Lucky to live in rural Maine, especially in these times of coronavirus and the life routine adjustment.
Living with the coronavirus. Rural Maine, where farms, woodlots and clean water abound. Where population is sparse but connected. Small town rural Maine communities quickly mobilize for something like coronavirus while the larger cities don’t have it so easy. Locally in small Maine town, we already check in on the elderly or disabled.
Daily, we already spend lots of time alone with family.
Not just a few hours total on each end. But during the day there is lots of interaction in rural Maine. Family is our support therapy, our entertainment, the learning from past experiences sharing, our reason for life.
Fear and anxiety happen when a person’s normal routine and control in their life is challenged with a cornavirus.
What is important to you becomes basic needs and that’s more than enough. And to make sure elderly, disabled, children, your family have what they need. Rural Maine coronavirus. In rural areas we farm, garden, heat with wood, know how to fix and repair a leaky roof. COVID19 is just one more ball named coronavirus to juggle in our day to day small town living.
Heck, along with a brother and sister, your parents or in-laws built the Maine home. Soder for a plumbing joint, adding pex tubing for the water system or shingling your roof is a piece of cake. Washing hands and sliding on a mask, backing off is not big adjustment for safety sake.
Our hands are calloused and rough for a reason in Maine.
It is not all the hand washing because the coronavirus does not do well with cleanliness. We lift up the hood of our vehicles and change a water pump, replace a belt, touch up the body to protect it from rust. There is respect for what we have because it came hard.
Saving, DIY projects, watching you tube videos to learn new repair tips.
Calling in a favor and lots of bartering happens. Our Me in Maine blog posts are all over simple living, being frugal and getting more for less. Maine is real, pure and simple natural. I am so lucky to live in rural Maine and the coronavirus factor just makes everything crystal clear on what’s most important.
In rural Maine, we are industrious and entertain ourselves reading, playing cards, baking beans and fresh bread, collecting fresh eggs for this morning’s omelet.
Going to the root cellar for potatoes, onions, carrots, canned tomatoes, etc. We fish, raise beef. Work on next years heating supply of fire wood. We have clean lakes, streams to enjoy.
We don’t fret and worry and wash not wring our hands. This simple approach works and is not hokey. Ever watch the Walton’s growing up? They got through it. Together. Good night Elizabeth. Jim Bob, Mary Ellen ….(snoring sounds).
In small rural areas like Maine folks are connected. Already been helping each other and we are brought up to weather set backs like crop failure, disease, accidents.
We don’t need a lot of money to live and we save it. We are outdoors hiking not wandering around malls looking for something we think we want but don’t really need. We are brought up to always be prepared for a storm. We are ready.
Our Maine real estate property prices are low for a reason. We don’t have to make much to get more. The sparse population makes living with coronavirus adjustments.
In Maine, everything is not store bought and spit polished.
Not needing for material things. No trying to impress others. Keeping up with the Jones is not the way we roll. Drive by shootings, gangs, horrendous multi lane interstate accidents? Nope. That’s not Maine.
We have what we need, that’s more than enough. That helps with Maine coronavirus day to day dealing with life.
The kids are taught impulse control picking potatoes, mowing lawns, working for area agriculture farm producers too.
We have been driving farm tractors and trucks from back when our legs were long enough to reach the peddles. We pitch in and have chores appropriate to our ages as kids. The older children help the younger ones and everyone works together for the common good. There is a reason why many Amish communities sprung up in rural Maine and are doing the same.
All of us will survive this living with coronavirus.
Be careful what you say especially public facing. Stay positive, don’t let your anxiety and fear infect others. It’s virus containment, protecting your family and community’s health. While at the same time conserving, being driven to not just survive but come out stronger helping others do the same.
I remember interest rates on my first home being 12.25% fixed and thinking how fortunate I was. The prevailing bank mortgage rates in Maine were 16% adjustable. You do the best you can with the interest rates you have and refinance when possible. Pay ahead on the principal however you can.
In Maine, we do not like or do debt.
The hurry to get rid of a mortgage on a house, a car loan, anything spurs us on to throw any extra money into the principal debt. Free and clear has two benefits.
