Finding a Russian woman for rural living

[Misha]

Nah, the rest of the year you fix what was broken in season ha ha.

The guys you dated were clearly not very good mechanics 

[Ranetka]

Mexico and Cuba are pretty nice in the winter  :evil:

Aha. Three weeks in the sun instead of countless summer evenings with a drink in hand, nice long walks without a need for a coats,  trips to the sea at evenings and weekends? Not exactly a replacement.

[Ranetka]

The guys you dated were clearly not very good mechanics 

Well, one was into restoring antique tractors....

Another one I only dated during summer but I know he had plans for installing a totally new heating system and rebuilding the house...

Problems with farmers throughout the world they work way too hard.

[Misha]

Problems with farmers throughout the world they work way too hard.

The same could be said of corporate lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs...

[PARADOJAS]

Here's a short story, abbreviated, entitled: "The Lawyer and the Handyman." I think Dostoyevskii wrote it between turns at the roulette table in Paris.

There once was an aristocrat named Pavel and his beautiful wife Maria. Pavel was a wealthy land owner who owned quite a few serfs who he enjoyed humiliating. Maria was many years younger than Pavel and was having an affair with Sasha, a local workman. The story revolves around Pavel's expensive carriage which was constantly breaking down. Seems Maria was sabotaging the carriage which necessitated Pavel continually hiring Sasha to come to the estate and make repairs. Turns out, Sasha was quite the handyman,

[mies]

.

[mies]

Mies--here's my two cents' worth--I think you've got too much time on your hands.

oh yeah?
no, i just think and type fast.

[dbneeley]

Isn't it interesting how some threads like this one can seem to take on a life of their own?

For Misha--farming varies greatly depending upon the location. Many farms are much smaller than what you might be used to in the Plains grain farm areas. Most, in fact, are much smaller than that.

In this case, however, the OP lives in New England, where as far as I am aware there are no really large farms. In many places, in fact, the fields are quite small and often bordered by rock walls created from the rocks extracted over the years in the fields themselves. Some very nice dairy country, I believe.

However, an off-grid homestead in a rural location is quite another matter. Some have animals and almost all have gardens of one sort or another. Being off the electric grid can mean anything from having little or no electric power to having as much as an on-grid home would have--and everything in between. A typical pattern in New England might often include some solar and/or wind power, often with a backup generator of some sort. Those who are fortunate to have appropriate water sources may even have a mciro-hydro setup the best ones of which may give ample electric power year round and preclude the need for other sources.

In other words, since the gentleman has not specified, it is fairly useless to speculate.

Also, we don't know the situation regarding neighbors or how close to population centers he may be.

I know some folks, for example, who live in quite rural locations, but who spend many weekends in town. This has been a pattern in many places for generations. One town in Texas I enjoyed many times is Fredericksburg, where there are many small "Sunday houses" built in the 19th century by just such folks--who lived on farms away from town, and who came into the town on weekends for shopping, socializing, and to attend church on Sunday mornings.

(I am a moderator of a Yahoo group called "offgridlivingandhomesteading" so I am exposed to a few thousand folks in similar circumstances to the OP, as it happens.)

David

[mies]

 

[PARADOJAS]

Hey Mies,

They could have shot that video right here in Vermont. It looked like Ladies' Night at Snuffy's. And David, you're right. Outside of some large dairy farms in the Champlain Valley, the average farm here is small acreage, a good portion of which is forested and probably devoted to sugar bush. Myself, I want to grow apples and berries. I'm living in east central VT (the Upper Valley) right now, and Dartmout College is close by. So is the Appalachian Trail which runs right thru town.

RJ

[Doll]

 

[mies]

Hey Mies,

They could have shot that video right here in Vermont. It looked like Ladies' Night at Snuffy's. And David, you're right. Outside of some large dairy farms in the Champlain Valley, the average farm here is small acreage, a good portion of which is forested and probably devoted to sugar bush. Myself, I want to grow apples and berries. I'm living in east central VT (the Upper Valley) right now, and Dartmout College is close by. So is the Appalachian Trail which runs right thru town.

