Would anyone else like to see a new board titled something like "Rural Lifestyles?" We have many members currently living this life and many more that have in the past. While many have their own personal threads, I think it would be nice especially for seniors seeking information about such, to be able to search and find an accumulation of threads all under one board. As an example, I see under different boards things like "Tractors" and "Fairs" and "Gardening" and "Raising animals," and "trail riding" that might be better put under one roof. My idea is that things of a professional nature would remain where they are. I know there is an increasing number of seniors, mainly younger ones now retiring, seeking information on rural living. It might be an asset to read threads all under one board by those that are currently living the life and others that may have in their childhood and younger years. I am not proposing moving threads and creating a lot of work for anyone, but rather fresh new threads under this new board. I see it as a magazine that would offer visibility to SOC. What are your thoughts?
I like the idea to chat about living in rural areas as I do ….I live 170 km from the nearest city Adelaide It’s got it’s benefits and drawbacks such as if you need / want to see a specialist of have any special treatment such as seeing a Dermatologists / cardiologists/ you gave to wait till they come up every second month no Dermatologists visit … Our local supermarket have a habit of advertising specials but when you go to buy them you get “oh that’s coming on-the truck on Saturday” Mail takes at least 3 days longer to reach us than city residents. Dare I say it ….lots of doctors who are not Australian born and are hard to understand their language I don’t go to them ..I’ve got my own GP in the city been seeing same one for 35 years
Possibly, @Ken Anderson could make a sub-forum under the gardening section for rural lifestyle if enough people are interested in that subject. Then some of the existing threads, such as the one about tractors , could be moved to that sub-forum area. I like the idea, and I think that some of the threads that we have tried to fit into other categories would be much better under a rural -living sub-forum. I do not mind moving threads, but I might not find all of the appropriate ones right away, so it would help if people recommended some to me that they want moved once we have the new sub forum for that.
I like the idea, and I think that some of the threads that we have tried to fit into other categories would be much better under a rural -living sub-forum. ^^^^^ This sounds like it would cover the benefits / challenges of rural living that I touched on in my previous post. Even living so close to,the sea has its challenges. @Yvonne Smith
Keep the comments coming, and I'll look at it once more people have weighed in, preferably with suggestions.
I don't have an opinion one way or another, except to say that the rural lifestyles topics Faye mentions encompass a lot more than gardening.
One can grow crops anywhere … Rural living has its challenges @Beth Gallagher Just one little example if we want to be tested for that C word we have to travel over 100 km ( each way ) from home to do so …and with the new variant raising its ugly head in Australia it’s not good enough with petrol prices $2.20a Ltr
I just meant that maybe the rural lifestyle topic doesn't need to be placed under the gardening section of the forum, Kate. Of course, it really doesn't matter to me.
…..we wouldn’t want a sub forum set up ..and no one can find it to contribute, cause it’s got lost amongst the radish plants @Beth Gallagher
I typed out a lot of garbage and then deleted it. I think it's a good idea, although I'm still on the fence a bit regarding fragmenting topics. For example, those of us in rural areas are affected by the price of fuel differently than those in suburbia, but it is more beneficial to keep such conversations contained under a single thread. We'll just have to keep our eyes open for things to not get too fragmented, but I can't think of much else that would except Food-related stuff. Before making detailed suggestions, I'd like to know if we're talking about an entire area named "Rural Living" at the same level as "Getting It Done" with a bunch of preset general topics under which people create threads. If so... -Create a group named Raising and Caring for Livestock (might have a separate group for raising critters to be processed) -Maybe create a group named Wildlife (risk of fragmentation, nearly everyone's got birds & deer) --Then change "Pets and Critters" to "Pets" -Move Crops and Gardens to Rural Living (you may want to scan that group to see if a different group might be needed for the lawn & [flower] garden stuff) -Create a group called Tractors -Create a group called Wells and Septic Systems -Create a group called Livestock, Agricultural and County Fairs -Maybe create a group called Rural Culture and Social Life (risk of fragmentation) -Maybe create a group called Finding Doctors, Plumbers and Service Providers (risk of fragmentation) We might want to defer creating the groups I've identified as having a risk of fragmentation. Lots of ideas cross-pollinate, and one conversation sparks another. I'd hate to have talks about "there's nothing to do out here" and miss out on the suggestions of what others do in their non-rural settings, or the steps they took to remedy boredom that might have universal applicability. Perhaps we could start with the things that are strictly rural and branch out slowly.
My idea was to start an entirely new "forum section" just like politics, religion, gadgets, or the evolution of language, etc. It could then have several subsections where more specific talk might be found such as equipment, livestock, recreation (trail riding square dancing) gardening, wood cutting, etc. if interest was enough. My idea is the Rural Living forum would be the heading under which many of our current categories and subcategories, boards, or whatever would fall. @Yvonne Smith It would be a massive job and in my opinion not necessary to try and move any thread or board related to rural living under it. I was thinking instead of a lot of subcategories very few see, why not just the major forum "Rural Living" and then let the posters start threads with their interest. Maybe just leave most related topics where they are unless the originator of the thread wants it moved. No reason this should be a lot of work for anyone. It seems this forum has a lot of interest in rural living and many are still actively living the life so having a "forum" that other seniors searching the internet could easily find, would be a good thing for SOC. I think even urban seniors might find it interesting because of the necessity to make preparations in these uncertain times. I don't think it would take anything away from our other forums and boards, just add visibility to SOC and make it easy to find rural living topics without hours of searching. As Kate pointed out, rural living is more than growing food or animals, and especially for seniors presents problems with access to medical, etc. Rural living includes folks living in small towns that may not be active in raising animals or gardening, but want to talk about social structures, maybe about meeting at the one and only gas station for coffee and playing dominos. To be more specific, I would think "Rural Living" would be best under the major board or forum titled "Getting it Done." It would stand alone and not be hidden among the radishes as Kate says.
I thought of an alternative title..."Down in the Boondocks". The song by that name was a hit in 1965, so it's fitting for a senior forum.
We may have to dwell among caves if we do not find a place to live. Then I might need some real survival skills. Personally it does not matter to me, if someone wants rural category, it could be an interesting read maybe. I am just trying to survive the concrete jungle for now.
If I recall the song correctly, that would bring discussions of Romeo & Juliet and of West Side Story and of other ill-matched lovers. Our faults lie not in our forums but in our posts.