Happy Labor Day, Everyone! (Do your best to avoid actual labor.)
Idyllic images are easy to conjure. The rocker on the covered porch. The alfresco country meal. The gathering to applaud sunset. The long vista of rolling hills or mountains. The ice-cold beer next to the aging wicker chair.
That’s Easy Country Living!
It’s also the life my wife and I have been living out here in Texas Hill Country. Johnson City, to be specific. Four miles from the entry to Pedernales State Park.
It is said that 90 percent of all Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart. Not us.
Our nearest Walmart is 26 miles away, in Marble Falls. Don’t get me wrong. We are surrounded by Walmart stores – north, south, east and west – but none are closer. Fortunately, the nearest HEB is only 15 miles away. Tractor Supply, with its amazing variety of flavored beef jerky, is even closer.
We’re not isolated. Not really.
But if you live in a city or a suburb and feel the lure of that Easy Country Living, let me tell you some things. And be forewarned: You’re likely to be dog tired by the time you sit in that rocking chair at sunset.
The Internet Isn’t Everywhere
My son Ollie likes to tell stories about people who build huge houses out here – yes, $1 million to $3 million builds – assuming that high speed Internet is everywhere. It isn’t. He knows this because he built a small WISP company (Wireless Internet Service Provider). Regularly, he must tell people they may need to build a tower, cut trees or have trenches dug, to get service that can be slowed by a storm or impaired by trees on a neighbor’s property. And, no, Starlink isn’t a cure-all.
(Fortunately for us, Ollie lives about 500 feet away and, yes, he provides our Internet service. His near-hilltop location is not only good for wireless Internet. It’s also good for food. If he brings an avocado offering to his sister, who lives 500 feet further south, he gets breakfast. If he just shows up at our place, he gets dinner.)
You Will Have Interesting Neighbors
If you are daring and fortunate, you will meet some of them before you die. You could, however, die trying to meet some of them if you go on their property unannounced. So far, I haven’t met any of our neighbors with signs that say their property is protected by Smith and Wesson.
Most neighbors are friendly. They also recognize that we need to look out for each other, so when you get to know your neighbors, you’ll probably spend time trading tools, checking shut-off valves for neighbors who are away during major storms, etc. Most have lived out here a long time.
Nature Never Stops Growing
My best friend gave me his 42-inch John Deere lawn tractor. I treasure it. For him the gift was a sign that he had graduated from property care – he was moving to a gated community. The HOA does the mowing and landscape care.
We live on 17 acres of wildlife preserve land, but the ancient John Deere, tough as it is, can barely defend two acres from being overgrown. Everything else must do what it does.
You’ll Be in List-Making Heaven
My wife has her lists. I have mine. Her list includes watering plants, feeding the outdoor resident feral cats that keep down the scorpion and mouse population. She also needs to think of new ways to outwit the racoons. My list includes things like adding potassium to the water softener, checking the well pump for the tiny ants that can interrupt power, checking our well reservoir and rainwater tanks, keeping the EZ-GO charged and having all our electrical power tools ready to use. Did I mention filling the turkey feeder, in the full knowledge that it will be emptied by deer?
And, yes, I water one plant, my treasured basil plant. I now keep it on the porch – the deer ate the earlier planting at ground level. They have yet to climb the porch. (That said, stray goats from our neighbor, climbed the porch to visit just a few weeks ago.)
Trust me, you will not be idle.
And one day, in one of those Easy Country Living moments, something will catch your eye. In that instant you’ll understand something you’d never understand as a city dweller. You’ll see how truly big life is and how so much of life is pure, wonderful chance.
