What part of the country (State if your inclined) do you live in?
two25acres
4 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (96)
Marilyn Sue McClintock
4 years agosusie53_gw
4 years agoRelated Discussions
what state or country do yoou wish you lived in?
Comments (28)Like Worth, I'd been seeing this thread but not connecting with it. I was born 50 miles from where I live now. I moved from I guess you would call it northern Southeast Kansas to central Southeast Kansas. I've seen some beautiful scenery right here in the Sunflower state and you can't beat the growing season unless it would be semi-tropical, but that would get boring. I guess if I was run out of Kansas on a rail, I'd have to return to where my ancestors first put roots in this nation; Pennsylvania. Like Kansas, there is a lot of history there. My great-great grandfather was a Quaker preacher in Pennsylvania. He was a food and clothing stop on the way north in the Underground Railroad....See MoreHow do you have an in-law live with you and keep your sanity?
Comments (46)This is the first time in a while I've had a chance to read through the more recent posts. I have to say my heart goes out to Melissa Stewart, who never did post again, sadly. My first impulse was to suggest putting a lock on the bedroom door! BTW, maifleur01's post of August 28, 2016 wasn't very clear to me. I think what she was saying was that AL facilities might be helpful to early/moderate dementia patients, but not all of them are willing to be moved there. This is very true. My MIL did not want to move. However, we did not give her a choice. She had lived with us for 7 yrs and it was stressing my DH's (her only child) health. The facility we found for her is a world away from the "just sitting in chairs" places. It is a 5-acre secure campus, complete with its own senior center and as mentioned before, a full schedule of activities every day. The regular routines and voluntary activities helped very much in slowing down the progression of her dementia. Her anxiety lessened, and she no longer needed the anti-depressants or BP bills either. She was the ideal candidate for a facility because she was very social but personally awkward at making friends (she felt it was being "pushy" and unladylike to be the instigator). The casual, regular social interactions enabled her to finally make new friends. This non-profit facility is the third-ranked of its type in the state. It has the lowest staff turnover percentage and one of the highest staff-to-resident ratios. The downside is, you need $$$ for this. Without exception we found the better quality full-care facilities did not take Medicaid patients. IF you passed the interview, had a signed evaluation of your mental/physical health from your doctor, and could claim sufficient financial assets for at least 5 yrs of rental expense, you could be accepted as a resident. In such case, as a current resident if you needed care in the future and ran out of funds, the facility can CHOOSE to apply for Medicaid on your behalf so you may continue to be a resident. Most non-profits will do this. Many for-profits, which unfortunately comprise the bulk of the industry and who are rapidly buying up existing non-profits when possible, do NOT do this. No funds = no residency. Always be sure, if you are looking for a facility for an elderly family member, that you make several visits, research their rankings (both federal and state inspections), and ask as many questions about "what if?" as you can. Just FYI, an article last week in the WS Journal on "We're running out of caregivers" said the average cost of a home health aide, full time (8 hr day) is now $49,000/yr. Remember if the aide is hired directly, you are also responsible for Social Security and other taxes, as an employer....See MoreHow long have you lived in your home and do you plan to stay?
Comments (87)Dh and I have lived in our current house for our entire marriage, 17 years. Truthfully, it was being built when we got married, so we lived in an apt for 2 months, then my parents for a month then it was ready. We live on the outskirts of a waterfront tourist town. We were supposed to be here for 3 years. Dh was in the Navy and this was not supposed to be our forever home as we anticipated being transferred by the Navy. However, dh realized the Navy was not meant to be his career as he didn't want to constantly move once we had kids. We wanted to live close to one of our families, but unfortunately, they live on opposite coasts. He is from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I am from the Wash DC area. Since it was the height of the tech boom at the time dh was getting out of the Navy, and we simply could not afford a home in the Silicon Valley, he got a job here, which fortunately is only 25 minutes from my parents. And here we've stayed. It is NOT my dream home. I don't even really like it. It was small when we moved in, and even smaller after having four kids! We looked around at moving to a different home, but absolutely love our neighbors and our community so finding a home that fit our needs was very difficult. We live in a high COL so home prices made it hard to find something that fit our desires while still being affordable. 10 years ago, we added on and while the space has helped, it hasn't changed the fact that our floorplan isn't desirable to us. We live in a waterfront community with very strict building codes, so we worked within that and have maxed out what we can do w/o completely gutting the house and starting over. With four kids in private school and one off to college in four years, I've pretty much resigned myself that we won't be moving anytime soon, nor can we really afford at this point to do any major changes that would help. I am constantly looking at houses for sale in the area, but the only affordable ones are in tract home subdivisions and that's not type of community we desire. So we make do with what we have. And it's not that my house is bad, but it's not set up well for entertaining, something I'd love to do more often, we had to give up our fabulous screened porch when we added on and cannot add another due to space constraints. I miss that terribly. On the bright side, we have wonderful neighbors, live in a waterfront neighborhood so the kids can fish, swim, kayak, ride their bikes freely (community is a peninsula w/no through traffic), etc. My dream is to move into the historic district in our tourist town where we can walk and bike everywhere. We live 5 miles from there now, but not on bike-friendly roads (though dh is an avid biker and rides them, no way my kids can). There are some really fabulous Arts & Crafts cottages, as well as many other architecturally interesting homes that date back to the 1700s. My hope is to move into one of them some day and have that be our forever home, with a second home in another climate. I wish I could love this home and think of it as my forever home, but it is not ideal for aging. We have three floors, with bedrooms all on the third floor as the garage/rec room are "under" the main living level. My parents still live in the house I grew up - they are going on 50 years there. They will stay until it's too much for them as it's perfect for aging, a rancher. All that said, as much as I want to move, the idea of moving is dreadful to me, which is probably one of the reasons I haven't really pushed for it. The thought of trying to keep my home in "show" condition with four kids, a huge dog that sheds, well, not fun. So perhaps a small part of me continues to find something undesirable about any of the houses I'm always looking at. I figure if I'm going to go through the hassle, the house has to be pretty close to what I want! Love all the interesting stories!...See MoreWhat would you do if this was your home? - Part 2
