Rural laments

Denny · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:30 am Post subject: Rural laments

Some interesting issues contained in this story about the dilemmas faced by people who live in the country;

From The Peterborough Examiner: "When a Farm boy sells his truck"

By Connie Woodcock

" You know something's really wrong when a 20-year-old farm boy sells his beloved pickup truck.

In rural Ontario a young guy's pickup is his most treasured possession and, unlike most urban truck and SUV owners, he actually needs it. But he sold it. Gas just costs too much. It was when I heard this story about a young relative that it really hit home how much life has changed in the last few months -and how little people who live in rural Ontario can do about it.

Take my home heating costs -please. Last winter, it cost $600 to
$700 every time the heating oil truck arrived. This winter, who knows - $900? Maybe $1,000? We can heat our house with our wood and pellet stoves but wood costs plenty too - $200 a cord and $6 a bag for pellets. Or at least it did last year. Next winter, who knows?

Silly us. We bought a new oil furnace when the old one had to be replaced last December. We had little choice. Gas isn't available to country dwellers. Geothermal heating systems cost $20,000 to $30,000 and on our lot would have had to go where our septic bed is. Outdoor wood furnaces are equally pricey. Wood/electric seemed impractical given the size of our hydro bill now.

And speaking of bills, the latest one recently landed on my kitchen table with a depressing thud. Turns out we're paying more for delivery, service and hydro's debt than we are for electricity, which makes it hard to cut corners.

Last year we were paying less than $100 a month. This month's bill was $169. I'm getting a clothesline since the dryer is about the only place we can make significant cuts. If we could afford it, we'd hook up solar panels to our hot water tank. And that's another problem. Green technology could be really helpful but it's expensive.

Transportation? Don't make me laugh. City people can walk, pedal or take the TTC. I can only drive. There's no transit out here where only farmers can walk to work. I try to cut back on trips, but I have to drive a daughter to work, a round trip of 22 kilometres twice a day. The gym is roughly the same distance. The bank is farther away and going to the doctor is a 40- minute drive.

The nearest village is only three kilometres away but has no grocery store, no gas station, no hardware store, the bank is only open two days a week and the pharmacist doesn't work weekends. I can still walk to my mail box down the driveway, but Canada Post is quietly conducting a nationwide study on rural mail delivery, so who knows how much longer I'll be able to do that?

We're looking for a new vehicle and are torn between the desire to save money on gas and the need for something that will get us around in a snowy winter. Unlike most city people, we really need four-wheel drive, especially with our long, steep driveway. We just wonder if we can afford it.

But don't tell rural people to move to the city. Those who are urban escapees can't afford to go back. Their rural castles won't sell for enough to allow them to buy a dog house in a bad neighbourhood. Many folks out here are retirees living on fixed incomes.

Soon, many of my neighbours will be unemployed, the victims of the General Motors truck plant shutdown. Thousands of people in central Ontario depend on it, not just Oshawa residents. What will they do?

I don't want you to think that this is one big whine. It isn't -it's merely a statement of fact. I don't buy the doomsday scenario that has Canadians being booted back to the Stone Age by the price of oil. But in rural Ontario it already has wrought major changes and has brought many people to the brink of disaster.

So here's my suggestion for Stephane Dion. You must be crazy. Proceed with your carbon tax plan and there will be precious few votes for the Liberal party in rural Canada. We're already paying it. "

See, the thing is that a severe carbon tax years ago would have precluded the most distant suburbanites from making their fateful decision. Being in a city, or close to one, they could have had some of the choices Connie regrets not having today.

She must be one dedicated parent to make two 22 kilometre trips to drive her daughter to and from work every day. But, that is only 11 km one way. Why can't her daughter ride a bike in fair weather, during daylight?

Ludi · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:55 am Post subject: Re: Rural laments

But in rural Ontario it already has wrought major changes and has brought many people to the brink of disaster.

If they are on the "brink of disaster" already, how will they cope in a year or two?

Shocked

If exurbanites can't "afford" to move back to town, what will they do?

Shocked

_________________
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Ludi · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:57 am Post subject: Re: Rural laments

Oh, I just saw the bit about "the gym" being a long way away. WTF does she need a gym for if she lives in the country?

Shocked

_________________
"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow..." - jboogy

hope_full · Heavy Crude Joined: May 27, 2008 Posts: 170

Woah, back up the farm truck for a minute here. There are some bits and pieces in this article that are foolish, if not outright idiotic.

Okay, so times are tough and there's some belt tightening. And yet she states that the only place she can really trim any fat from household expense is by hanging clothes on the line?

I lived on $10,000 a year for several years (in early 2000) and I *know* about belt-tightening.

Ludi · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:24 am Post subject: Re: Rural laments

joelcolorado · Intermediate Crude Joined: May 25, 2008 Posts: 585

OUt here in Kansas, some of the things she talks about are pertinent. Doctors and groceries are often 60 miles or more away from the farms. Very hard for ppl to cope.

But also, I see kids with cell phones, cars and things we never had and they dont need. So the belt tightening is not here YET. However, restaurants are hurting now for the first time in a long time. And the retail is really starting to feel it.

