What follows are 10 lessons from my now I know better collection. Perhaps these lessons learned will ease your transition from the city to wilderness.
1. Know thyselves. If you are a couple who bickers over which way to hang the toilet paper roll dont buy raw land.
The path from raw land to indoor plumbing is fraught with hundreds if not thousands of decisions. If you cant pull as a team over the little things how will your relationship survive decisions like where to sink a well that one can be worth oh 20 000 where to put the kitchen do we buy or rent equipment do we build a log house or glue it up out of egg cartons We built hte log house to make our Bed and Breakfast dream come true.
We have several guys one of our neighbors included sitting around our county amidst their half finished projects all by themselves because the little woman couldnt handle it and ran off mid construction. On the other hand we have another neighbor couple who knew that they werent cut out for the house building process. They bought undeveloped land and put a manufactured home on it. Save your marriage or whatever and buy a house.
2. Know thy neighbors. You may be under the false impression that since you are moving from more crowded to less crowded conditions that you will have more privacy and that neighbors matter less. Au contraire.
When looking at rural property you will find yourself driving down many a dirt road. If there is more than one home on that road it is a neighborhood like it or not. Look closely at the homes and residents on that road. If your house catches on fire or you hack your leg off with a chainsaw do you think you can depend on them to help Fortunately here on our road up to the Fish Creek House we have the greatest neighbors thatd help you out in the proverbial New York minute
When we were searching the great wilderness for our dream property we drove down some rural roads that actually triggered the theme from Deliverance in the back of my brain. Find some excuse to go chat up some of the neighbors before you buy. Introduce yourself and ask them how bad the winters are whatever just get a feel for the folks you may have to trust with your life and property.
3. Know thy driveway. I rarely see this subject discussed but in the country the length of your driveway can make or break the whole experience.
On the other hand our driveway is a winding 700 feet long. We cant even see the road. We love it. But we also live at about 3000 feet and see a lot of snow all winter. This is OK with us because we have good plowing gear and 4 wheel drive cars.
It also cost big money to put gravel on that much driveway which is necessary in our area if you want to use your driveway year round. We have a neighbor who has been out here for years who had to park at the end of his driveway half the year due to the snow and mud until just last year when he got a 4 wheel drive. A long driveway is great for privacy and air quality but if you actually want to use it it will cost you.
4. Dont share. If you are in such a hurry to move that the only way you can afford it is to go in on some property with another buyer dont. This is a recipe pardon the pun for disaster.
5. Kill some trees. We are tree huggers who moved to the woods. As we wandered around gawking at all the pretty trees we decided where to build our first building a 24 x 40 foot shop. By now we were one with the trees and couldnt bear to part with any of them so we sited our shop where we could take out the fewest trees.
The trees were happy but now along with Fish Creek running through the property we have a greenhouse for our organically grown produce a barn for our horses round pen and arena. So guests are welcome to bring their equine companions.
6. Do the wave. In the city avoiding eye contact can be a survival skill. Congeniality can get you shot or at the very least panhandled.
Not so in the country. Out here the wave is the primary social currency. Wave at everybody whether you know them or not. If you see a guy standing by the road holding an axe dripping with blood smile and wave cheerily. He might be butchering a deer and may choose to share some with you. If you dont wave you could be Mother Theresa and everyone will think you are growing something illegal in your basement. Which leads me to . . . .
7. You will earn a reputation. The reputation is a quaint concept that no longer applies to the concrete jungle. You can be any kind of scuzzball you want in the city and no one cares. In fact some people think its cool and theyll probably give you your own TV show.
Out here you will earn a reputation whether you are a hermit who only comes out once every five years or the mayor. You can care about it or not but if you ever want to do business or anything else for that matter your reputation will precede you so consider how you want to be known. Be aware that anything you say will be held against you and it will also be spread all over town.
8. Guns are part of the culture. Guns are loud. In rural America people have guns and they shoot them. You may no longer have freeway noise in your bedroom but it could sound like the Battle of Gettysburg in hunting season.
One of the newer residents on our road is a pacifist tree hugger gun hater.Were in great hunting territory and even have a shooting range where our resident NRA instructor who also tests guns and gives shooting clinics. People travel far and wide to attend these as well as to take advantage of having gunsmithing services available . If you cant live with that concept in a rural area you might be happier either in town where everyone needs a toilet paper permit to you know what or on a road with shudder codes and covenants. At least you know then that your neighbor wont be raising hogs on the property line and shooting them at three in the morning.
9. Petsthe good the bad and the ugly. Out here in the hinterlands the term pet food has a whole different meaning. Sure its great to live someplace where Fido can run free but just remember so do the Fido eaters. Lets face it most of us city transplants grew up on a TV diet of articulate well dressed animals. But in reality cougars coyotes bears and even large predatory birds are all on the lookout for a nice fat Fido or clueless cat to snack on. While the thought of Yogi Bear pick a nicking on my animal is too gruesome an image for me to entertain Ive been here long enough to know that the risk is part of the natural life of animals.
10. Electricity is not a fact of life. It is the luck of the draw.
We provincials especially we of the woodlands are the recipients of periodic phone and power interruptions. Trees fall on lines aliens sever them with anti matter beams. The utilities can even go out for no apparent reason in the middle of summer. Maybe its just a drill. If you have big full freezers and no backup you will be having one heck of a steak feed that night.
Go with the flow is the name of the game when youre living the country life. Fortunately at the Fish Creek House we offer a combination of luxury with a taste of the rugged outdoors.
