Farm Dreams

Homesteading, Organic Gardening, How to Farm, Preparedness, Self-Reliance

iFarm Report: Culture Shock

Selected Blog Posts From the Member Community

Have you ever noticed how a lot of people use Wal-mart as in indicator of civilization? Well for the purpose of this entry that is what we are going to do. I am neither for, nor against Wal-mart as a corporation it is just something that as Americans we can probably all relate to.

So I moved from a place this summer where there were 3 Wal-marts within 15 minutes of my house. I can't even count how many would be within a 45 minute commute. I was near 4 major malls and within 15 to 30 minutes of 2 major cities. That is of course without traffic which there wasn't a time of day that didn't have traffic or construction mucking it all up.

I moved to a place where the closest Wal-mart is 45 minutes away. Same with the closest suburban area, not to mention major city. We don't even have a movie theater in our town. This really changes the way you shop, the way you calculate what is "close by" and how much gas you use in a week. I am happier than ever that hubby has a Prius for his commute. I really need somehting 4wheel drive that can tow but that is a topic for another post.

It isn't just the distance, or the availability of many major shops that is different for me. It's also what is available at those shops that is so very different. Wal-mart here sells overalls, and insulated coveralls and everyone wears cammo for hunting. There are muckboots in the shoe section and not just one shelf of canning supplies but a whole row of shelves devoted to it all year not just in late summer. So this is a huge change from my sequins and rhinestones previous life where 50% of the females you saw walking in the mall had a Coach bag even if they were only 11 years old.

Now don't think that I think any of this change is bad. Yes there are days I feel like I have moved to 1950 since there not only isn't curbside recycling but you have to drive over an hour to get to anywhere that does recycle. But most of the time I am trying to embrace the change. My boots have a little more mud on them. I keep work gloves everywhere. And most days I'm not wearing makeup or doing my hair. I'm wearing an oversized t-shirt and work pants....and amazingly I have actually been caught out in those clothes. I plan on actually getting my first pair of overalls this spring. Mid to low rise jeans are not made for bending over and gardening.

So what have I had to change? I am attempting to get closer to zero waste. I am trying to reuse everything I can from leftovers to the packaging. I plan trips and spend a whole day "going to town" and buying everything I could use for a month or more. I now really understand why people would say you were going to town on something if you bought a whole bunch. There are times between Costco stocking up, trips to Tractor Supply, Feed from Southern States and a hardware store that I barely have room for my kids in the car. We don't go out much. This means we eat more at home and going out to eat is a special treat. This also means I don't get the human interaction I was used to. Heck I worked at a mall, you can't get a lot more people than that. Most days I only ever see or talk to my kids except online. This is challenging since I am such a major extrovert.

Starting a farm is a lot of work. I am hoping that 5 years from now we will be supplying most of our own food. Every month we get a little closer in our prepping goals. And every day my children can safely play outside in their own yard, visit the farm animals and they get so excited picking berries and fruit. "You mean we can just go outside and have food?!"

Tags: Culture, Shock, farming, girl, new, subburban, to

3 members like this

Comment by Happy on December 6, 2011 at 9:39am: I love how you explain going to town. We currently live 10 minutes from everyhing with every store is supersized and plan on moving to the country where Wal-Mart is 45 minutes away. My husband does not understand why this freaks me out, of course he does not shop and travels 75% of the time and does not relize how often our 3 girls need something special for school.

Comment by Daisy on December 6, 2011 at 9:42am: Thanks for writing this post...it reminds me where I have come from as well. I did the same thing, but have fully made the transformation. Now I don't like going to "the big city" and actually feel stressed out when I have to leave the farm! You can easily make your own little paradise in the country.

Comment by All Hallows Farm on December 6, 2011 at 10:09am: Yeah we are working on making it a comfy home. I now understand why my grandparents never wanted to leave.

I have 3 kids too. I was surprised too by the school environment. The entire first grade has 14 kids. To get a class size that small where we used to live we would have had to pay for private school. The teachers also don't ask for as much. It is a poor area so they supply everything with their school money unlike our suburbs school that had us buying something special every week, mandatory activity fees and whatnot. On the downside the kids don't get many field trips (maybe one a year and it's to the highschool). So we are trying to make sure that when we do take vacations from the farm for a weekend we go to monuments, aquariums, etc.

The highschool has a big greenhouse and they take care of pigs there. That just tickled me and I immediately thought that the kids would be going to their "care of magical creatures" classes.

Most days I love it. I love going outside and hearing crickets, birds, chickens, cows and piglets. I love the fog that comes up the mountain and not hearing traffic and horns. Amazingly even though I previously lived next to the big city I actually hear more gunshots here. There are those days though where I sit on the floor crying in a hormonal puddle about how I miss everything. I am especially disenchanted with the healthcare but that could just be my specific town. Only one doc is listed as a pediatrician and he really is a cradle to grave doctor who I wouldn't trust to treat a blister. I have heard nothing but horror stories from everyone I have talked to about him and we had 3 horrible experiences. So we drive an hour to a decent doctor. I'm still not in love with him but I guess I can deal for a while.

Comment by Happy on December 6, 2011 at 10:40am: It is good to hear that I will not need a biweekly school/activity shopping list. The school enviroment is a large factor for us choosing to move to our future location. My oldest will be going to middle school in a few years and the middle school here SCARES me. The Woodland School is for grades K-12 and is smaller then our current elementary school, which I find exciting and scary at the same time. I believe the doctor in your area is an exception. When I was growing up in rural PA and VA we had the brith to grave doctors and they were wonderful. The one in VA actually remembers me and I moved away 14 years ago. I remember going there one day for a sinus infection and he asked me how my mom was and saying he was concerned for her health because he had not seen her in awhile and that she might have a heartattack or stroke. When I got home I called her store and they said she had been rushed to the hospital for a possible stroke. On the tears of missing everything I think that goes hand in hand with moving, I know I miss VA sometimes.