I work for a major shipper and our business if off 30% so its coming fast now. Those are usually 3 month in advance indicators of things to come due to inventory reductions meaning less freight shipments.

China shutting down factories due to less orders so its on the way folks. Rural living is harder and more expensive as you cant ride your bike the miles to the store like if you life in the city. We moved to town and now my wife drives 2 miles to work instead of 15. However, my commute is 99 miles one way, three days a week. To get her a job there, would cost her 33% of her salary so gas is stil lcheap for us at that point. Hard commute no doubt tho.

green_achers · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:33 am Post subject: Re: Rural laments

Denny · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:01 am Post subject: Re: Rural laments

Regarding medical care. I recall stories my mother told, from her time back as kid on the prairies, the doctor came to vist them, not the other way around. Wouldn't that make more sense in farming areas? Its far less driving in total for a doctor to make a circuit tour to see patients in a day than it is to have each patient come to their office. Also, for much of the year, farmers are very busy, they can't take time to go a long drive to a doctor's office.

Ludi · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:17 am Post subject: Re: Rural laments

It would be wonderful if we had rural doctors again who would make housecalls.

Our veterinarians (both large and small) make housecalls.

But it is probably not profitable enough for modern doctors to do the old fashioned thing, they can make more money running an office in town.
_________________
"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow..." - jboogy

IanC · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:20 am Post subject: Re: Rural laments

As many others on this site, I have struggled with the best position to be in for the tough times coming (and already here). The allure of "Country Life" is incredibly powerful for me...until I take a step back and really look at what country living means. Say what you want about this person's choices, but we'd all find ourselves with similar challenges if we decided to bug out and make our own PO bunker.

Current country living in the so-called ex-urbs is nothing more than suburban living with a longer leash. People still want all of the conveniences of city life, but want the aesthetics of living rurally.

My family and I always ponder moving rurally and starting a biodynamic farm. We could do it. We have a lot of skills for city folks and, after many fits and starts, I'm sure we could make it work. However, we are totally enmeshed in an incredibly strong social web here in Portland. Our tribe just continues to grow and strengthen. Why would I isolate myself from this sort of community support that I have built up over so many years? Seems like a massive step backward in PO preparation to me.

My current answer to all this is to continue to live in the city, below my means, and sort of act like we live in the country: as big a garden as we can (that swingset's days are numbered, kids!!!), no cable, no TV, home canning, bike/walk/bus as much as possible, home centered hobbies, minimal out of town travel.

-IanC

benzoil · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:22 am Post subject: Re: Rural laments

Heineken · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:14 pm Post subject: Re: Rural laments

The key to rural living is not having to work for your income (as in, being retired), or not having to commute to your job (except electronically or by mail).

Also, you can live just a mile or two from a small or mid-sized town and still be very rural.

Personally, I'm looking forward to high gas prices driving out most of the vacationers and "Sunday drivers." That process is already under way.
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CarlinsDarlin · Moderator Joined: Jul 02, 2004 Posts: 1369

It's a choice. Live in town, closer to conveniences, or out in the boonies, where everything is farther away. We've made adjustments to be able to maintain our rural lifestyle. Recent adjustments, in fact. Carlin now drives a motorcycle to work each day. Both of our other vehicles (including the farm truck) stay parked 85% of the time. My (very) old Explorer sits 99% of the time. I fill it up with gas at the first of each month. I never use all the gas. It moves rarely. The truck might get filled twice a month - and then only if there's an out of town trip planned. We consolidate errands to be done on days when someone is already out. There is no pleasure driving anymore.

We take advantage of internet bill paying and shopping. We do still have some luxuries that can be cut - and will be, no doubt, in the future. Satellite TV being probably the first thing. My cell phone is pre-paid. I buy minutes for it once a month, at $25 a pop. I imagine we'd probably let the land line go before the cell phones - it costs us a lot more anyway. In fact, the only reason I have a land line now is because of the sucky dial up internet I have. Otherwise I'd save that $70 a month.

As for doctors and house calls... I agree it would make more sense, but I doubt I'll see it again in my lifetime. There's one large animal vet who makes house calls around here, but he charges $4 a mile, with a 40 mile minimum. I expect as it gets more expensive to drive, healthcare for people and animals both will suffer.

But, would I move back to town? Not on your life. We'll continue to make adjustments and cut back till nothing more can be cut. By then, we'd better be able to make it on our own.
K

joelcolorado · Intermediate Crude Joined: May 25, 2008 Posts: 585

My wife being a doctor, I dont think you are going to get doctors out on a rural route for many reasons. One, the procedures used today to diagnose cannot be done in your living room. Two, doctors cant carry the litany of meds that ppl will require after the visit so they have to go to town anyway. Three, people will NOT want to go back to the kind of care that those old docs gave. It was not like today for sure. They would help all they could but didnt do that much.
I know she uses a lot of tests these days but ppl are living to very old age because of that tool too. People want to know what is wrong, not, well, you are sick and need some rest type of care.

MD · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 5:37 pm Post subject: Re: Rural laments