I dreamed of moving to the country – until I went on a rural summer holiday

[Anti Federalist]

You are 100 percent correct there, lady.

Rural life is awful, bugs, cold, rural hicks with non progressive ideas...the list is endless.

You are right where you belong, please stay there.




I dreamed of moving to the country – until I went on a rural summer holiday

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...summer-holiday

Wed 25 Aug 2021 02.00 EDT

Last modified on Wed 25 Aug 2021 08.48 EDT

I may be a hommosexual but, let me be very clear, I am not a hommosexual who camps. Like a lot of people, I experimented with camping in my youth but eventually realised it wasn’t my thing. Still, a few years ago, I found myself camping in New York State’s Catskill mountains for a friend’s birthday. Due to some logistical errors (I forgot to take a sleeping bag) and an incontinent dog called Audrey (long story), it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. I did, however, fall in love with a cute little Catskills hamlet called Livingston Manor that we drove through on the way home. “Maybe we should leave New York City and move up here?” I said to my partner. “We could grow vegetables and breathe fresh air! Hicksters are the new hipsters, apparently. We could be hicksters!”

We did not become hicksters. We forgot all about our alternative Catskills existence as soon as we got home. But when the pandemic hit, the fantasy of country living returned with a vengeance. Of course, we were far from the only people cooped up in a tiny urban apartment dreaming of more space. Rural house prices went bonkers as stir-crazy New Yorkers snapped up homes upstate; living a “simple” life in the country rapidly became unaffordable. So we stayed in our one-bedroom city apartment and stewed.

You know what, though? While the city hasn’t been the easiest place to be lately, I am over my bucolic fantasies. Rural living, I have decided, is overrated. I have come to this conclusion after a long empirical study on the countryside – otherwise known as a summer holiday. To be more specific: I have just come back from three weeks in a riverside house in the Catskills with my wife and three-month-old child. Idyllic, right? To begin with, yes. For the first couple of days of our holiday I was like Fotherington-Tomas from the Molesworth books. I skipped around saying, “Hello clouds! Hello sky!” I was ready to become a lady farmer and live off the land. But being in the middle of nowhere got old very quickly. There are only so many trees you can look at before you are sick of looking at trees.

Being in the middle of nowhere also gets creepy very quickly. I once went on a weekend away to the country with a friend from Queens who was so freaked out by the silence that she slept with a knife under her pillow. I am not quite on that level, but there is something about countryside quiet that makes it difficult to relax. Every time I heard a creak in the middle of the night I worried about intruders, or thought that a local ghost was paying us a visit.

The countryside is always eerie, but there is something extra sinister about the Catskills because of all the kill-ing. The house we were renting, for example, was by the Beaverkill river surrounded by a bunch of towns with kill in the name. There’s a very boring reason for this: kil means creek in Dutch. Still, that didn’t stop the animal rights group Peta from once (unsuccessfully) demanding that the New York town of Fishkill change its name to something that was less resonant of cruelty to marine life – such as Fishsave. While that was obviously ridiculous, I have to admit that names matter: had we had been staying in the Catsave mountains, it’s possible I would have been less creeped out. As it was, I spent much of the holiday missing the security of the city and the sound of sirens. This is all personal opinion, of course; I can’t help loving the city. If you love the countryside then good for you; there is no judgment from me. Love is love. Your feelings are valid. Just, please, beware of the ghosts.

[RJB]

That is the most ridiculous opening line. A 6th grader would understand the merits of a topic sentence better than this "journalist." Switch homosexual with any other description: plumber, buddhist, astronaut, guitarist...

I may be a homosexual but, let me be very clear, I am not a homosexual who camps.

This was the most vapid article I have read in a long time. I have a feeling that without the opening line, TheGuardian would not have published this dreck.

[PAF]

That is the most ridiculous opening line. A 6th grader would understand the merits of a topic sentence better than this "journalist." Switch homosexual with any other description: plumber, buddhist, astronaut, guitarist...

I may be a homosexual but, let me be very clear, I am not a homosexual who camps.

This was the most vapid article I have read in a long time. I have a feeling that without the opening line, TheGuardian would not have published this dreck.

[RJB]

Holy crap. I deserve that mocking laughter. For some reason I confused The Guardian with a more legit paper. After scanning through some other articles I realize they specialize in vapidity. I guess every website needs to find their niche-- they found theirs.


However, I am sure the pointless opening line made the article "edgy" in their eyes.

[luctor-et-emergo]

I approve. I hope it keeps many people away from rural areas.

