Going to town

[georgerkahn]

How often do you go to town? I retired just shy of 2 years ago. For 24 years of my working life I drove a fair distance every day and interacted with a lot of people.

Now I don't care if I go to town much at all. Maybe once a week for tacos with Mrs.Thumbcocker but other than that I just don't feel the need. I can get a good 2 mile walk here on the farm. I communicate with friends via text. I watch YouTube videos on things that interest me and I cast and load. I read ebooks. I do go to the range once a week or so in good weather but I really don't feel the need to go to town. Mrs.Thumbcocker does the grocery shopping and enjoys that sort of thing.

Sadly, my life has shrunk to "doctor visits; lab work; the highlight trip to get Essence for truck and Diesel for tractor; and, the once monthly haircut." My wife does pretty much all grocery shopping, and "Amazon loves me" (or, they should!!!). Yup, most bucks are spent on-line -- even a few on S&S here -- and that I can get something(s) I wish delivered to my doorstep for less than brick 'n mortar shops.... Two years back our G E microwave oven died, and I rang local appliance store to get a $349.00 plus two-week to get it quote. I voiced I'd let them know. Long story short is TWO DAYS later a FedEx kid carried the identical microwave into our kitchen -- I didn't even have to go out the door -- total cost to me? $187.92!
geo

[Bentstick]

Twice a day just to pass through going work and coming home from work stop now and again for needs or wants in our lil town of 850, wife does the grocery on her trips or lunch hr while at work, anytime I get to a city is for a funeral any more or traveling to hills of Kentucky to visit with a friend that lives in BFE, I like that since we live in the woods on 50 acres with a damn fine trout stream out the front porch.

[SeabeeMan]

10 miles out outside of a town of 2500 and we make it in for something about once a week. Usually it is a random weeknight on the way home from work for something at the grocery store or something from the hardware store. We make it to town-town (pop 9000) to do our big stock up run on groceries at Aldi every 2-3 week and pick up whatever we need at Farm and Fleet. Duluth or Eau Claire, which is the nearest thing most would consider a city, complete with a Target/mall/etc is maybe once every 3-4 months.

[Guncrank]

Retired now coming up on 5 years. It takes an authorization of congress and a invocation from the Pope to get me off the farm and into town anymore!
Yup I am just that much of a "people-person".

GC

[Txcowboy52]

I’m with you Thumbcocker. My sweet wife and I retired a year ago December. We live about 10 miles from the closest small town to the west or an even smaller town to the east depending on the direction you go. I make it to town maybe twice a month. Could care less if I ever leave hacienda. Like other have said anything you want can be delivered right to the front door. I can cast boolits, reload or even walk down to the range and shoot till I’m give out , what else does a man need .

[Gewehr-Guy]

I make a trip to a town of 140 pop. most every day, to have coffee at the feed mill. Mostly the same people telling the same stories, but all good neighbors. When the weather turns nice, I ride the Honda rancher, when it's cold , take the pickup. Only 3 miles,so it doesn't cost much.
My trips to the big city of 12,000 pop about once a week, to buy a few groceries and parts that are needed. One hour of people is plenty, then I'm ready to go home.

[Thumbcocker]

I am with you on enjoying road trips. Especially if I can do it on two wheels.

We like to do road trip vacations but our favorite destination is public land in Southern Utah for rock shooting.

[Rich/WIS]

Couple of times a week to town, groceries, dinner out, or to the range Fortunately it is less than 5 miles to the interstate and have a selection of the usual fast food places, a Waffle House, a good Mexican restaurant, Subway, a BBQ place with an all you can eat buffet, and a gun shop. Grocery stores are only a few miles more or if I go 4 miles up the interstate have another selection of places to eat and a Walmart. Sadly have to go across town if I want Chinese. Don't live in the country as such but the only houses are along the road and my property adjoins the Daniel Boone National Forest, essentially on the edge of the "wilderness".

[Slugster]

I moved to the rural areas of Kentucky in 1981. My criteria for a home is that it has to be at least 20 miles from any city, and 7 miles from an interstate. I go to town for Dr appointments, hardware store, gun store, as needed. Mrs Slugster does the grocery shopping. I worked with a lot of millenials and generally non-motivated individuals. Retired almost five years ago and it was the second best decision I have made in my life. First was to marry Mrs mslugster. There is a farm across the road from me, and am surrounded by woods. I have 14 acres and a paid for home. My own range. Am satisfied with my life and can ask for nothing more. Hard work and sweat put me where I am. Life is good.

