THEN SHE SAID..., AND I SAID...

Becky,

I looked at your blog, and I too agree that living in the country rather than in a horribly depressed city is much better. That's why all of a sudden country retirement does not look so bad to me, but I do not think Tim is ready to be convinced of that!! I am just glad at the moment we have the option, if we should need it! That is what my dad told me long ago, you might need this land one day to live on. Hey, if it comes to that, we could have a small commune - you and John could come join us, and that would make Tim happier! They could have a still! It would be much easier if several families lived on a property together and divided up the labor. That is why farmers had lots of kids! Paula

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Dear Paula,

Yeah, John is not exactly into simple-green-frugal either. He never would have agreed to living out in the middle of nowhere. He likes Wimberley cause it's so close to Austin! Also, you know all about how he lives to shop - since your husband is just like him! Funny you should mention your idea of a commune. The book I'm about to award in my 2nd blog give-away next week, is the one that introduced me to the whole co-housing concept about 25 years ago, and it's been stewing around in my head ever since. It's not really a commune though, it's just an economical sharing of resources. Each family has their own house, townhouse, condo, whatever, but they don't need to be very big, because there are a lot of things that you share.

They usually all face in to one large shared garden and playground for instance - which not only makes the most of your resources, but also allows you to share in gardening duties and child supervision, and promotes community amongst all the residents. On top of that there is a community house that has a dining room and kitchen, laundry room, a work shop and/ or craft room, and even a couple of guest bedrooms where you can put your overflow company, so you don't need a five-bedroom house. They usually cook several communal dinners each week, sharing in the cooking and shopping duties, and you can join in if you choose, or eat at home - it's up to you. John and I figured it would be a lot like living on the company compound in Indonesia, which we quite enjoyed. You had privacy when you needed it, but if you were feeling bored or lonely, you just wandered down to the pool or club house, because there was always someone there to visit with.

Anyway, we tried to find one to join when we first talked about moving to the Hill Country, but they were slow getting off the ground here in Texas and we eventually gave up. But now, with the financial crisis and the reality of an underfunded retirement closing in on all the boomers, they are popping up all over the place! If anything ever happened to John, it would be a real struggle for me to maintain this property on my own, and I would seriously have to consider looking into one of the communities that have started up around Austin - preferably one where I could walk anywhere I needed to go, just like I did in Indonesia! Or start one of our own, like you said. Allison, who started the Women Bloom website, hopes to get some like-minded female friends with common interests together, to start one out in Santa Fe when she's ready to settle in. Think how much money you could save if you shared a car, lawn mower, washer & dryer, trips to town for errands, etc. What funds you did have for retirement sure would stretch further. And I just love the idea of having company while I garden or cook or work on craft projects. I think it would be much easier to age-in-place somewhere like that, especially if you had multiple generations living together, learning from and helping each other. Just plain common sense, right? (or maybe I lived somewhere like this in that past life you were talking about, and saw how well it worked! ;) ) I don't know about letting John and Tim make their own hooch, though. Knowing them, that would be a disaster just waiting to happen. I did tell you didn't I, that the houses on the Aramco compound all had a "blow-out" wall in the "still-room", so that the whole house wouldn't be destroyed each time the still blew up?!

Hey! You know what I just realized? Your grandma established a co-housing community right there in Normangee, when each of her kids built houses around hers, and they all shared equipment and harvesting duties!

Love,
Becky

P.S. To all my wonderful readers: Don't forget to leave a comment this week, if you want your name to be entered in this month's Year of Reading Dangerously Book Give-Away!

"Few things bond people more than common labor and few things are more enjoyable than the multitude of small celebrations working the land together can bring. From planting, to the almost never-ending harvests, to maple sugaring, fire-wood gathering, each has its own little celebration, even if it's no more than a meal together or a few bottles of beer. And these will not be like festive events you have known, where you pay money to be with strangers and sit numbly while someone entertains you. These will be about your talent, your work, your own life, with friends who are just as much a part of it as you." Ferenc Mate