Moving...

sharring · Tiger Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Posts: 813 Location: Texas

Brothers and Sisters I covet your prayers. My wife and I are considering moving to the country. We live in the middle of a small city in an old historical neighborhood. Its a great house and very close to work and activities. Our new house will be a 40 minute commute one-way to my job and 60 minutes for my wife. I'd better make a chart...
old house- new house
close to work- far from work
more noise- less noise
more litter- pristine and clean

I thought "How would moving to the country glorify God? The first thing that came to my mind is that it would bring my wife and I closer. Sometimes we both get caught up in our own little worlds of activity. I think that there would be many less distractions. However sometimes I think I'm being selfish. I'm moving farther away from my step-daughter and son-in-law in college. I'm also moving away from my mother who is by herself since we lost Dad a year ago. So it's far from being a clear-cut answer. I would appreciate your thoughts and comments. Be God's-scott

Herb · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2004 4:57 pm Post subject:

That's a lot to think about. I'll add another - price of gas and it's effect on your budget at 4 times the distance from work or more.

PunkStar · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2004 5:58 pm Post subject:

You will be able to find a church you're happy with won't you? Or are you going to do the extra drive to continue at our current church? That's probably something important to consider.

One benefit of the country would be that you could play your guitar louder and less people could complain. Laughing

I'll be praying for you. Being a kid means I'm not great with such important matters as this. Herb brings up a good point about gas price though. It would be worth doing some calculations to find out how much extra this will cost you. Good luck.

jeff_osu · Tiger Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 838 Location: Oklahoma

I've lived in the country all my life with the exception of two years. No regrets. I can play my guitar as loud as I want, I can grab a fishing pole or a shotgun and go hunt ducks or catch some bass, and I can't hear a single neighbor (unless you count coyotes as neighbors, sometimes they howl a lot). It's great.

Brian · Pit Bull Joined: 26 Aug 2003 Posts: 373

I live in what used to be the country but this growing former rural agricultural area still meets our needs and is our home. I just finished a (long) season where I was commuting about 40 miles to the big city office. The roads are hoplessly jammed with commuters so I took the express bus to take advantage of the carpool lanes; dropped me off right at the door to the office. On the plus side, I used the bus time for devotions and meditation in the morning, and to actually sleep on the way home, or occasionally actually work on email or reviewing/writing documents.

An average of 1.5 hr commute in the morning, and averaged 1.5 to 2 hrs commute home. That's 3.5 hrs on the road after working an average of 9.5 hrs. I do like to sleep some so add about 7 hrs to that. 7+9.5+3.5 leaves 4 hrs for family time a day.

Now I commute to a local office in 25 minutes as I did for the 1st 8 years with the company; less than 1 hr total commute in the car on rural backroads until I get to the smaller city. That gives me the opportunity to spend an extra 2 hrs at home per day with my family. Unfortunately the newly created position I just accepted has me working some extra hours to get my arms around the job right now and I must learn to zealously guard against becoming a workaholic instead of a commutaholic. I will tell you though that for 2 years I could never make peace with that 3.5 hr commute.

1 hr 20 minutes total commute, probably not a big deal. 2 hour commute (in good traffic) getting to be borderline. I'll keep you in prayer

sharring · Tiger Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Posts: 813 Location: Texas

Well, I'm up late at night worrying about if we did the right thing-we signed a contract to build a house. Then I remembered a post on this very subject (duh) and here i am with some Godly people who listen and give me fine advice. Thanks. Herb, my wife and I both drive Toyota's-good mileage-and we are both RN's. I work 3 12hr shifts and she plans to work 2. Hopefully we can schedule together to where she and I would ride together for 2 of those 3 days. Also we have been blessed with a lot of assets. Our current house is in an historical inner-city neighborhood and has almost doubled (?) in value. If we sell it we should to nearly pay off the new one. Michael, we will continue to commute to our current church for awhile. Since we meet twice on Sundays we can spend the day with my Mom every week. Actually Embarassed