[PAF]

Holy crap. I deserve that mocking laughter. For some reason I confused The Guardian with a more legit paper. After scanning through some other articles I realize they specialize in vapidity. I guess every website needs to find their niche-- they found theirs.

It was this line that had me LMFAO: I may be a homosexual but, let me be very clear, I am not a homosexual who camps.

And then you followed up with the vapid comment, which I totally agree! LOL

[ammodotcom]

I may be a hommosexual but, let me be very clear, I am not a hommosexual who camps.

The duality of man.

[Matt4Liberty]

Very stupid indeed. I do hope that most of the city leftists come to this realization though. These idiots have bid up rural prices to be inline with already exaggerated suburban prices.

Being completely honest though, I would take city life over country life if the city had some sanity remaining. If and when I move to a rural area, it's because of survival, not a preference to live away from many modern conveniences. The problem is that ship has sailed.

[tebowlives]

Very stupid indeed. I do hope that most of the city leftists come to this realization though. These idiots have bid up rural prices to be inline with already exaggerated suburban prices.

Being completely honest though, I would take city life over country life if the city had some sanity remaining. If and when I move to a rural area, it's because of survival, not a preference to live away from many modern conveniences. The problem is that ship has sailed.

Land spreading out so far and wide, keep Manhattan just give me that country side.

[PAF]

Land spreading out so far and wide, keep Manhattan just give me that country side.

They got that covered too:

Bill Gates Is Now The Biggest Owner Of Farmland In America

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

I seemed like she was joking--as in making fun of progs and city dwellers. If not, then it should be a joke.

[sparebulb]

The duality of man.

[sam1952]

Ha, this thread had prompted me to relay a story from a past. My wife and I owned a 155 acre property in southwestern Pennsylvania. It was about 50/50 wooded and pasture. Neighbor from across the road had recently bought a 65 acre property. They were liberals from Pittsburgh looking to find their own slice of ecological nature. Immediately posting no hunting signs, no trespassing signs. But hey, everyone had these signs for various reasons. But fair enough as we were new there once two and went through the scrutiny on the local rural.
Now my wife an avid horse person quickly made friends with some of the local women and started trail riding with with those neighbors. One in particular had a farm on th opposite ridge. The new neighbors piece between the two properties. Literally the very first time they decided to take a short cut between our two pieces of property on a trail on the wooded edge of their property. the landowner came out screaming at the top of her lungs “get off our property!”. My wife and neighbor were surprised but respectful and got “off their property”.
Now you think this would be the end of it but noooo... three days later we both received registered letters from a big law firm in Pittsburgh explaining that we were trespassing and any future encroachment by us would result in legal action.
Now of course we were trespassing and did take a short cut across their property as accused. But honestly in a rural community like this an issue would typically result in a friendly conversation between neighbors asking to refrain from using their property. I mean when a neighbors horse or cow got loose you just kept it and took it back or called. It was kinda unwritten that your neighbors would encroach respectfully on your property from time to time.
So you think this is the end... no way. A month later another letter come form the Pittsburgh attorney saying that they thought “maybe” we were again using their property. My wife was livid as our friendly neighbors. I sent off a letter to my attorney who forwarded it to the neighbors say we have not encroached or trespassed on their property and any future Unsubstantiated claims would be consider harassment and be dealt with legally. Lol, now my other neighbors who lived there all their lives took a different approach.
As their property joined theirs and the city neighbors who loved to entertain their friends from the city with nature walks around their trails.
My neighbor went and bought fluorescent color spray paint and painted all the trees bordering the the two properties only on the side exposed to their view. Omg it was the funniest thing, from his property all you saw were the trees and fence line. From the other it was a mess of fluorescent colored trees.
I guess th bottom line is why piss off your neighbors for such a silly thing without even talking to them like neighbors first.

[cjm]

My neighbor went and bought fluorescent color spray paint and painted all the trees bordering the the two properties only on the side exposed to their view. Omg it was the funniest thing, from his property all you saw were the trees and fence line. From the other it was a mess of fluorescent colored trees.
I guess th bottom line is why piss off your neighbors for such a silly thing without even talking to them like neighbors first.

Love it, +rep.

[Anti Federalist]

It was this line that had me LMFAO: I may be a homosexual but, let me be very clear, I am not a homosexual who camps.

And then you followed up with the vapid comment, which I totally agree! LOL

Ahahahaha, I just caught that myself.