RJ

would you be attracted to a girl like that?

[Misha]

Outside of some large dairy farms in the Champlain Valley, the average farm here is small acreage, a good portion of which is forested and probably devoted to sugar bush.

AKA hobby farms  The kind of farm that you have if you have a job elsewhere, not that much different that Russian who will "farm" their dachas for extra food or simply pleasure...

[Misha]

For Misha--farming varies greatly depending upon the location. Many farms are much smaller than what you might be used to in the Plains grain farm areas. Most, in fact, are much smaller than that.

And, usually, they are not used as the principle source of income. If I wanted, I could buy a few acres and grow some produce, but I wouldn't call myself a farmer 

In this case, however, the OP lives in New England, where as far as I am aware there are no really large farms.

If you look at the history of this region, you will see that many farms were abandoned and those who really wanted to farm moved westwards as these were marginal lands for the growing of crops. Trees cover what used to be fields in the 19th century. Dairy was the saving grace as it allowed for a more productive use of the land that was not ideally suited for the growing of crops....

[dbneeley]

AKA hobby farms  The kind of farm that you have if you have a job elsewhere, not that much different that Russian who will "farm" their dachas for extra food or simply pleasure...

Actually, some farms can be sufficiently lucrative on fairly small acreage--especially if they grow high-priced specialty vegetables for the higher end restaurants and more exclusive grocers in an area--things that are not otherwise readily available fresh, such as heirloom tomatoes, unusual salad vegetables, perhaps even more exotic mushrooms. Many of those items can be labor intensive and not yield to much mechanized cultivation. Another approach is to raise organic produce, again which can be labor intensive, but because it can bring a premium price, again it can often be done successfully on smaller acreage.

They can be very far from "hobby farms" in fact.

As for RJ, apples and berries can range from the "hobby" category to a full-on commercial situation depending upon the extent of planting. Personally, I would stick with the dwarf apples because they are so much simpler to maintain and harvest and because they produce much faster if there are not already mature trees on the property. Yield per acre, too, can be as large as with the bigger trees since there can be so many more of them.

Most of the places there should be good for various kinds of autumn squash as well, including some of the fancier varieties that can bring top dollar (although mostly as Fall season decor items).

David

 

[PARADOJAS]

You're right on with your last post David. Growing speciality crops and organic food is just not a hobby, it can earn you enough dinero to get by, and in some cases, to live quite well. There are folks here making high priced quality cheeses, hard cider and even vodka. But it's also true many folks have other forms of income--logging, landscapping, snow plowing, computer work at home, etc. I've even heard some people grow ganga, but I wouldn't know anything about that.

[ConnerVT]

Why after 20 or more years after collapse of FSU and after 20 or more widespread freedom of information and after 20 or more years of widespread internet interactions between FSUW and WM . . . .

do FSUW not fully understand that life in western village, small city and medium size city has virtually zero in common with life in FSU village, small city or medium size city??????

Anyone have answer to this??

Because the difference in income, wealth, and lifestyle between those who live in these locations in the FSU is significantly greater than those who live in the US equivalents.

[ML]

Quote from: ManLooking on February 03, 2011, 10:15:51 AM

Why after 20 or more years after collapse of FSU and after 20 or more widespread freedom of information and after 20 or more years of widespread internet interactions between FSUW and WM . . . .

do FSUW not fully understand that life in western village, small city and medium size city has virtually zero in common with life in FSU village, small city or medium size city????

Anyone have answer to this??

Because the difference in income, wealth, and lifestyle between those who live in these locations in the FSU is significantly greater than those who live in the US equivalents.

Conner, you merely state in different words what I already said. 
You did not address my 'why' question?

