Off Grid Homes And Chickens

 

It’s been a hectic week of more home hunting, traveling while home hunting, and balancing it with my husband’s work load. I honestly do not know how anyone finds a house or a place to live while working full time.

One showing can take up the whole day in travel alone when looking out of state and employers do not want people taking time off for such. We still have the realtor in Maine but now have also added her associate partner to widen our search area. This new woman seems a good fit and has showed us property when the other cannot, she also has better coverage. It never ceases to amaze me how properties listed for sale more often than not have been unkempt inside. We are already thinking maybe we will need to remain in our apartment through winter and that is a scary thought with no insulation, water leaks, and the higher heating costs. It’s been 15 years I guess one more won’t break us, and we can bank more savings. 

Our town recently had their 4th of July fireworks just outside our door at the adjacent park along the river. For whatever reasons they never do them on the holiday and wait until the 13th, something to do with the towns history. Oddly enough they celebrate other calendar holidays on alternate dates too. I’ve always thought it all to be weird and I dubbed our town “Stepford” due to its appearance not matching what actually goes on behind the scenes. The fact it’s long term residents are being priced out of their homes is my sore spot. When we moved to the area 15 years ago we also planned to retire here but it’s no longer an option with home prices and taxes at an all time high. 

One of the properties we looked at was located off the beaten path back in the hills of Maine and it ticked most of our boxes on the list. Not living in the countryside since my late 30’s it amused me to see this two floor hen house. I’d never thought much about raising chickens but my husband certainly was keen on the idea being an animal and bird lover. We are so used to being in a city with yard restrictions the thought of keeping outdoor animals felt strange. We don’t even have pets anymore after losing the two we had years ago. I do miss having animals around, but not the veterinarian costs and heartache of losing them. With all the crap going on here in America being off grid to me sounds better and better.

If you ever view property online for sale the photos often don’t tell the whole story until you do more Googling. This smallish house in the middle of the three above was so cute inside and out. Imagine living in a home sandwiched between two larger ones that are so close you could almost touch them from a window. The house was well kept and we almost drove the trip to have a look until we found a wide view image of it. There’s always more to investigate before wasting time driving to do a walk-through. I’m sounding cynical I know but for good reason one month in. The last property we viewed, both myself and a realtor nearly fell through the floor when a man sized hole was hidden from sight under the linoleum. I stepped in through the door and yelled as the floor gave out, luckily my husband grabbed onto me, shortly after I heard a similar yell from the realtor in the bathroom. The whole thing brings the old hole in the bucket song to mind. 

It’s the end of the week and we are getting ready to go away for 7 days to a cabin on the lake. I should be excited but I’m not, my husband is the opposite and can’t wait. I guess I’m just not accustomed to holiday travel like he is. I’ll also still be working on my laptop while away I’m sure that’s part of my lack of enthusiasm. We both had been looking forward to seeing family abroad this month but possibly facing the Trump Gestapo in the airport returning is a real thing. On a better note, I have always been a water person but not been in the water in ages, I’m looking forward to going swimming. I’m wondering if I should buy a water float because I’m much older, it’s been 22 years, and I may sink like the rock I am. One thing for sure is I am bringing one of my cameras, I’m way overdue in indulging myself doing the one hobby I love most; photography. 

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