When I retire, I want to live in...

I want to move into a smaller house with a gardening shed/storage area. I want the smaller house to be on at least 1/2 acre of land so I can plant, nurture, and love my plants.

We downsized to a smaller house 3 years ago, got out of town and into the country so we'd be ready for retirement. Plenty of room to garden. Retirement can't get here quick enough!!

I want to live in a house with a larger yard.

We left Del City, OK 5 years ago, leaving quarter acre and 1500 sf house with the high school right outside our back yard, complete with softball fields and constant traffic. There was 10' between houses, but I did the best I could with the yard, to the point people slowed down to look (I was so proud) We moved here to SC, to a brand new 2200 sf house and two old pine trees on near an acre, corner lot, with a few neighbors and a decent sized forest surrounding us, out in the middle of nowhere. I've not done all that much with the front yard, except keep it very natural looking, but the back has been my haven. I am surrounding myself with my own little forest (nosy neighbors and one that put a street light in his back yard!) When we moved here I wanted the peace and quiet, I didn't get it. I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis a couple years ago, but I don't believe in giving in or giving up, I believe in living for the moment. So shots and therapy and determination has me back to remodeling the house and playing in my garden. I planned and worked what little I could. I know that any stupid move will put me back in a wheelchair so I'm cautious, but I would die inside without gardening. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't have bought as big of a house, I'd have bought more land. :) While I am here I will enjoy the beauty, and then if it's to be, my husband and I will move back west with all our dogs, to far less of a house, and far more land, then I'll start again. :)

i put down hotel hope it has a pool and room service

I would like a smaller house with less acerage. I have 3 acres of virgin land that I will never be able to manage. Wetlands what you see at the back in this pic. Wetlands you have a hard time getting through the state to touch. This is my addition to the yard this year.

I read Dusty's reply and it made me nostalgic for my 1901 two-story that hubby, the 2 boys and I restored for 27 years. The 12-foot ceilings, former gaslight fixtures, etc. We all loved the house, but without the boys, we just rattled around in all those rooms I had to dust and keep clean and the stairs got hard on the knees! Glad I'm in my "new" smaller, still-needs-some TLC 1960's ranch with the trees and 3 acres of gardening space. Still, I miss my old "old" house at times.

You know, Pamgarden, you're right. When we go anywhere, when we get back home we say, "You can't beat L.A."

Help is on the way Carol, I'll be right there

I already answered this, and have just been lurking and reading afterwards. But, I have to say something now.

Serenity, if you were in Del City about 8-10 years ago, I was sitting there at that softball field with my daughter several nights and drooling over a beautiful place I saw. Hopefully, it was yours and I enjoyed watching what was being done, if not, you had one neighbor you should have met! I still remember how pretty that yard became. Haven't been over there in a long time now, so don't know what's happening now.

But, I do have something that I do now. just a "pat on the back." If I see a pretty yard or just an especially nice specimen of a plant in a worn-out yard, I send an anonymous postcard to that address just to tell the owner "Thank You" for letting me enjoy. Since it is totally anon, I have no idea what the response is, but that is not the point! I hope sometimes my little cheap postcard makes someone smile....

So, Serenity, if that was your yard, here is a very late postcard. If it wasn't, then maybe sometime I will be in your area and send you one where you are now.. Peg

Peg, that is the most delightful and thoughtful gift that I have heard of in such a long time. What a pleasure to hear of it. You have inspired me to do the same thing. I get a lot of those little charity notecards sent to me, and I have such a stack that I don't know what to do with. A lot of them are blanks. I will write little messages of appreciation for some of the gardens I enjoy driving past, and send them to those people to thank them for the happiness it brings me. Your idea is a simple one, but one that so few would take the time to do. It has touched me, even though I have never received a postcard from you. Thanks for sharing it and inspiring me. You are a rare gem in this world that is so often too busy to take the time to care and appreciate what others do.
Claire

...the Amazon jungle.

Peg..that is such a sweet thing to do.

Pam...it would be nice to find someone to trade entire properties with!