I eventually want to find a new church. I think I'd do better in a smaller one and one that didn't hold such traditional views against electric guitars! But that's down the road. And what you say about being a kid?!? "Let the children come to me for such is the Kingdom of Heaven" or something like that. You are as mature as a 16yo as i have ever met. Your parents should be proud. Brother Jeff-those are the kind of things I would like to do. I have always been more impressed with God's handywork than man's. I think the move would bring me a little closer to Him being among His decor rather than the worlds. Brian-sounds like you have done a thorough analysis! Would you believe that where we plan to build is 1 mile from a major highway. It won't likely be long before it will be built up as well. But I'll still have a nice 6 acre meadow to stand in. In the city you have to pay to get your grass clippings disposed of. In the country you sell them as hay! Guys, let me tell you a bit about it. Think of a green postage-stamp shaped field at the crest of a low hill with old trees along the fence line on 2 sides. A third side has a paved 2 lane road with a old wire fence that has vines so thick that it looks like a hedgerow (wonder if there's a bustle in there somewhere...no need to be alarmed I guess...) On the 1/3 of the land farthest away from the road up a small rise would be a single story yellow house with a wrap around porch. We're thinking a metal roof-it hails a lot here-and maybe painting it green? My 6yo wants to call it the "Butterfly farm". My closest neighbor is a former chaplan who used to work with me at the hospital. He's the one who initially showed me the land. His place has a sign that reads "Oleo farm-a cheap spread!"
I really don't feel like I deserve all this and it's causing me anxiety. I'm just a simple slob from the suburbs-the second son of an NCO-and i can't imagine how i got here. But maybe Joseph said something similar. I do know i'm going to love and serve Him more and more...and learn to trust that He knows what He's doing letting me steward this. Be God's-scott

Brian · Pit Bull Joined: 26 Aug 2003 Posts: 373

Congratulations Scott!!! Sounds like a lovely place. With the work schedule you describe it sounds like you can spend 3-4 days a week a week together. Man that's great!

Brian · Pit Bull Joined: 26 Aug 2003 Posts: 373

Hey, I can hear the "Green Acres" theme!

Green Acres is the place to be
Farm livin' is the life for me
Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Arlington and give me that countryside!

da da da da da, dut dut! Razz

(I'm showing my age)

PunkStar · Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 8:34 pm Post subject:

Cool, congrats about making a decision on where you call home. Hope you enjoy it. And that you play guitar loud enough that the coyotes will join you for a sing-along. Laughing

sharring · Tiger Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Posts: 813 Location: Texas

Brian, I loved Green Acres...put it right up there with The Andy Griffith show and The Adams Family. Hank Kimbell used to really make me laugh out loud. And wasn't that the late, great Tommy Tedesco playing the theme song? Punk-there are lots of coyotes. And my wife wants chickens. Guess we need a dog or two. Excuse me if I start talking like Foghorn Leghorn soon. Be Gods, son, be Gods-scott

Herb · Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 8:05 am Post subject:

Great Pyrenees are great for keeping the coyotes thinned out!

sharring · Tiger Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Posts: 813 Location: Texas

Herb-I just did a google search on the Great Pyrenees breed and your suggestion looks like a good one. The only thing I wonder about is all that fur in the Texas heat. None of the websites seemed to address this. Being mountain dogs I can't help but wonder that they are more cold tolerant than heat tolerant. Hey, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You have been a real addition to this board and I enjoy reading your posts-and I've learned not to lust after your gear. It's a good thing you don't live closer. scott

Herb · Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 5:52 pm Post subject:

Pyrenees are definitely tolerant of the cold, in the winter I couldn't hardly get them to come in. It's real hot and humid up here in Kansas, and they tolerated it well, when they got too hot, they came in. Don't have to worry about watching out for them to be ready to come in either, when they "woof", you can hear it a block away. They're excellent guard dogs, very protective, they were bred to guard sheep from wolves and bears. I know some people that raise sheep in western Kansas, and they breed Pyrenees, and use them to kill coyotes. They're also very loving to the family that has them, and will defend them to the death. The only drawback is that they shed, and shed, and shed, and shed, and shed, and shed, and shed.......you get the picture. Mine have been gone 4 years, now, and I'm still finding white hair in the house. After the yapping Shelties I have now are gone (wife said, "no more big dogs, let's try some little ones"), It's back to Pyrenees for me! Added note, if you ever get any, DO NOT shave their fur to cool them down in the summer heat, they are fair skinned and will literally sunburn to death.

And thanks for the Birthday wishes! And any time you get up to KC, let me know, your welcome to play all of it! Wink

sharring · Tiger Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Posts: 813 Location: Texas

Shelties are too hyper for me. I've got a border collie now and she's great, but I'm not sure she could handle a coyote. Maybe two border collies? Be God's-scott