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'Cottagecore' and the rise of the modern rural fantasy

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Re: 'Cottagecore' and the rise of the modern rural fantasy

#51

Post by giantg2 »

mikro2nd wrote: post #36
madaxe_again wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, you can do it the hard way, or the fantastically lazy way. We just grow tangles - basic trellis of offcut branches, and then seed with a variety of complementary species, a few sacrificial pest magnets, and a few pest repellers. Irrigation is all automated drip, no feed - river (lovely and clean - there’s very little upstream of us, no industry) floods our garden each winter, does the job nicely. What grows, grow…

We just had a Porcupine break into the protective cages to dig up and eat our entire Potato crop last night. It can be challenging.

I hear they can be used as a substitute for beef in stews.

Re: 'Cottagecore' and the rise of the modern rural fantasy

#52

Post by tibbydudeza »

tantalor wrote: post #49
cottager2 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having just bought a cottage, here are some things that have changed recently. 1. P2P wireless means you can cheaply get a 50/10 internet connection in remote areas. This is plenty for most users. Also starlink is apparently pretty good. 2. Just pay someone to pump your septic. You don’t have to pay city taxes covering sewers so you probably come out ahead. 3. Plumbing and electrical is usually exposed, making it ver…

> worry about mice Get a cat or two.

Got that covered - got 6 of them but probably only two of them are active mousers.

Re: 'Cottagecore' and the rise of the modern rural fantasy

#54

Post by Ancapistani »

tibbydudeza wrote: post #8

Dealing with septic tanks - rotting uneven floors , shitty no pun intended plumbing and electrics - broadband from the copper era. No thanks - much prefer my modern sterile IKEA isocube.

It’s amusing how different people’s wants and desires are.

I live in a very small town from the POV of what I perceive as the majority of HN - I have gigabit fiber and solid, level floors though. :)

I could easily increase my income by $75-100k if I were willing to move to LA or SF. I’m not even tempted by it.

Re: 'Cottagecore' and the rise of the modern rural fantasy

#55

Post by silicon2401 »

cottager2 wrote: post #34
tibbydudeza wrote: post #8

Dealing with septic tanks - rotting uneven floors , shitty no pun intended plumbing and electrics - broadband from the copper era. No thanks - much prefer my modern sterile IKEA isocube.

Having just bought a cottage, here are some things that have changed recently. 1. P2P wireless means you can cheaply get a 50/10 internet connection in remote areas. This is plenty for most users. Also starlink is apparently pretty good. 2. Just pay someone to pump your septic. You don’t have to pay city taxes covering sewers so you probably come out ahead. 3. Plumbing and electrical is usually exposed, making it ver…

What's a good resource to learn about septic? I'm interested in moving somewhere more rural at some point in the future but have no idea how septic works. I admit a slight squeamishness at the thought of our waste accumulating in a tank, but the part that I'm more concerned about is not knowing what the risks or processes involved are.

Re: 'Cottagecore' and the rise of the modern rural fantasy

#56

Post by schnevets »

I love my backyard garden (even though my Brussels Sprout experiment this year proved to be a huge waste of time). I also love the aesthetic that cottagecore is revitalizing. I love drinking at local wineries, buying stuff at my local farmer's market, brewing beer and swapping bottles with homebrew friends, etc...

But holy shit am I repulsed by the influencer aspect that is growing with this "movement". Ways of Seeing taught that publicity (aka marketing) is tied to envy. There is such a deep schism between the Web 2.0 communities that exchange ideas on a forum and the vapid glamour shots posted on Instagram and Tik Tok. I think the takeaway is "Don't trust anyone in your hobby who is making money off their social media account."

Maybe this is why I like homebrewing: everyone is a bearded, chubby 35 year old nerd and there no way to make a 5 gallon carboy of bubbling alcoholic liquid into something "glamourous"

Re: 'Cottagecore' and the rise of the modern rural fantasy

#57

Post by lastofthemojito »

Veen wrote: post #19
tibbydudeza wrote: post #8

Dealing with septic tanks - rotting uneven floors , shitty no pun intended plumbing and electrics - broadband from the copper era. No thanks - much prefer my modern sterile IKEA isocube.

Yes, I learned my lesson after moving into a 400-year-old thatched cottage because I thought it was quaint. The roof and windows leaked. It had limited central heating and was largely heated by a multi-fuel burner. That meant spending an absurd amount of money on wood, which I had to schlep around and split while the weather was appalling and then spend far too long lighting a fire and keeping it going all day, only…

I live in one of the few newer homes in an old mill town and it's great. I get to stroll the narrow streets, and admire the quaint architecture all around.

The locally quarried stone used for the walls of the oldest buildings (which obviously made things difficult for accommodating additions containing bathrooms and kitchens).

The charmingly narrow and irregular front doors on some houses, making it an impossible dream to move a typical new couch or appliance in.

The turnbuckles used to stabilize some houses after all these years, and those cables being one more thing to hit your head on.

Then I get home from a walk and enjoy the central air conditioning, tall ceilings, modern windows and level floors of my home. I know some of my neighbors in the older houses really enjoy them. They research the history of the houses and are enthusiastic about maintaining them and keeping things mostly original. The house basically becomes a hobby. Just about everybody likes looking at quaint old houses, so you have to find out if that's you or if you'd actually enjoy living in one too. I know I just like looking at them.

Re: 'Cottagecore' and the rise of the modern rural fantasy

#58

Post by PaulDavisThe1st »

redis_mlc wrote: post #4

I grew up in a farming area, and my family had a 30'x30' garden. Farming is a lot of work. It's a job, not a hobby. Even the garden was a fair amount of work, but more importantly, it's a lot of veggies to eat after harvest. I had tomato sandwiches daily for months. Plus insects to control. Doable, but not glamorous like the "cottagecore" photos. If I did a serious garden again, I'd focus on becoming a skilled grower…

It's not just a lot of work, depending on how much you can automate irrigation and weeding, it's a fairly sure-fire bet that you cannot travel during the summer.

Re: 'Cottagecore' and the rise of the modern rural fantasy

#60

Post by horns4lyfe »

aussiegreenie wrote: post #3

Living a more sustainable life is the key to human survival. If you can grown your own food and produce local cleaner energy, humanity MAY survive. The existing American-model life guarantees human civilisation will not live past 2040.

Heh. Ok, can I have all your money in 2039?
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