I chose RV and it doesn't even have to be on the road..I just want to live veeery simple.

I want to live on a farm with about a hundred or more acres for as long as I live. Don't have it now but sure wish I did!!

I agree Pam, if we went elsewhere we would see what the trade offs are and maybe the grass would not look so green off our own properties. Oh ya, I live in the desert.

Kelli, I lived in Canoga for a long time, even managed a building down there, I loved parts of CP a lot, some parts have changed and not for the better, but I still love all the conveniences of the West Valley and easy to grow anything practically and the Green Thumb Nursery too.

There are a lot of things I like about this place. Really the only thing I don't like is when the neighbors are playing music or t.v. outside, and that doesn't happen all the much, really. It just makes me cranky when it does. I like Green Thumb Nursery, too, and the grocery store is 1 1/2 miles away and the mall is maybe 2 miles away. DH and I have a saying that if you can't find it in Canoga Park, you don't really need it. And we go to the Santa Monica Mountains all of the time and the beach and we can be up in the real mountains (over 5000 ft elevation ) within an hour and half. I would imagine that every place has things going for it and things going against it. A person just needs to adapt.

Yes but CP really is a nice place to live by and large. I used to love the JC Penney Outlet, man I miss that. I used to go almost every day. I hate the valley humidity though. If you lived in the AV like me you would see how humid it is compared to here in the high desert kelli

If it was any less humid, it would be itchy and have bloody noses constantly.

retire?! Hah! I wish...

We're a long way from retirement. Got 3 kids to put through college. But we are in a 2 stories home and will need a ranch for my squeeky knees and my DH back! LOL!

I would love to build a custom designed lodge (not so big, though, and very efficiently laid out) on some wooded acreage on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River where there is a good view of the Cincinnati skyline and good sunlight for the garden. And a swim pool, too!

I am always looking for this property. If you know of any that fills the description please let me know!

I guess you could say I'm retired/unemployed/homemaker. My DH will probably never retire. He really loves his profession and derives a lot of pleasure from it.

Palmbob - ROFLMAO!!!! Exactly!

Stay right where we are. DH is anxious to retire and get busy with some other work. He is not one to sit still. He is 62 and healthy has a great job, wonderful insurance and not a lot of hassle with his work. I say keep at it as long as possible.

Me I have a small part time business and can not picture myself doing anything else other than trying to sell flowers or produce.

Here is a picture of our home. DH has put his heart and soul into this place and we love it more every year. We have been here since 1976.

Oh, Joyous, that *is* lovely. I can see why you've put down deep roots there!

Thanks, it used to look like this from a different angle and before many additions of rooms and gardens. It was a true diamond in the rough. The back of the house sits on a big gully which we watch all kinds of wildlife in.

Joy

Joy, beautiful home and gardens. It looks so comfortable and homey. I wouldn't leave it either!

DH and I have spent 15 years in our house and, like you, have put so much of our time, heart and souls into it. God willing, I will never leave this place!

What a difference Joyous. Gosh is that a 66 mustang? I love that house and I would not leave either.

I would stay here and put more money into it but because it is a manufactured home on land, I will never see the money back on it and we can not justify putting a lot into it that we will never get back. After all the work we have done and need to do, It would be tough not to see it through. I guess the yard is something that is priceless though and we put the sweat equity into it ourselves.

We will never retire either unless we moved into the sticks in some hick town in the sticks out of state or hit the lotto.

Thanks SOJ and hellnz11,

Home truly is where our heart is Songs, I hope when it is time for me to go they find me in my flower beds!!

Hellnzn11, I think it was a '65 but you have to remember the pic was taken in 1976. DH was/is always buying and restoring cars/trucks and then selling them........even when I didn't want to give them up like the Mustang. Gosh I loved that car!!

Our house and 3 1/2 acres of land cost just a bit more than our last car and that was used!! Just have to stick with a good thing.

When we retire - we'd like to find a little cottage (a shack will do) near Lake Michigan. Ideally it will be set in the woods - yet have a sunny clearing for vegetable gardening.

