The Country Life

So when I talk about country life, I am not exaggerating. We are extremely remote and the nearest civilization with a gas station is 30 miles away. The nearest library, 40 miles. This was a big adjustment for us, since we have been used to having everything available virtually a few minutes away for the past few years. Not to mention, a much larger income.

I grew up in this area, so if one is to call a place "home," this is one of the two places I would classify in that category. Like most hackers I had a very difficult time in school. For one thing, there is no way to be different in a place like this. Everyone participates in activites. Since sports are the only activities, well, that's what you have. Since I am not a sports person, I'll leave your imagination to figuring out just how much fun life for me was.


All of that aside, it is truly an amazing and unique place to live. The solitude and peace are unmatched. While there are many more scenic rural places one could live, we have a unique opportunity in this place. First of all, the rent is the right price, free. I live in the house I grew up in and trade keeping up the place and improving it for staying free. Second, there are not technology services available for 60 miles in any direction.


This last part was what was the motivating factor of this move. I had no desire to be a business person, but my job was going to kill me. I want to make enough money to survive, maybe do some fun things and anything else is just extra. We knew when we made this move that money would be tight, and we have not been wrong. However, we are now almost eight months into this adventure, and I am busier than I ever imagined.

Web sites, cleaning up spyware infections, technical support, writing for local media, and a variety of other tasks have taken a large part of my time. And the trend seems to continue, as I have received some grants to design some more web pages for communities. It is starting to take off, and, frankly, I'm nervous about my time in the upcoming months.

Save for the limitations of high speed internet access, people here are very receptive to technology and fascinated with the knowledge that I have brought with me. So, when I look out my window at night and can see the stars, I know something about this place that I did not see when I lived here in my youth. It's no better or worse than anywhere else, just different.