind old people, haha.

That thread is very intriguing - although I am definitely not experienced enough to be able to take care of land like that.

Forgive me if this is a stupid question: but is caretaking on this forum referring to the elderly, or land?

Also to address some other posts: I agree, $1600 would probably not be enough to live on. This is why I am definitely open to doing other things. I think I would even be up to working on a nearby farm, doing manual labor. Would this be doable considering I have no experience? Also what would pay generally be like for that?

V-NH, yes I actually do really enjoy teaching. I'm thinking that is a strong possibility for me actually. I would need higher degrees though to teach at a high level.

blanket, I would love to hear more of your story. How old were you when you did this, and psychologically what was your experience? And did you already have experience with living out in the country on your own?

could you teach in elementary schools, lots of small towns need teachers.

I would be up to it, but I believe I would need proper certification that goes along with getting an education degree. Unless those districts are more lenient due to the size?

Consider moving to an area with a large homeschooling population. I have extensive family who does so, and their homeschooling group is always looking for music teachers to come into their homes and teach string or piano (often to multiple children in the family). You could even barter your skills with theirs in trade....

Terri

I'm not sure your vision is too realistic. "Thirty minutes from the city" generally describes, um, the suburbs. You certainly wouldn't be isolated. And to go from apartment dwelling to the country cold-turkey, having virtually nothing in the way of country skills, would take much more than a year to even get your feet on the ground. Did I mention money? Living in the country is not cheap unless you happen to be Dick Prennoke, which is another horse altogether. Making a living in the country can be a huge challenge. As can just getting by from day to day with all of the normal country problems that arise (a malfunctioning well pump, being overrun by rodents, a tree falling across the driveway, 30 inches of snow in one night, etc., etc.) which would invariably require you to get help. Isolation may be an idyllic dream, but to get by in the country requires a network of friends and neighbors, and that's true even when you have the best of skills.

Maybe rethink your vision a bit? It might be a whole lot more realistic to find a job in a small town where the economy is good, get the lay of the land, make some friends who live out a ways, and see how things develop. Best of luck to you!