I was thinking as I read this thread that my motto is Simplify Life. Then someone mentioned that is the new fad. LOL Personally I am not simplifying my life as a fad but because I saw how wasteful I was and at times still am, just because I can be. My new thinking came when I brought this house. I wanted a big house on a large lot...3 acres minimum. That was the reason I moved back to NC. I wanted an old house so I can tear it apart and refurbish it and the land so I can have some animals. When I moved here I had the job and started looking. The fad here is 2-3 thousand sq feet...and new. I knew I did not want anything that big and new houses are not for me. Well I spent a year in a hotel looking for the right place. I found that if I could find a large piece of land it would be so far from my job that it would make the commute miserable. So now knowing I had to move near the city I would have to settle on a smaller piece of land. Then finding an old house was the next obstacle. My Real Estate agent was absolutely frustrated with me. I did not want anything crumbling to the ground. I was not going to spend a lot of money on the house either. He tried to convince me to buy the land and get a modular home but that did not fit in my plan. Well the end result was after living in a hotel for a year, I found a 875 sq ft house built in 1920 but in decent condition on 1.25 acres. It has been a challenge living here including not being able to fit all my stuff in the house. Most of it is packed away in the barn. I have been taking stuff out more and more and then I started realizing it is kind of nice having a small house and I did not really need all that stuff. There is not much to clean, not much clutter and the mortgage does not kill me. Then I got the goats. Found they were useful in clearing up all the leaves that fall off the trees and they eat all the ivy killing some of the trees. Then I got chickens and discovered how nice it is not not have to buy eggs. And the idea of continuing to simplify my life started growing. I am trying very hard to not have more than I need. I am a recovered shop a holic. Really. When the weather breaks I am selling all that stuff stored in the barn and using the money for something else. a vacation or something. My job now tells us that we are going to have to work for one day free a week vs losing our jobs. Everyone is crying over this but you know because I have trimmed the fat out of my life it is not going to kill me. I will have enough to still cover the bills. The ones living in the houses they could hardly afford with more room than they would ever need are going to be the ones really suffering. SIMPLIFY LIFE

Bear and Sable are sweeties.. but being DANGEROUS ROTWEILLERS - most people just assume they will bite and don't even approach. Not a bad thing with all the alone time I have here. Nancy and Connie got the full treatment when they were here -- Bear thinks he is the size of a dashound and mauls you to death. 140 pounds standing on your foot doesn't always feel good..lol We don't have alot of problems with deer as there is plenty to eat without dining on my daylilies. Right now though - a @#%^&&* armadillo is in and out of my back 200 foot bed. We are going to try to trap him if I notice any new damamge in the next few weeks-- if that doesn't work - well DH will have to just go hunting! Carlamarie - you have now entered the world of the truly addicted. My pot ghetto got so out of hand because I ALWAYS buy more than I should -- but does that mean I stop.. no..lol.. lucky for me we have almost 9 acres. Just accept your addiction - don't fight it.. Shelly

I wonder if you might get some good information by searching the This Old House website? They have done many interesting renovation projects in and around New England and may have some good options for you. I second the necessity of a good, solid, sharply draining base for any driveway, this is what keeps frost heaves from ruining the final surface. If you are planning to plow, asphalt is the way to go. You can get the blade right down on it and scrape off the snow. Were I faced with a sloping driveway on the north side of my property it's probably what I'd chose. You can hasten the melting with judicious use of calcium chloride if you need to. And some sand every now and then will address any ice. Not ideal, but you don't have an ideal site for a driveway, either, so some compromises are going to be inevitable. (I know I would be unwilling to heat my driveway). Our driveway is sort of mixture suggested above, and it can be easy to clear of snow or it can be a nightmare, depends on the weather and how frozen the ground is when the snow arrives. 2-3" of snow and then rain over unfrozen ground is the pits. We can't use the snowblower effectively (the blade wants to sink into the suface of the driveway); we have had a largely ice covered driveway for most of this winter. My BIL, next door, has a paved driveway, easy to snowblow as the blade rides on the hard surface and the residual snow melts away. We are seriously looking at our options for the future, too. Like you, we would prefer something less visually harsh than pavement. Have you talked to contractors about your options and what they might cost?

The pandemic and stay at home period hit at exactly the same time I've been under doctor's orders to stay out of the sun completely, due to the recent skin graft on my nose. So in a way it hasn't been so bad mentally for me because I would have been scurrying around wearing a hat and trying to avoid daylight anyway! That said I'm ever so grateful that we are retired for many reasons. Obviously we have tremendously less stress in that neither of us has work commitments that we are now trying to accomplish from home. And based on what I'm hearing from my best buddy at my former workplace, things there are very difficult. The university just announced a round of severe budget cuts and beyond the uncertainty I'd feel if I was still employed I am beyond happy I don't have to deal with needy college students, or their parents, right now. Add to that dealing with them by zoom or phone or email...yikes. We get along well and it helps that husband cannot stay still or inside. He heads out in his boat for shoreline clean up daily which is perfect for both of us: he is outside away from people being useful and busy and I'm inside without him around all the time LOL. M-F I'm doing a daily exercise or Pilates zoom class which gives some weekday structure and that helps too. I've also been cooking regularly and that's been very satisfying. Before retirement it was challenging to prep and serve meals because we like to eat early but that meant unless I got out of the office by 5 (rare) I was either frantically rushing or more frequently cobbling something together from the freezer or leftovers. It has been a pleasure to have the time to prep, cook, eat and clean up without racing around. We are very blessed.