I grew up in the Town of Westerlo which some time ago I figured out had a population density of something like 75 people per square mile. 🌆 That’s actually about the average population density of America – some places are much more dense, others more rural. That said, I grew up in a hamlet of Dormansville – the outskirts of the hamlet so I’m sure the population density was somewhat greater. 👪 My parents had like 5 acres of land and neighbors on three sides and city reservoir property behind it. I always thought that the neighbors were a bit too close.
The other day I was driving through Font Grove and the wind was blowing just the right way with the windows open in my truck and pungent smell of buck goat 🐐 rolled through the window. Definitely pungent. 👃 I was taken back to my childhood home, with my homesteading neighbors with their goats, pigs, cows, chicken and other livestock. And their very noisy donkey.🏇 The endless hours of them riding up and down the street with their four-wheelers and their noisy trucks that backfire all of the time.
All of which was fine, but I always though they were a little too close for comfort. When I own land, I would like to be a lot farther away from all neighbors. They say good fences make good neighbors, but so do distance too. If you are farther away, it keeps noisy neighbors from being bothered and keeps you from being bothered too. If they can’t smell or see your smoke, or livestock, everybody is just a lot happier.
A few weeks back I joined a Facebook group known as Five Acre Living…
I grew up on six acres although my parents always said it was around eight but the tax rolls say six. That said, I don’t think the tax rolls count buildings and what immediately abuts them, if I really wanted to know I could look up the deed online. Regardless, when I eventually own land, I think I would want to own more than five acres. While you can do a lot of homesteading on five acres, especially if you are able to buy hay and feed, it does really limit your buffer between yourself and your neighbors.
Buffer space is a good thing. States often require and strongly recommend new landfill operations have a buffer around themselves to avoid odors, views of the mounds, truck, bulldozer, compacter, and even toxic chemicals leaching out from them from causing a nuisance.
Buffer space around a homestead is good too. For one it offers privacy. It keeps noisy neighbors from looking in, hearing your music, the shouts and beer your drinking, the noise from shooting your guns, smelling your livestock, your wood smoke or trash burning barrel.
It also keeps you from having property next door from being developed or used in ways that might prove to be a nuisance – a farm field can become a McMansion where the owners always complain about every little thing to authorities. He shoots guns in his backyard! He has cows and pigs that smell like farm animals! He burns trash and heats with wood! And even if a bordering farm field remains working land, growing crops you might want a buffer from the agriculture chemicals, the cow and hog slurry or potentially more pungent – bio-solids made from sewage treatment plant sludge. Stinky yes, but good for the crops but maybe not so good to have right next to your porch. And the neighbor’s cows, pigs and donkeys can be remarkably loud when they want to be fed or milked too.
I own two Don’t Tread on Me flags, one in my bedroom and one I use up at camp. While I’m hardly some one who embraces the Tea Party or the Republican Party – I’m a lifelong Democrat – I do think government government should remain out of people’s private business.
I think government should respect my privacy and let me make my own choices about my life
I think taxation should be limited and that I should be allowed to save and build a better tomorrow for myself
I want to left alone be able to spend time in the wilderness without people bothering me
When I own my off-grid home, I want to be able to maintain it – manage as much of my needs myself – be it electricity, waste, poop
When I hobby farm I don’t want the government judging my animals, how I treat them or how I process them for my own consumption on the land
I want to be respected as I am respectful and I don’t need the government to hold my hand in everything I do
I like spending time out in the country but a daily commute out to Rural America would really be a drag I have to say. Having driven out to my parents house after work for a week house sitting, I really miss the ease of just being able to catch the bus to and from work, not having to worry about the traffic or the weather. When I’m home and can take the bus, I can be tired, I can be distracted or drunk but I don’t have to worry about getting to my destination safely.
Eventually when I own my own land, automobile commuting will be an inevitable part of the trip. Maybe I can car pool part of the time or use a bus to access the center city. Maybe I won’t live near such a big city where traffic is such a problem or choose a more sothernly climate were icy roads aren’t such a problem. Or maybe I’ll find work in the small town I choose to live in and I won’t have to drive far away to the city. Or develop a business that lets me work from home. There are many options.
I just don’t want to spend my days, every day stuck in traffic going back and forth to work with long drives out to the country. But it seems like I have options.
