Comments on: Real estate http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/ A forum for discussion of news that arises at the intersection of Christianity and culture. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:06:54 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Spinoza http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/comment-page-1/#comment-282421 Spinoza Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:55:35 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/#comment-282421 Here Here! (He said while living off the grid in the middle of a national forest with a whole lotta sled dogs) Here Here! (He said while living off the grid in the middle of a national forest with a whole lotta sled dogs)

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]]> By: Tony Woodlief http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/comment-page-1/#comment-282057 Tony Woodlief Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:42:05 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/#comment-282057 Thank you all for your advice and good thoughts. If nothing else, the coming years should offer plenty of entertainment for readers. Train, you caught me. His economics are dreadful, but his communitarian impulse appeals to me. But as others have noted here, one doesn't have to live in the country to have deliberate community. Thank you all for your advice and good thoughts. If nothing else, the coming years should offer plenty of entertainment for readers.

Train, you caught me. His economics are dreadful, but his communitarian impulse appeals to me. But as others have noted here, one doesn’t have to live in the country to have deliberate community.

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]]> By: Night Train http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/comment-page-1/#comment-282048 Night Train Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:27:26 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/#comment-282048 Sounds like Tony has been reading Wendell Berry. Sounds like Tony has been reading Wendell Berry.

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]]> By: mumsee http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/comment-page-1/#comment-281981 mumsee Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:40:17 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/#comment-281981 Michelle, Now see, that right there is why God made goats. Small acreage and small children can both handle them and you never have to go five miles to buy a gallon of milk, just walk out the door. Country life is not for everybody. I am glad or it would be much more crowded out here. Michelle,

Now see, that right there is why God made goats. Small acreage and small children can both handle them and you never have to go five miles to buy a gallon of milk, just walk out the door. Country life is not for everybody. I am glad or it would be much more crowded out here.

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]]> By: michelle http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/comment-page-1/#comment-281934 michelle Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:09:33 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/#comment-281934 As the mother of three boys, I was advised to give them "as much outdoor time as possible." Owing to our many moves, the children grew up in all sorts of neighborhoods, though they are all fond of the acre we had in Washington with a creek running through. They learned to shoot BB guns and bow and arrows there. Their sister, who didn't have as much time in the country, now fires the inherited BB gun in our suburban back yard--where she also shoots the bow and arrow at a bale of straw. I'm sure it's against the law, but our neighbors have never complained. Enjoy the country but remember it isn't a panacea. I, personally, hated having to drive five miles for a gallon of milk, and if I never have to tussle with a septic tank again, I'll be happy. As the mother of three boys, I was advised to give them “as much outdoor time as possible.” Owing to our many moves, the children grew up in all sorts of neighborhoods, though they are all fond of the acre we had in Washington with a creek running through. They learned to shoot BB guns and bow and arrows there.

Their sister, who didn’t have as much time in the country, now fires the inherited BB gun in our suburban back yard–where she also shoots the bow and arrow at a bale of straw. I’m sure it’s against the law, but our neighbors have never complained.

Enjoy the country but remember it isn’t a panacea. I, personally, hated having to drive five miles for a gallon of milk, and if I never have to tussle with a septic tank again, I’ll be happy.

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]]> By: John GraspingfortheWind http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/comment-page-1/#comment-281749 John GraspingfortheWind Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:49:52 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/#comment-281749 Good fro you Tony! There is not a room in our house (including bathrooms!) lacking a bookshelf. At last count we have over 2,200 books about anything and everything. And more come each day becasue of my book reviewing hobby. And we don't even have kids yet! We also have removed TV from out lives. We have not removed the TV itself and still enjoy movies (we are part of the X generation after all) but have no cable or braodcast, although both are readily available. And we feel great about it. I have no desire to live in the country or be closer to nature, but I appreciate you love of books and dislike of the chatterbox obsession. Good fro you Tony! There is not a room in our house (including bathrooms!) lacking a bookshelf. At last count we have over 2,200 books about anything and everything. And more come each day becasue of my book reviewing hobby. And we don’t even have kids yet! We also have removed TV from out lives. We have not removed the TV itself and still enjoy movies (we are part of the X generation after all) but have no cable or braodcast, although both are readily available. And we feel great about it.

I have no desire to live in the country or be closer to nature, but I appreciate you love of books and dislike of the chatterbox obsession.

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]]> By: NJLawyer http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/comment-page-1/#comment-281686 NJLawyer Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:25:45 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/#comment-281686 I believe Sylvie when she says she doesn't watch that much tv: there is no "latest" episode of Friends! They're all reruns. People today keep saying Donna Reed didn't exist, and to some extent that's true, but RRBar's description of the 50s is accurate. I finished high school in 1970. We didn't worry about a classmate coming in with a gun to shoot us up. (We still got detention for chewing gum.) The media didn't have the horror stories to report that it has today. I know HRW will find this hard to believe, but they could -- and did --break into tv programs with breaking news. Even in 1963 when Kennedy was shot, I learned about it within 20 minutes of the event, a shock for a 6th grader. We didn't live in the stone age. I hope Tony gets his house and land out in the boonies, but I hope he doesn't cut down all the trees -- if you have kids, in the fall, you let them rake the leaves and run into the pile. It was a lot of fun. I believe Sylvie when she says she doesn’t watch that much tv: there is no “latest” episode of Friends! They’re all reruns.

