Remote Living, Part 3: Housing, Gas, and Cell Phones

I don't think I can honestly call these Tuesday Tips, so this series is moving to Wednesdays. Remote Living Wednesdays? Sure.

Anyway. More questions, this time simply in the order in which they were posted in the comments.

Do you ever get super frustrated living in such a remote area? Have there ever been times when you've wanted to just hop in the car and drive to town to do anything but stay at home? 

Would you believe me if I said, "Not really"? I think that's mostly a result of my particular personality, though. I'm about the most intense homebody it's possible to be without being an actual recluse. So I don't have any great desire to go anywhere, anyway, and I really hate driving a long way. 

That's not to say, however, that I haven't had my moments of frustration living here. When, for instance, I had shingles and had to drive myself three hours roundtrip to get to a pharmacy, I was frustrated. But those sorts of events are very rare, and the day-to-day positives of living here outweigh the occasional negatives for us.

Do you think you will remain in your remote home for the foreseeable future?

Yes. The biggest reason we moved here was because we wanted somewhere like this to raise our children. So as long as they are in school and at home, we plan to be here. That means 15 years, which is when Poppy would graduate from high school.

What would make you move if you ever did?

I will qualify that previous answer by saying that, of course, things can change in our lives, regardless of our plans. So there could be a fire or a terrible illness or any number of family things that could come up that would make it no longer reasonable for us to live here. But that's true for anyone, anywhere, I think.

Would you consider building a bigger home as the kids grow?

Believe it or not, our current home has plenty of space. There are actually five bedrooms. One of them we use for A.'s office, so two of the kids share a room, but it really is a pretty big house. So no, we will not be building a bigger house.

We will, however, continue to chip away at renovating the old adobe house we bought next door. Just for fun.

In this case, literally chipping, as A. removes old plaster from the walls.

How do you purchase cell phones and other technology?

The same way I purchase so many other things: Online. That said, we are very far from technology people (Luddites is probably the best name for us . . .), so it's not very important to us to get the best of technology for the very best price, or whatever.

What are some specific things you enjoy about living remote?

There are a lot of small everyday irritations that just aren't present here because of the low population. Traffic, for instance. Lines at a post office. Parking problems. Anonymity of the sort that requires excessive PINs or automated phone systems (when I call places like our mechanic or the grocery store, I talk to a friendly person every time).

More generally, I think one of the best things about remote living is the inter-reliance of the community. You cannot live here and not rely on your neighbors, few though they are. It is expected that every person will both give and receive help at some time. This goes for small things (like borrowing a tool) and big things (like helping the people affected by the terrible wildfires we had last summer). I think this sort of community cohesion is important, and the remoteness of our location ensures it without it feeling forced.

(The above paragraph also answers the question of whether the isolation here makes for closer interactions with neighbors. Yes, it does.)

Also, the MiL wanted me to mention that living in a place like this results in very self-contained and independent children. There aren't really a lot of formal clubs or activities for them, and they generally live pretty close to the elements on ranches, so almost without exception, the kids--all the kids, not just mine--are good at entertaining themselves and going with the flow. 

Who needs a gym with a climbing wall when you can pretend to be a squirrel in a tree?

When the heat at the school wasn't working in the winter was a good example of this. The students were remarkably unconcerned. I suppose "resilience" would be a good word to describe what living here creates in kids.

What urban characteristics are you happy to leave behind?

Generally, the over-stimulation of urban environments is not a good thing for me. Too much noise, too much choice, too much activity . . . none of it creates the sort of life I want to live. I prefer a very home-centered life, and while that is possible in an urban setting, it is much more difficult.

Also, consumerism as a lifestyle is harder to avoid in a city, and that is not something I want to be a part of.

Do you keep extra gasoline nearby?

Just a five-gallon can for the generator and so on. We are VERY lucky to have a tiny gas station in one of the villages ten miles away. If that ever closes, we'll have to be much more careful about our gasoline supply.

Will contractors and repair men even venture into your neck of the woods?

I'm not really sure. A. has been able to fix any issues we've had so far. I think there are people who will do roofing and so on, but we're definitely not finding them on Angie's List. Like most other things here, we'd have to ask around to see who might be available if we needed an electrician or something. And I bet there'd be an extra travel charge.

I'll stop here, but that's not the end of the questions! To be continued . . .