[enhanced_deficit]

Is something in the air in the lands away from urban centers that so many 'rural lads' in different parts of the world tend to be anti-vaxxer, like to be well-armed and hold such dangerous beliefs as 'womenn are to submit to their hasbands as they do to the Lord'?

H/T UK General who invoked the 'rural lads' term re Taliban last week who are reportedly very hostile to vaccination.
No offense to anyone, just noting some apparent common traits in news these days and there are ofcourse drastic differences in strength and exercise of beliefs.

[cjm]

Is something in the air in the lands away from urban centers that so many 'rural lads' in different parts of the world tend to be anti-vaxxer, like to be well-armed and hold such dangerous beliefs as 'womenn are to submit to their hasbands as they do to the Lord'?

H/T UK General who invoked the 'rural lads' term re Taliban last week who are reportedly very hostile to vaccination.
No offense to anyone, just noting some apparent common traits in news these days and there are ofcourse drastic differences in strength and exercise of beliefs.

You've got stuff in the air both inside and outside the city. Where city governments have the power, they rush towards collectivism and control faster than rural areas. Those that like that kind of stuff flock to the cities and those that dislike that kind of stuff escape from the cities. I've been a city boy my entire life (with the city of residence getting smaller and smaller with each move), but I'll be a "rural lad" in the next year or two.

As for the "dangerous beliefs," you're confused, those are in the cities.

[Occam's Banana]

Being in the middle of nowhere also gets creepy very quickly. I once went on a weekend away to the country with a friend from Queens who was so freaked out by the silence that she slept with a knife under her pillow. I am not quite on that level, but there is something about countryside quiet that makes it difficult to relax. Every time I heard a creak in the middle of the night I worried about intruders, or thought that a local ghost was paying us a visit.

Silence? Silence? What silence?

I don't think this person actually, really spent any time in the actual, real country (as opposed to, say, some touristy, rural-adjacent, semi-suburban bed-and-breakfast type environment). Because if she had, she would have heard plenty. The wind soughing in the leaves of the creaking trees she got bored of looking at, frogs/toads, birds (whippoorwills, bobwhites, woodpeckers, etc.), crickets, cicadas and myriad other insects, and so on and so forth.

Not to mention cougars/mountain lions. If she ever a heard a scream from a cougar in heat, I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that she would have packed her bags right that moment and high-tailed it back to whence she came ... (and if she went fast enough, she might have had a chance to catch up to her own skin, after it had crawled off and got a good head start ...)

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

"I experimented with camping in my youth"
lol I already don't like this person

[tfurrh]

[Occam's Banana]

Also from the same author:

[Occam's Banana]

Not to mention cougars/mountain lions. If she ever a heard a scream from a cougar in heat, I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that she would have packed her bags right that moment and high-tailed it back to whence she came ... (and if she went fast enough, she might have had a chance to catch up to her own skin, after it had crawled off and got a good head start ...)

Hell, this one ain't nothin'. I've heard ones that would make your blood both freeze and curdle at the same time - they are easily and by a huge margin the most horrifying sounds I've ever heard directly with my own ears.

https://twitter.com/OTerrifying/stat...20031643361282

[Anti Federalist]

Owls and loons are always making a racket in my woods.

[donnay]

[Brian4Liberty]

Hell, this one ain't nothin'. I've heard ones that would make your blood both freeze and curdle at the same time - they are easily and by a huge margin the most horrifying sounds I've ever heard directly with my own ears.

https://twitter.com/OTerrifying/stat...20031643361282

For some reason, I can’t help but hear the narrative on some TV documentary or charity commercial. Queue the heroic music, start the narration, run video...

“The men who run towards danger...”

[Brian4Liberty]

Silence? Silence? What silence?

I don't think this person actually, really spent any time in the actual, real country (as opposed to, say, some touristy, rural-adjacent, semi-suburban bed-and-breakfast type environment). ...

I must never go far enough. Seems no matter how far out I go you, can always hear a highway or aircraft flying over. Sounds travels a long way sometimes, especially if you are above but still have a line of sight back down the mountain. I guess sound bounces around a lot in hills, valleys and mountains without dense vegetation. I imagine a flatland area with thick forest would be more quiet.

[dannno]

Hell, this one ain't nothin'. I've heard ones that would make your blood both freeze and curdle at the same time - they are easily and by a huge margin the most horrifying sounds I've ever heard directly with my own ears.

https://twitter.com/OTerrifying/stat...20031643361282

https://twitter.com/Jeremia34945652/...28190080536577