[mies]

ManLooking - I can answer your question "why".
Because:
1) Information is imperfect. That goes in both directions. You may not know details of life in FSU, people in FSU may not be aware of some tiny details of life in USA. Some things you can learn only through first-hand experience. Random examples: family restrooms, diapers change stations in public toilets, and disabled parking.
2) Even when information IS available, it is so abundant that you need to know what you are looking for, to be able to navigate in the endless universe of random facts. If you know nothing about life in a foreign country, you are going to select "search keywords" based on your experiences in your native country. But since countries are different, you cannot design a question that has never been a concern for you before, while is can be essential in the foreign country.
3) some information may not be fully available. See - I've asked the OP questions about his life, and he doesn't want to answer them and is rude. So what do I know about his lifestyle? Nothing. Even thought at the moment we both live in the same country.

About "0 in common" - you are not quite right. There certainly are some commonalities between rural vs. urban lifestyle in USA and FSU.

[I/O]

Why after 20 or more years after collapse of FSU and after 20 or more widespread freedom of information and after 20 or more years of widespread internet interactions between FSUW and WM . . . .

do FSUW not fully understand that life in western village, small city and medium size city has virtually zero in common with life in FSU village, small city or medium size city????

Because the supposition is incorrect.

[Turboguy]

Problems with farmers throughout the world they work way too hard.

I worked in the agricultural equipment business for a long time up to 20 years ago.  Farming can be so many different things that there is no one standard.  In the North East and some other places like Wisconsin it is mostly dairy farming and I wouldn't be a dairy farmer for all the money in the world.  Farms are 100-200 acres.  Up every morning at 3 to milk the cows.  Vacations are about impossible and the money isn't great.  The term for the grain farmers in the midwest and central stages was CBM farmers.   That stood for Corn, Beans, Miami.  They were often farming thousands of acres or more.  They worked 90 days a year and had great incomes, sometimes in the millions.  Of course there are other things such as I knew one family in CT that had a 24 acre pick your own vegetable farm and 4 families made a great income off those 24 acres.

I can't say life as a farmer ever appealed to me but those who do it often do it for love.  It can be a nice profession and it caqn be very profitable.

[PARADOJAS]

Say Mies, to answer your question of would I be attracted to any of the girls in the video you posted: I guess I'm more of an Ellie Mae Clampett (sp?) kind of guy.

[Muzh]

How did this thread become one about farming? My original post was about finding a woman who would like a "rural" (as in not a city) lifestyle. Perhaps I should have written "country" rather than "rural." Again, I am NOT A FARMER. In fact, I don't want to be a farmer. I just like growing my own food, just like some folks do in their dachas. I like the "rural" lifestyle because it slows down life. There are not all the distractions, pollution and crime one finds in the city. You have time to reflect about life and your place in it. There is a direct connection between you and the earth. My ex Tanya told me at her friend's dacha in Peredelkino, "Russian people are true peasants of earth." She then went on to give me a dazzling display of the proper technique of weeding a garden row with a hoe, all dressed in a bikini, sunhat and work boots.

ROTFLMFAO  Boy, you sure know how to make an entrance! I'll try to find a picture of my inlaw's neighbor when I visited them last summer. She looks just like your description above. Hubba Hubba.

[Muzh]

In this case, however, the OP lives in New England, where as far as I am aware there are no really large farms. In many places, in fact, the fields are quite small and often bordered by rock walls created from the rocks extracted over the years in the fields themselves. Some very nice dairy country, I believe.

However, an off-grid homestead in a rural location is quite another matter. Some have animals and almost all have gardens of one sort or another. Being off the electric grid can mean anything from having little or no electric power to having as much as an on-grid home would have--and everything in between. A typical pattern in New England might often include some solar and/or wind power, often with a backup generator of some sort. Those who are fortunate to have appropriate water sources may even have a mciro-hydro setup the best ones of which may give ample electric power year round and preclude the need for other sources.

In other words, since the gentleman has not specified, it is fairly useless to speculate.


David

Geez David, it is obvious you haven't set foot in the Northeast. Next time you are around here I'll take you for a ride in central NY. NOT Central Park. If you don't like NY, I can take you to Maine. Great potatos there.

[Muzh]

Here's the ORIGINAL Eastern European babe in farmland America.