Related columns:
Scott Burns, “Last House Syndrome,” 12/15/2018: https://scottburns.com/last-house-syndrome/
Scott Burns, “Too Much House at the End of Your Money,” 3/27/2024: https://scottburns.com/too-much-house-at-the-end-of-your-money/
Scott Burns, “This Old Mobile Home: Raze or Save?” 1/12/2019: https://scottburns.com/this-old-mobile-home-raze-or-save/
Scott Burns, “The Secret of Crystal Bay,” 2/27/2015: https://scottburns.com/the-secret-of-crystal-bay/
Scott Burns, “Two Ways to Own a Manufactured Home,” 3/6/2015: https://scottburns.com/two-ways-to-own-a-manufactured-home-2/
Sources and References:
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED, “Median Sales Price of Houses Sold in the United States”: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUS
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED, “Monthly Supply of New Houses in the United States”: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUS
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED, “30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States”: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MORTGAGE30US
This information is distributed for education purposes, and it is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, recommendation, or endorsement of any particular security, product, or service.
Photo: Scott Burns, 8/27/25 A perfect Texas sky
(c) Scott Burns, 2025
7 thoughts on “About That “Easy” Country Living…”
Comments are closed.
It sounds like you are happily settled into country living. How useful has your second mobile home been for you? Do you utilize it enough to justify the remodeling expenditures and additional maintenance?
Hi David,
In a word, YES. Our first decision was not to avoid building a traditional home from scratch — too much time and too tempting for additional spending to “make perfect.” Then we found that just building a small office structure would cost at least what we would likely spend on a basic rehab of the second manufactured home. So now we have our personal house with a single bedroom, 1 1/2 baths, kitchen/dining area, Living room and media room. Then, about 100 feet away, we have the office/guest house with 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, another kitchen/dining area, living room and library/office.
This coming weekend a granddaughter will be visiting, bringing her fiancee to meet us. Friends visit and stay. And we’ve given the house, at different times, to 2 couples that badly needed a free place to stay. The operating costs are reasonable and the taxes are small because these are old manufactured homes.
The only caution I want to add is that this works because my wife and I both love doing this kind of thing, imagining spaces and then creating them. Others might find it a bit tiring!
Scott
Scott,
Yes, Country Living creates a laundry list of ‘to do’ items depending on the Season.
My wife has plenty of plants that ‘our’ deer love….even the varieties that they state deer do NOT eat…
Those plants are now on our front/back porch and so far, deer have yet to climb a few stairs to reach them.
But retired, Country Living allows you to take any detour that entices you to change course.
Just yesterday, I took a short 5 minute detour to watch and photograph an 8″ long walking stick. The last time I had seen one was 2 years ago….maybe I will get to see another praying mantis in the coming weeks (something else I have not see in years).
Short interludes that I would never see in DFW (or Chicago)….
My ‘to do’ list is calling (well, actually my wife reminding me) . 🙂
regards,
Bill
what happens when you (and wife) grow old enough not to be able to take care of yourself? how far is the nearest doctor or emergency room?
Our primary care doc is about 12 miles away, non-emergency quick care is about 20 miles away, and a full ER is about 30 miles. The last is far from ideal. Otherwise, we have 2 of our adult children living within 1000 feet and seem them both almost daily. We expect that we’ll hire some level(s) of help and may use our guest house as part of that. So I hope we can avoid institutional support — as in nursing care — for the rest of our lives. But we also have the financial resources if that becomes necessary.
Our biggest exposure is distance from an ER.
Our primary care doctor is about 13 miles away and the nearest full ER is about 25 miles away, not ideal for a real emergency. But we have a son and a daughter who live on adjacent properties not more than 1,000 feet away. We also have a guest house/office that could be used to house a person who could help with daily living if we become somewhat incapacitated. So I think we’re better set up than most people except for the transit time to a full ER. A range of long term care facilities exist or are being built in the event we would need to make that decision — but we’d like to avoid it, if possible.
Nice column. I enjoyed your columns from when you prepared and moved to your current homestead and I was happy to hear this update. It makes me remember Leon Hale and his tales. One of my favorite was him talking about his Winedale country house. He said he some people said he lived 5 miles “as the crow flies” from the Post office. He said those people had never lived in the country and observed a crow flying. Crows never fly in a straight line. I guess if you sit on the porch long enough you know the truth to some of the “wisdoms.”