People today keep saying Donna Reed didn’t exist, and to some extent that’s true, but RRBar’s description of the 50s is accurate. I finished high school in 1970. We didn’t worry about a classmate coming in with a gun to shoot us up. (We still got detention for chewing gum.) The media didn’t have the horror stories to report that it has today. I know HRW will find this hard to believe, but they could — and did –break into tv programs with breaking news. Even in 1963 when Kennedy was shot, I learned about it within 20 minutes of the event, a shock for a 6th grader. We didn’t live in the stone age.

I hope Tony gets his house and land out in the boonies, but I hope he doesn’t cut down all the trees — if you have kids, in the fall, you let them rake the leaves and run into the pile. It was a lot of fun.

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]]> By: KI http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/comment-page-1/#comment-281676 KI Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:13:38 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/#comment-281676 My family moved from the city to the country when I was just starting 2nd grade. I remember what a shock it was to find no other female my age lived near by to play with me. There was almost always another girl available in the city. I was very lonely at first. There were other kids close enough, however, to get going a neighborhood softball game or play hide and go seek in the dark outside. We moved to the country when my children were very young. One was born in the country. I found it a great place to rear children. They had to be driven any place they wanted to go. Some people think that is a disadvantage. It did take a lot more money for gas and and a lot of time from both parents. It also meant that we were in the car to discuss whatever had happened during their day a plus in my opinion. I spent lots of hours driving them to lessons, after-school activities, church activities and bringing them to friends or their friends to our home for overnights. I wouldn't trade it for anything. My family moved from the city to the country when I was just starting 2nd grade. I remember what a shock it was to find no other female my age lived near by to play with me. There was almost always another girl available in the city. I was very lonely at first. There were other kids close enough, however, to get going a neighborhood softball game or play hide and go seek in the dark outside.

We moved to the country when my children were very young. One was born in the country. I found it a great place to rear children. They had to be driven any place they wanted to go. Some people think that is a disadvantage. It did take a lot more money for gas and and a lot of time from both parents. It also meant that we were in the car to discuss whatever had happened during their day a plus in my opinion. I spent lots of hours driving them to lessons, after-school activities, church activities and bringing them to friends or their friends to our home for overnights. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

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]]> By: metanoia http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/comment-page-1/#comment-281670 metanoia Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:03:21 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/#comment-281670 HRW: I share your insights in #5 above. I, have lived in the city, in the country and in suburbia. I'll take the city thank you. I love the diversity, the cultural amenities and conveniences. But mostly I love the people. I think what a lot of people crave is simplicity. The modern trappings of life can complicate things unnecessarily. Here is what my wife and I did. We scaled down our lives by living on 1/3 of what we were living on 5 years ago. We moved into a small apartment and gave away just about anything that we thought we wouldn't need. Life is simpler, unencumbered and we don't feel the pressure of having to maintain a bunch of stuff that we really didn't need. Peace of mind is a state of mind, not something you can necessarily find in a place. HRW: I share your insights in #5 above. I, have lived in the city, in the country and in suburbia. I’ll take the city thank you.

I love the diversity, the cultural amenities and conveniences. But mostly I love the people. I think what a lot of people crave is simplicity. The modern trappings of life can complicate things unnecessarily.

Here is what my wife and I did. We scaled down our lives by living on 1/3 of what we were living on 5 years ago. We moved into a small apartment and gave away just about anything that we thought we wouldn’t need.

Life is simpler, unencumbered and we don’t feel the pressure of having to maintain a bunch of stuff that we really didn’t need.

Peace of mind is a state of mind, not something you can necessarily find in a place.

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]]> By: hrw http://online.worldmag.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/comment-page-1/#comment-281650 hrw Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:30:13 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/real-estate/#comment-281650 #7 You got me -- I never lived in suburbia nor did I live through the 50s. I did live in a rural area as a child. However, I teach in suburbia and the products of suburbia are not well adjusted. My comments are based on the general motivations behind any Romanticism based notions of running away from the moral contaminants of urbanity. As for the culture of fear the pervades north America, in part I'll shoot the messenger. The media has become far more efficient in delivering horror stories in real time hence frightening parents in locking up their children or running away to the farm. #7 You got me — I never lived in suburbia nor did I live through the 50s. I did live in a rural area as a child. However, I teach in suburbia and the products of suburbia are not well adjusted. My comments are based on the general motivations behind any Romanticism based notions of running away from the moral contaminants of urbanity.

As for the culture of fear the pervades north America, in part I’ll shoot the messenger. The media has become far more efficient in delivering horror stories in real time hence frightening parents in locking up their children or running away to the farm.

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