Without the structure of an office outside of our homes it is easy to scatter anything work related all over the house. We still need to complete our work in a timely and efficient manner. After all the less time we spend working the more time we have with our family. An organized home office will make for a faster and more pleasant workday. Here are a few ideas to get you and your home office organized.
1 Do you have a home office You dont necessarily need an entire room but you should have a well defined space to contain all your office essentials and files.
A desk in your bedroom that will hold your files paper pens calculator and of course computer will do fine especially in the beginning.
If your office consists of the dining room table some of the drawers in your kitchen a file cabinet in the basement and the computer in the bedroom you may want to think about organizing everything in one spot.
Are you spending a lot of time searching for a particular document running from room to room to find it Consider moving all your files and papers to one central location preferably close to the computer if thats where you are doing the bulk of your work.
2 Keep your personal files and papers separate from your business things.
You will eventually have enough paperwork to deal with without having your personal bills magazines and the kids after school schedule mixed in there. Create a separate spot for those somewhere outside of your home office space.
3 Create a file system that works for you. Remember you may be working for someone else but when it comes to your home office you are your own boss.
Think about how you look for a particular file or piece of paper. What will be the easiest way for you to find it Then create a file system that works for you. Dont worry if you dont get it right the first time you can always resort and try again. Sooner or later you will come up with a system that is just right for you.
4 Take a good look at your work area. Do you have piles of papers files mail floppy discs and CDs lying around Do you notice anything else piling up Set aside a few hours and put everything away. Use your new file system and find homes for anything else.
5 Now that you have your office organized set aside a few minutes at the end of your workday to keep it that way. Try to leave work for the day with a clean empty desk. You will appreciate it the next morning. This will also prevent you from ever coming across a huge pile of papers again.
6 Add a personal touch to your office. Bring in some pictures of the kids add some pretty plants inspirational quotes or anything else you can think of that will make your office a pleasant place to work in. In addition to getting and keeping you in a good mood whenever you step in your office you are more likely to keep it clean and organized if it is a place you treasure. So splurge a little on some special office dcor.
7 Lets talk about the files on your computer. You can waist just as much time searching for an online document as for a piece of paper. If your computer is used for work as well as for personal use create a work folder and use subfolders for particular employers projects etc.
Again come up with a file system that works for you and keep your work files separate from your personal files. This is particularly important if other family members access the computer as well. If thats the case and you are using Windows XP I strongly recommend setting up a separate user account just for work and password protecting it. This will prevent other family members from accidentally changing or deleting your work files.
8 In addition to your regular files you also want to keep your emails organized. Lets be honest we have all wasted time searching for a particular email that contained some vital information we needed fast. Setting up folders for different clients and projects has worked well for me but again find a system that works for you and stick with it. Sort the email as soon as you read it. It only takes a second or two to drop it in the appropriate folder but will save you a lot of time if you have to find it later.
9 Now that you have a good filing system both physical and digital in place set aside a little time every few months or weeks if appropriate to purge your files. We can quickly accumulate a lot of documents both in our file cabinet and on our hard drive that we no longer need. At the very least try to purge your files twice a year.
10 Now that your office is organized you may also want to take a look at organizing your time. Again come up with a system that works well for you.
I encourage you to start with a few of these ideas to get your office and yourself more organized. You will be surprised by how much time you will save not searching for files papers or the stapler. Before long you wont know how you ever functioned without an organized home office.
Its the time of the season friends
1.Time to paint those bland winter walls Neutral tones are just fine but add in some of the cool blues and greens that are making a statement this Spring. Pastels and Ultra Brights are the spring and summer trend for this year.
2. Clear the clutter Time for spring cleaning. Get to those scary spots under the bed closets storage and throw away all that old junk that you dont need. A good philosophy to follow is The things you truly need will come to you. This will reassure you when you come across that shoebox of old trinkets that you would probably be too embarrassed to put on display anyway.
3. Splurge on some new artwork. Whether its a light hearted oil painting a sleek sculpture or a Monet piece youve been eyeing for a year reinvent your space
4. New accessories Reframe your photos with more interesting casings. The heavy woods and metals are out for the spring. Change up that china vase try blown glass recycled glass cobalt or topaz There are a variety of colors and shapes to choose from. Throw pillows can bring any color into your room or out of your artwork.
5. Change your window treatments. Lighter fabrics such as satin chiffon hand painted or dyed silks are all in this spring. The colors are zesty and the look is fresh
6. New rugs can change the entire look of your space Move away from the heavy traditional patterns and textures and look for stripes polka dots and Kandinsky esque styles.
7. Love your furniture but looking for a change Slipcovers are still the way to go Solids are always safe but if you want to branch out a lot of the light colored damasks are coming back in. Again if you want to be trendy go with greens and blues light to bright colors. If you know your taste then just be creative with it
8. If you can manage to swing it change out a few of your side tables with lighter colored woods or glass tops. If not cover up the winter table tops with some light colored scarves or placemats. Work with what youve got it brings out your most creative self
9. Change your dishware for the season Use fun bright colors and chic designs on pottery or glass. Tangerines ocean tones hot pinks and purples Check out Issac Mizrahis line.
10. If nothing else open up your space and add a splash of color with fresh flowers. They are at their best now and the colors are the inspiration for modern color trends. House plants and foliage of any kind even if its faux are a must in your spring space
So there you have it Spring summer 2006 is the time for reinventing and refreshing Use your invigorated senses to inspire your dwellings. Happy Spring