I chose other because I want to move South of Houston. To a small house with a large backyard for dogs and green houses. That way I would be midway between my two brothers. One who likes Hoyas and the other whose wife gardens.

"other" - a house with acres of room to plant tropicals...

Retire??? That will probably never happen unless my health gives out. BUT should I.... I would like a log house in the middle of about 10-20 acres of woodland with a big pond or lake......and enough cleared land for some flower beds...That is and will always be my dream.....

I don't really want a bigger house, but rather, a bigger YARD. More playing room! teehee...

I'm "only" 45, but I'd love to retire with enough outside room to add a couple of chickens, a pond, several veggie and herb plots, a root cellar, and on and on. Hopefully my health will hold up and I'll be able to keep gardening well into retirement...whenever that is.

I'd also like to get out of this triple-digit Texas heat. It gets to me more every year.

Merpeg, I have to say, that is the sweetest, most kind thing to do. I was going to send this personal and then thought nope, people need to know when others are grateful for all the hard work that makes others just stop and smell the roses, so I wanted to bump it up and remind everyone again what you've done (and now I think I'll steal the idea too!) By doing that, you make every sore back, every penny pinching thing each of us does, not only worth it for ourselves, but the knowledge that someone else appreciates it too is just wonderful. So here, this was my house in OK. Now, I need to find a place to post the pictures of my house here in SC, from when it was nothing but 2 pine trees in 2003 to how far I've come in 5 years (I'm amazed now that I've actually looked at the pictures!)

serenity93, thanks for bringing attention to Merpeg's post. I probably would never have seen it otherwise (LOOOOONG thread!) and it warmed my heart.

I voted for "the house I'm in now" because it's my very first, purchased at age 59 when the apartment building I lived in was sold. I'd been a renter all my life, but that was the straw that broke the camel's back. My mortgage is cheaper than what I'd probably be paying in rent and only the bank can get me out of this house. And they won't ever have a reason to. And oh, my God, how I love my little 1/4 acre! So far herbs and flowers are growing best for me, but last week we had eggplant parmigiana using eggplants that came out of the garden. And next spring the asparagus patch will be mature enough to start to harvest. Lawn? At least in the back I'm getting rid of it for herbs and flowers and asparagus! I'm trying to figure out how to get rid of the lawn (actually an expanse of weeds, but they're green...) in the front without freaking out the neighbors. Maybe an herb knot garden? They're going to carry me out of this house feet first in a pine box!

Other--A farm

I voted larger house. Hubby and I are in our late 20's and live in a 1,280 square foot house on a 1/4 acre lot. My ideal is a 3,500 square foot house (big library is the most important room, and a big room for my parrots) on about 15 acres. Lots of big old trees to plant shade gardens, walking trails and for privacy; about 5 acres for dwarf conifers, gardens, and yes even a few grape vines (for hubby, he loves fruit plants, herbs and vegetables); then the final 5 acres for a few pastures, a 5-7 stall barn, and a nice outdoor riding arena. I would like a few rolling hills, too, not just a flat cornfield turned farmette. I don't know that I would want to retire there, though. My tastes have changed so much in just the three years since I finished grad school and entered the "real" world. I imagine I would probably end up in some sort of condo for the last 10-15 years of my life, if I don't go senile and end up involuntarily committed long before then : )

Elizabeth

I voted other because I want to live in zone 8!!!!! Zone 8 with at least an acre and a half with a creek/stream running through.

And I WON'T take NO for answer from DH, either

Cece, that is hillarious! I always tell hubby zone 7b/8a for me as well! That I will NOT die without living in a zone where I can grow a decent Japanese Maple! Yes, there are folks around here that grow them very well (LarryR and zonedenial) but I'm not in that elite club : ) I even have a song about Oregon - I only remember the words after a few ones on the front porch, though! It won't be easy for us to move outside of Iowa City after hubby buys into his partnership, though, and that will probably be in two years. After that, we'll be "stuck" here for 30 years.