I've always thought of myself as a self sufficient person. I belong to the group of humans who try to find a way to resolve problems with the materials at hand.....or I did.
As I was driving on an errand this afternoon, I got to thinking about something I'd read this week. The writer commented that the nearest town was 90 miles away, so they had to do things for themselves. Ten years ago, I could have moved to a house in the wilderness, but now, I believe I'm spoiled.
I am not addicted to shopping. Well, except for fabric shopping, and you can do that on-line. IF I had an uplink, that problem could be resolved, as long as what I ordered could be sent via the U.S. Postal Service. I'd miss the pleasure of seeing all the fabrics at hand, and weighing one choice against another, but I could deal with that.
We don't go to movies as often as I would like. We make it perhaps once, or twice a year. Again, with Netflix, I could deal with my passion for movies, and Amazon is well on it's way to doing the same with books. I can even order plants, if I have gardens to fill.
I suspect that I would have withdrawal from fast food, and PIZZA.....gawd....I'd miss pizza for those nights when you just don't have it in you to make a good dinner. On the other hand....I'd be a LOT healthier.
I'm sure I could fill a pantry to last a month, and from a previous incarnation, I know that the last two or three meals you have to pull together before you can fill a pantry again can be a challenge, but can also be very tasty. It might be a challenge to come up with enough veggies to work out a diabetic diet, but I've always loved challenges.
Health care could be an issue, but Dear Husband and I visit the doc a couple of times a year. Setting aside thoughts of emergencies, I think we could deal with the simple stuff Again, we might be healthier because we'd be getting more exercise.
Thinking about that simpler life helped me to focus on just how spoiled we've become. I made a trip today to see if I could find a pink tablecloth for Easter dinner. In the boonies, you'd have to plan far ahead, and most likely a pink table cloth wouldn't be at the top of your list of requirements in the wilderness.
I hope to live a MUCH simpler life when we retire. I've begun culling out some of my possessions. I give a lot to the charities who come to pick up things you no longer need. I've reorganized the Christmas stuff, and this year, anything that hasn't been used in the past two years will be thrown out or given away.
I plan to cull my dishes down to one set of good china, one set of crystal, and one set (maybe two....depending on the space) of daily ware. All the kitchen things that reside at the back of the drawers will be history. I'm weeding out the frypans we don't use and pitching them!
Shoes, blouses, jackets, sheets, cosmetics, MAGAZINES.....they're all going! Even some of my books will have to go (sob). It will be a HEALTHIER LIFE! Yeah, I'm spoiled, but I think there's hope that I can turn the situation around.
Dear Husband hopes to sail the coast of the United States when he retires. Those of you who have read my blog or know me, know that I won't be sailing with him, so all this talk about wilderness is just theoretical, but I do think I'll be moving out of the madness of Chicago and it's six collar counties. I'll probably look for a small house in a small town in the farm land, and try to reaquaint myself with the Mayberry style of living. As long as I can get along with my neighbors, it could be the perfect place to retire. And, if I have unpleasant neighbors....there's always fences.
Just think.....I might still be able to get PIZZA now and then!
Yeah.....I'm spoiled.
Comments (7)
Pizza night - thats the night I get pizza out of the freezer, add more toppings to it and bake it myself (or WS does all those things).
Movies - have gone to one in the last 18 yars.
Shopping - do most of mine over the Internet anyway - just means satallite instead of cable.
I suspect that I could easily live 90 miles away from town - but believe me, I'm glad we don't!
Posted by bogie | March 23, 2005 4:28 AM
Posted on March 23, 2005 04:28
Books--I've always given most of my books away. The ones that I have retained are, by and large, retained because they are for reference--Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, 100 bird books, nature books, Atlases, various language-English translation books, crafts--or they are about airplanes, or they are old books that have been in the family for two or three generations.
Movies--I don't remember the last one that we went to. It was before we moved into this house, I think.
Shopping--Online.
HH and I considered being spotters in a national forest during our first summer after we married. Can't recall why we dropped the idea, but that would have been a job where someone would bring supplies in every month.
Buffy--There are two houses for sale on our street that have a pond as a neighbor in the back. They aren't as secluded as your current home, but they are within .1 mile of a farm--across the street. They are also within .6 mile of groceries and .5 mile of a pizzeria (there are two other pizza pickup or delivery-only places within 1 mile.) The fitness center is 2 miles and the library 1.5 miles. Oh, and a fabric shop is about .75 mile. Quilt shop, actually. Shall I look them over and put a deposit on one for you? (Tell Dear Husband that I've done that and see the expression on his face change! The nearest boathouse is 15 miles away, but it is mostly for show. The nearest lake of any size is Grand Lake of the Cherokee in Oklahoma.)
Posted by Cop Car | March 23, 2005 8:39 AM
Posted on March 23, 2005 08:39
Bogie, I could adjust to baking my own pizza, as long as I had a dependable generator! I suppose I could even learn to use a wood stove, but I'm glad I don't have to. See....I'm spoiled! lol
Cop Car....my books, I'll have a terrible time culling out my books. Some of them have been with me my entire adult life. I know I could give away SOME of my gardening or quilting books, but certainly not the lion's share.
Those houses sound HEAVENLY!! Ponds make even better neighbors than fences, and a quilt store within walking distance. I'll think I've died and gone to heaven!
Posted by Buffy | March 23, 2005 1:45 PM
Posted on March 23, 2005 13:45
Gardening and quilting books are for reference. You don't need to pitch them--even if you use Cop Car's criteria of retention (which no one has to do, you understand).
Posted by Cop Car | March 24, 2005 6:05 AM
Posted on March 24, 2005 06:05
We don't live 90 miles from town but we might as well the way Hub and I argue over who's going to make the dreaded trip to town'. Once every two weeks we can handle. Anything more is a bloody inconvenience. Life is simple but exciting when I'm rooting through my great stash of patches, fabrics, lace, yarn, and craft books. Don't chuck any of them if you ever plan to move to the wilderness.
Posted by Roberta S | March 28, 2005 4:11 AM
Posted on March 28, 2005 04:11
Roberta,
Dear Husband intends to retire to a boat. I've refused on the grounds that there won't be room for my quilting, china and cat. (Actually, I get horribly seasick, which is the real reason.) I plan to keep every single piece of quilting fabric right down to the tiniest, for a miniature crazy quilt. My goal is to work my way through my stash. Dear Lord, please give me time to make all the quilts that are in my head, waiting to get out!
Posted by Buffy | March 28, 2005 9:44 PM
Posted on March 28, 2005 21:44
Buffy--You plan to live forever? New quilts are always popping into your head!
Posted by Cop Car | March 28, 2005 10:19 PM
Posted on March 28, 2005 22:19