I really should take a look at older, smaller houses out in the country once again. Not just that house next to my parents house, but other things that come onto the market with land. And just decide I am going to dedicate to fixing it up once I have the facts after a good home inspection. A lot of things I can do myself but there will inevitaby be things I have to pay to get done as I lack the skills and knowledge. But it can be done.

Often I discount old structures, seeing the flaws when I should see more of the potential. That property I toured next to my parents house, definately had it flaws, and I didn’t like how it was on the main highway and had another property inset on into it, but had the location been somewhat different, I probably could have made it work. It being old, certainly had a lot of charm, and musty smell of old buildngs. Maybe it’s the smell of rot and mildew, but it also is kind of charming to. For a farm house, that lands it lot of character. There is something quite charming about the smell of old house, wood smoke, cow manure. It’s a reminder of how close one is to the land.

Maybe that old house I looked at next to my parents, would have been an easier sell in my mind, had it had a woodstove, and neighbors a bit farther away for when I had fires or wanted to discharge a firearm for dispatching livestock and predators. Still I don’t know if that’s the right option for me. Depends a lot on the property, I keep looking. I still would much rather go fully-off grid with as little technology and plumbing to deal with as possible. Less modern stuff in a house, less to break. I can’t imagine wiring a house for internet or big screen televisions, and while I guess hot water is good for showers and washing dishes, I certainly wouldn’t want a dishwasher and probably not a laundry machine. Why do my wash at home, when I can take it to town, do it while buying groceries or surfing the web there? Just another appliance to break down.