Comment by All Hallows Farm on December 6, 2011 at 11:00am: Good luck with the move and the school! Let me know how it goes (feel free to friend me)

Comment by Dotty Sharp on December 6, 2011 at 11:52am: Another part is training your old family and friends that your life is different. An issue I still get faced with over and over is when planning get togethers with people they want to wait till the last minute to work out a menu or whatever. They just don't get it that I can't "run to the store" whenever to get what I need to fix that last minute dish they will be heart-broken over me not bringing. I've just gotten to the point where I tell them what I'll be bringing a week in advance and they can work around it. I'm tired of trying to explain how life really is to them.

Then there is the whole technology issue. Internet connections suck. Cell phone service sucks. What they call online banking at the small town bank (which I totally prefer over the big banks) isn't really online banking. Love love love the bank, but their technology is like 10 years behind. What they offer as food at the local grocery store is enough in itself to make you want to grow your own. Utilities are expensive. Mostly little annoyances that can be very frustrating at times. But then the sun sets or rises. Or you catch a glimpse of a couple of fawns playing. The neighbor sees you struggle with something and stops to help. The gal at the store knows you by name. At some point you notice that city driving stresses you out. The birds wake you in the morning. Watching nature becomes fascinating (who needs TV?) And yes, you just don't want to leave.

Comment by All Hallows Farm on December 6, 2011 at 12:43pm: That is EXACTLY it Dotty! I am constantly frustrated with the selection even at the local Food Lion. My friends will shop at one in their town and call me about some sale on Sugar Free cake mixes or wheat noodles and mine just doesn't carry it. And a lot of friends want me to come back and visit but I have to explain that a 3 hour drive at least plus the cost of a farm sitter for a long weekend just won't work. It's like when you first have kids but your friends don't have them and don't understand why they can't call you 15 minutes before a movie and have you show up on time without kids in tow to a rated R movie.

Comment by Pat Barr on December 6, 2011 at 1:50pm: I envy you with your choice to make the move how (at your age!)... I was never "brave" enough then. I thought it more important to raise the children, and provide for the family. One thing you have, that I've never had is a help mate. I know my first wife would have never accepted the move (and change in life styles), the 2nd left because of it (when I did make the move).

I look forward to your blogs... and watching you grow!

Only 1 of my "city" friends ever visited... and honestly most of the friends I have here aren't into this life style, and don't really understand chores must be done.

Pat

Comment by All Hallows Farm on December 6, 2011 at 2:12pm: Yeah I have started telling people that if they want to come to my house for a farmcation they can. The ones that seem to actually want to come have little kids which is great for me. But I tell every single one of them bring work clothes and shoes. If you want a visit without farm work involved you have to schedule way in advance so I can schedule the farm around you. If you want to come up just any time or short notice expect to help out.

Yeah I am pretty young, hubby's a bit older but we still have lots of years to get into this. Plus the kids are young and we can raise them to help work. Hopefully by the time "retirement" hits we will be in a full on groove. What does worry me is in old age as health fails. My grandmother lived up here and was on dialysis 3 times a week for 8 years and it was hard on them.

Comment by Carol Grosser on May 29, 2012 at 10:23am: I started out 30 miles from a major city, but my farm family had so little money we only went to that city on the edge (before suburbia) delivered our cream to the creamery and went to a little hamburger restaurant. We bought from the 4 miles away feed/grocery store all that we bought, i.e., coffee, sugar, white flour, the occasional banana as a treat and the occasional box of Cheerios, also for a treat. During the '50s drought that same store put animal feed on credit even though other years the farmers didn't buy feed, they grew their own oats for winter feeding. The credit was good until the drought broke, about 5 years with no interest and, as far as I know, the grocer was paid back in full. I lusted for "the money" that my father said was gotten in the city. Tried suburbia and hated it, but still too aware of the hard work of the family farm, so I had no where to go! Being of the hippie generation, I even tried commune life and found the prevailing ignorance of actual living off the land so I was pretty depressed, all in all. When my mother gave me some land, I decided to work in the city as required financially and raise goats because I loved goat's milk. Thus after many long and dreary years of only being alive on weekends when I worked on my garden and my land, I retired and relocated because the city was all around me and, at this point in time, I hated city/suburbia with a pure passion. I live in heaven now, i.e., 150 miles one way from the nearest large city and I do the trip as described in this blog. List in hand, I supply myself with enough dog food for the guard dogs, cat food for the mousing and cotton tail bunny cat, myself some produce I don't grow, Tractor Supply for pails if needed or other things, and I avoid Wal-Mart because I think it is some kind of alien spaceship. I love my life here with the goats, chickens, guinea fowl, resident barn swallows, two Pyrenees guard dogs, and one, very much loved, border collie who guards the chickens. Since the locally-owned grocer has placed signs asking customers to remember their grocery bags, I am down to only two plastic grocery bags. I had been using them as garbage bags so now I am thinking I need to knit the same configuration and then wash them after use. Since I am too far from any garbage pickup, I have to burn paper or packaging trash. Most everything biologic is fed to the chickens. Tea bags and such goes to the worm bin. My mantra is nothing is to be wasted as far as possible and all water must be used at least 2 times and preferably 3. Electricity is to be used as little as possible so no central heat/cool, only one room of heat in winter and only 3 hours if absolutely still in the hottest part of the day and one room too.