Comments (15)While changing the door color and perhaps the trim including columns in the entry area may be helpful, as others have said, the biggest issue here is the poor landscaping. There is a lot of rock mulch (most likely underlaid with landscape fabric) and a few perennials and shrubs that look marooned in a sea of rock. Do you like gardening and want to maintain large foundation plantings or else pay someone else to do so? If not, get rid of many of the beds and replace with grass, one of the easiest groundcovers. Regardless, maintaining rock mulch in anything other than a desert climate is difficult. Weed seeds and dust and organic matter blow in and the weeds sprout. They are far more difficult to remove from rock than from an organic mulch like shredded bark mulch, so you will likely end up spending time with a weed torch or herbicide to control them. Regardless of whether you want a large garden or not, I would plan on removing the rock mulch and replacing with either an organic mulch or grass. If there is landscape fabric under it, definitely remove that since it isn’t good in gardens since it interferes with movement of water, air, and nutrients into the soil. If you will be doing this yourself, take the physical work a bed at a time, and replace the rock with organic mulch as you go so weeds don’t get a foothold during times of bare soil. Before starting planting work you want a plan. If you aren’t experienced with landscape design, this might be a good time to hire someone qualified to help you figure out where you want beds and what you want in them. I would agree with cat lady that the tree seems too close to the house, though unless the foundation is already compromised, the tree isn’t an issue for the foundation. However, it does appear close enough for branches to rub against siding or roof or eaves, especially in wild weather, and that will do damage. Much as I like trees, I agree that yours is far too large for its allotted spot and is not well placed. You may want an awning to replace the shade you will lose, and plant a new tree farther from the house to eventually replace the shade. As far as door and trim color, Sherwin-Williams paint (and perhaps other companies) has a part of their website where you can upload a photo of you house and try out different colors on areas like your door....See MoreRusty
4 years agophoggie
4 years agonicole___
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agosjerin
4 years agoOlychick
4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agosheilajoyce_gw
4 years agosjerin
4 years agofunctionthenlook
4 years agogreenshoekitty
4 years agoyeonassky
4 years agoyeonassky
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoPattiG(rose)
4 years agoghoghunter
4 years agomaire_cate
4 years agochloebud
4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agollitm
4 years agochloebud
4 years agoblfenton
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agofunctionthenlook
4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agosephia_wa
4 years agoElmer J Fudd
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoElmer J Fudd
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoPKponder TX Z7B
4 years agochloebud
4 years agoElmer J Fudd
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agolittlebug zone 5 Missouri
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoshecar2
4 years agoAnglophilia
4 years agofunctionthenlook
4 years agotami_ohio
4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agoDawnInCal
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agochloebud
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agofunctionthenlook
4 years agochloebud
4 years agograpefruit1_ar
4 years agoAnne
4 years agobengardening
4 years agoAnne
4 years agoUser
4 years agohappy2b…gw
4 years agocynic
4 years agoraee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
4 years agohappy_chrissy
4 years ago
Related Stories
HOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: A Horse-Country Home Blends Rustic and Modern
Nestled in a pastoral setting that welcomes part-timers, this home embraces nature, versatility and history
Full StoryLIFEWorld of Design: 10 Ways to Live in Harmony With Housemates
Roommates in 10 countries share their stories of how they met and how they keep their home lives happy
Full StoryBEFORE AND AFTERSOwners Find Their Bliss in a Wine Country Ranch House
Going from cramped and dark to open and bright, a California home lands 600 extra square feet and a gorgeous new outdoor living room
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: Tradition Lives On in a Historic Home and Lodge
Tour an eclectic seaside property in Washington state, complete with a residence, vintage trailers for rent and creative gatherings
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESHouzz Tour: A New Mediterranean Home Goes Country
A just-built house gets a reboot to make it better suited to indoor-outdoor living and casual, large-scale entertaining
Full StoryHOUSEPLANTSPlay Up Some Fiddleleaf Figs for a Lively Indoor Tune
Strike a dramatic chord in a minimalist scene or a country note in a rustic setting — fiddleleaf fig plants harmonize with any style
Full StoryDECORATING STYLESSee How People in 13 Countries Interpret Scandinavian Style
Nordic decorating with a local twist gives this simple style a fresh look, no matter where you live
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: Cozy Country Meets Bohemian Artistic in Australia
Healthy helpings of salvage and rustic art give a pastureland home free-spirited style
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: Country-Chic Dutch Family Home
An organizer lightens up a dark 1970s farmhouse on a Netherlands tomato farm with open space and soothing shades of gray
Full Story
Mary506