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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

#61

Post by xnyan »

giantg2 wrote: post #53

I dream of quitting my job and living on some land. My wife refuses to "live in the middle of nowhere, where there's nothing to do". I guess I shall continue to work a job I hate in order to live in this expensive area.

It takes some effort, but you can have it (mostly) both ways. I live in a little rural town (Hillsborough, NC) that has farms in the woods and a great tiny downtown with several really good restaurants, pubs, and even a tiny art scene and it's only 15 minutes away from Duke/Durham, NC with tons of great dining, shopping, events and so on.

I'm sure there are plenty of other situations like this, nice semi-rural/rural towns on the edge of a metro and all it's services.

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

#62

Post by vesuvianvenus »

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.

Australia is a well developed country and an analogue to your "the American-model". I'd call it the "Developed Industrial Nation"-model to be more precise.

Not implying this with you, but I think it must be a trend of Australians to consider Americans "elitist"-- that the rich, obese Americans are the greedy ones ruining everything.

It's just funny to me, since Australians follow the same model of western-european-derived economics & western-european-derived government.

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

#63

Post by giantg2 »

xnyan wrote: post #61
giantg2 wrote: post #53

I dream of quitting my job and living on some land. My wife refuses to "live in the middle of nowhere, where there's nothing to do". I guess I shall continue to work a job I hate in order to live in this expensive area.

It takes some effort, but you can have it (mostly) both ways. I live in a little rural town (Hillsborough, NC) that has farms in the woods and a great tiny downtown with several really good restaurants, pubs, and even a tiny art scene and it's only 15 minutes away from Duke/Durham, NC with tons of great dining, shopping, events and so on. I'm sure there are plenty of other situations like this, nice semi-rural/rural…

Yeah, most places I was looking at would be 30-60 minutes outside of large city, and only a short 10 or so minute drive to the local town.

She told me one day that she never wanted to leave the current county (her home county). Now she is also determined to move into her old school district (much more expensive and more developed), even though the school scores aren't much higher than the current one and just with the money that we save in property taxes we could send a kid to a private school. Needless to say, this issue doesn't come down to having a rational discussion to find solutions that fit both of our criteria. I'm wrong, she's right, always.

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

#64

Post by giantg2 »

silicon2401 wrote: post #55
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…

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.

https://www.epa.gov/septic/how-your-septic-system-works

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

#65

Post by dpeck »

schnevets wrote: post #56

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 Seein…

| "Don't trust anyone in your hobby who is making money off their social media account."

That is a remarkably accurate, but sad observation. There’s always been folks trying to hustle in various hobbies and interest groups, but these days they seem to take up all the oxygen in a space.

The glossy image/clip video nature of things seem unavoidable and make many people with humbler aspirations more reluctant to share their works, thoughts, and perspectives if they aren’t able to be turned into the visual equivalent of a sound bite.

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

#66

Post by giantg2 »

Ancapistani wrote: post #54
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.

"The zoning here is such that a homeowner can do any repair work they please on their own without having to get a permit or licensed contractor."

Wow, that's pretty strict for a "small town". Most places allow you to make repairs without a permit or contractor as long as you're not making changes.

For example, I needed a permit to put in an interlock and receptacle for a generator. If something breaks the receptacle, I can replace it with the same model/type/size without a permit. If I replaced it with a different type/size then I would need a permit. On a side note, the inspections are mostly a joke and just a way for the municipality to make money (permit costs more than the materials in many of my cases). The inspector had no idea about electrical stuff and didn't ask any questions about wire gauge/run, receptacle sizing, receptacle height, or how the breaker box was balanced. You know, the stuff that's important to do right to avoid fires, etc.

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

#67

Post by nicwolff »

tibbydudeza wrote: post #52
tantalor wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> worry about mice Get a cat or two.

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

I live in a cottage in the woods and my cat brings live shrews into the house to play with. Cats!

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

#69

Post by giantg2 »

jtsiskin wrote: post #27
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.

Why? Wouldn’t centralized larger farms be more efficient?

Depends on what efficiency your measuring and if you have any other factors to consider. Larger farms tend to be more economically efficient (at least for basic commodities, or because the margins are to low to support a farm under a specific size). But it's not a one to one comparison because the models and practices differ. You could say that a COFO is more efficient than a small ranch because they produce more beef on fewer acres and utilize brewer's grain from ethanol production. It's possible that a small farm raising organic wagyu might actually be more economically efficient since it's a higher margin product.

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

#70

Post by mikro2nd »

giantg2 wrote: post #51
mikro2nd wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

And the vegetarian option is.... ;)
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