Living in suburbia has become a little more crowded and uncomfortable than I ever expected it to be. I have always lived in a suburban neighborhood, always on a lot of 1/2 acre or less. I never minded living so close to the neighbors until I moved into this house almost 13 years ago. My next door neighbor is a plumber and his wife is a hermit (except for her forays to Wal-Mart). They have a huge assortment of lighthouses in the front flowerbed. The back yard is full to overflowing with pipe, boats, sheds and whatever else Mr. Plumber can't bear to part with. He began to renovate the outside of his house about 5 years ago. The siding is not finished...still. Even after calls to the city codes compliance office, there has been little progress.
On the other side there used to be a nice older woman who kept her home in good repair and the yard tidy. She moved a few years ago and sold the house to a couple with 3 HUGE unruly dogs. They leave the dogs in a pen outside so they can bark all night. The once lovely pool is now a green pit that breeds mosquitoes. The fence is falling down and they accumulate huge heaps of garbage at the side of the house. Most of the other neighbors keep their houses fairly well. This is one of the NICER parts of our city.
So.......I have begun the search for a little piece of property on which my sweetie and I can build a new home. With space for a nice garden, chickens and (his dream, not mine) alpacas. Mostly I want to get away from the neighbors.
Yesterday after searching the local listings, I set off to find Eden. Oops, I forgot the directions. How hard could it be to find this place? After about an hour on the road, mostly backtracking, I gave up. Who knew that those back roads would look so much alike? On Sunday, armed with the GPS, my sweetie and I WILL find this little piece of heaven. The price is reasonable. Cross your fingers that it isn't under water or the Beverly Hillbillies don't live next door!
Maybe I will even have pictures next time!
7 comments:
I feel your pain!!
We moved to our little slice of Heaven a year and a half ago.
Moved out of a very nice house in an older neighborhood... because it had become a "hood" as the older people downsized or passed away. We had pit bulls to our right and rear. A "crib house" (where drug dealers keep their women and the herd of kiddies they are producing) was across the street.
We ran.
We're now on 5 acres at the river out in "the sticks". 12 houses on the mile long dead end road (and we're the last house).
It is wonderful!!
Take your time and find the right place. Don't "settle". It's out there. Do a lot of your own searching of the MLS sites as no matter how good your realtor is... you are more motavated than he is!
I do hope you find land over here (and nearer me). 'Here' is the best kept secret in the area so I won't mention our county's name.
They'll take me out of here in a hearse as I've found my lasting home. City life
is only worth it if the city also offers enough cultural goodies to offset living close to the loud, aggressive, mean-dog-owning and self centered neighbors.
Fences (and distance) do indeed make better neighbors. Come on over!
Thanks, Teri and Curly Girl 2 for the encouraging words. I really don't want to live in the 'burbs forever!
I don't think you will ever regret your choice to make the move to a more rural area, the peace and quiet is worth so much more then money can buy. You might just find you fall in love with those chickens your hubby dreams of.
I hope you found your Eden. Everyone deserves one. OOOh, I want an Alpaca too!
Omigoodness, that does sound like Eden. I hope you find it.
Living next door to unacceptable neighbors is really like living in h*ll, isn't it? I have experienced a few of those -- barking dogs, late night parties, unkempt yards and houses. I don't know how people can live like that.
Keep us posted! :-)
Good luck in your search, there are (were yrs ago) some beutiful areas down your way. We have alwayus lived on an acre or more & When we move to Ind we looked at "neighborhoods"....thought the kids would enjoy sidewalks and others neatr. They couldn't understand where they would play! Just the back yard? wheres the creek, wheres the woods....Now that they are all grown & finances are loosening a bit we are making it our own slice of heaven. But yes it is becoming more populated at the end our road with 3 subdivisions.
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