[MaryB]

I moved to the rural areas of Kentucky in 1981. My criteria for a home is that it has to be at least 20 miles from any city, and 7 miles from an interstate. I go to town for Dr appointments, hardware store, gun store, as needed. Mrs Slugster does the grocery shopping. I worked with a lot of millenials and generally non-motivated individuals. Retired almost five years ago and it was the second best decision I have made in my life. First was to marry Mrs mslugster. There is a farm across the road from me, and am surrounded by woods. I have 14 acres and a paid for home. My own range. Am satisfied with my life and can ask for nothing more. Hard work and sweat put me where I am. Life is good.

I am 5 miles off the nearest state hwy, interstate? 70ish miles give or take LOL when I say middle of nowhere it literally is the middle of nowhere... 25 miles east to a town of 5,000 with limited places to eat out(they do have an okay Chinese buffet), 25 miles SW to a town of 13,000 that has many decent places to eat at, 20 miles N to a town of 3,000 and limited shopping(overpriced local grocery, Subway or Dairy Queen for food...), E and SW have good shopping and can eat out... several small town bars within 8 miles where I can get a mediocre burger and fries...

And I wouldn't move to a city if you paid me a $1 million! I would rapidly go postal! Traffic jam here is 3-4 semis/tractors lined up at the grain elevator waiting to unload. Maybe 20 cars a week day in front of my house... weekends 5...

Looking north from the west side of my property... nothing there which is the way I like it!

[MUSTANG]

Nice Antenna Arrays!!

[WRideout]

I am 5 miles off the nearest state hwy, interstate? 70ish miles give or take LOL when I say middle of nowhere it literally is the middle of nowhere... 25 miles east to a town of 5,000 with limited places to eat out(they do have an okay Chinese buffet), 25 miles SW to a town of 13,000 that has many decent places to eat at, 20 miles N to a town of 3,000 and limited shopping(overpriced local grocery, Subway or Dairy Queen for food...), E and SW have good shopping and can eat out... several small town bars within 8 miles where I can get a mediocre burger and fries...

And I wouldn't move to a city if you paid me a $1 million! I would rapidly go postal! Traffic jam here is 3-4 semis/tractors lined up at the grain elevator waiting to unload. Maybe 20 cars a week day in front of my house... weekends 5...

Looking north from the west side of my property... nothing there which is the way I like it!

In my youth I had a novice license; WN6GFO. I still get jealous looking at your antenna array.

Wayne

[compass will]

Something it sounds like a lot of you need to look into. Mail order drugs. 90 day supply for co pay price of 30 day supply.

[MaryB]

Nice Antenna Arrays!!

The four 20' long 2 meter yagis tracking the moon



Last falls antenna rotor replacement/add 2 new antennas project, can see two of the 2 meter yagis in the backgound. Friend was putting the last antenna back in place, 5 element 6 meter yagi on a 20' boom.



Tower #3 going up this spring, it will have four 21' long 70cm yagis with az/el control... got the bottom section cemented in last fall but ran out of decent weather to assemble rest of the tower and put up the antennas.

[MaryB]

In my youth I had a novice license; WN6GFO. I still get jealous looking at your antenna array.

Wayne

No morse code anymore to get the license! Simple multiple choice test, study guides and practice tests(with the actual questions!) online... way easier now than I was a novice in 1974!

[MaryB]

Something it sounds like a lot of you need to look into. Mail order drugs. 90 day supply for co pay price of 30 day supply.

3 of the ones I take cannot be shipped.

[WRideout]

No morse code anymore to get the license! Simple multiple choice test, study guides and practice tests(with the actual questions!) online... way easier now than I was a novice in 1974!

I actually kind of liked the code. When I joined the army in 1972, the recruits at Ft. Ord actually had to take a Morse code test. I passed with flying colors.
Wayne

[n9tkf]

The four 20' long 2 meter yagis tracking the moon



Last falls antenna rotor replacement/add 2 new antennas project, can see two of the 2 meter yagis in the backgound. Friend was putting the last antenna back in place, 5 element 6 meter yagi on a 20' boom.



Tower #3 going up this spring, it will have four 21' long 70cm yagis with az/el control... got the bottom section cemented in last fall but ran out of decent weather to assemble rest of the tower and put up the antennas.

Nice setup! I use a sling shot with a fishing reel and sling the HF dipoles in the trees. Works well for me. On VHF and UHF I usually use a hotspot with a HT to talk on the linked repeaters.

[n9tkf]

I actually kind of liked the code. When I joined the army in 1972, the recruits at Ft. Ord actually had to take a Morse code test. I passed with flying colors.
Wayne

Hams still use code but it is not required for the test. Lots of code on HF bands.

[imashooter2]

Here in the suburbs, it’s hard not to.