First, no debt hanging over you helps avoid nightly tossing and turning when you try to sleep.
Second, saving money and knowing your could go out and buy something takes away the got to have it right now hankering. Then reason, rationalizing, separating the do I need it or just want it all settles down.
Anything we do have to buy is purchased as cheaply as possible. If a goods or service is not a value or worth the sticker price, we wait. Mainers try not to be backed into a corner that they painted themselves. Up against it when you survive a round or two makes a rural Mainer work tooth and nail to avoid a repeat of the unpleasant experience. That makes dealing with the coronavirus when it came along not so hard.
In Maine, our fun is low or no cost.
Hello? We live in Maine, not just get an allowance of it one long weekend or seven day stretch a year like anyone that has to travel way up and all the way back. Because we are a hike up the pike, Maine is insulated, some say isolated. With cornavirus getting away from people isolated, by yourself is a good thing to avoid the spread. To enjoy life because maintaining social distancing is not so hard like in an urban concrete jungle.
Maine’s northern half population density is 11 people per square mile.
In southern Maine the number bumps up to a whopping 44 friendly souls per same mile density measurement. Compare that with New Jersey that has 1000 folks to the mile and when hit with a cornavirus, watch out. Mainers are social distant, spaced out naturally due to sparse population and our rural nature.
Cities are slow moving enough with all the motorists, crowded sidewalks and sky rise high apartments and condos. Maine is David not Goliath for being nimble in any endeavor. You can rally the locals quicker and the connection is already stronger and established. You also are not worried sick about cornavirus living in Maine.
You know your neighbor, you are related to your hair dress or barber. Your kids work for the grocery. Your brother is an electrician, another sibling a plumber. You are almost a black belt at automotive repair and some of your friends call you Mr. Goodwrench or Gear Head, etc. We already pitch in for cancer victims, for someone burned out of a home and a slew of other worthwhile local community causes. Small town Maine is like that banding together.
You need less when you have more and Maine is only a handful of cities, mostly small towns or settlements.
You get used to being self empowered, reliance on the guy or gal you see looking back at you in the mornings when brushing your teeth or combing your hair. Being independent does not mean you are ornery or can not get along with people. It is being able to run your own show and teaching your kids how not to be so dependent on others. Mainers do not like to ask for help, they want to be the ones providing it.
There is nothing stronger than the heart of a Maine volunteer who signs on for life for an activities or community project.
The Maine real estate market has been a strong one due to large acreages, low prices and no mortgage needed by lots of out of state buyers. Living in Maine with coronavirus is going to be easier than a large slow moving population center.
We will get through this cornavirus and are some kind of lucky to live in Maine.
Not just because of no outbreaks of the COVID-19 in our sparsely population county the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. But more importantly because our life is not fueled on needing lots of money. We provide so much of what we need on our own. Sewing the prom dress from material bought on sale at Mardens. Making your own whatever you can.
I have a friend that loved the look at a Pottery Barn bedroom set for his daughter’s room.
He studied it, did not like the 1200 dollar price tag so he set out make his own. His version had a few more bells and whistles.
The base heavier built with native lumber boards not particle board of what he was copying for a design. Resourceful and being able to have what you want just the way you like it happens because you build it yourself.
The more projects completed on the drawing board, the better your skill set becomes. The feeling of pride and accomplishment inside only grows stronger which is never a bad thing for the small Maine community. Where lots of people pitch in and contribute to make it what it is, coronavirus or not.
Don’t think Mother Earth News, living off grid approaching day to day life is for the birds.
It is wholesome, healthy, a choice more and more folks are making. Have some questions? We have seen lots of Maine land buyers making the purchase not just for recreational camping and hitting the nature trail R and R.
It was the insurance policy in their pocket for what if someday I wanted to leave the city where eight out of ten people live.
Many are heading north one by one to turn the Maine land into more than a couple of times a year place to visit to get away from it all.
Lots of Maine real estate buyers are purchasing larger farm properties to use for multi generation purposes. Where lots of family members all have a piece of land, their own section of acreage to build a home, work together combing resources.
The Internet connectivity is a big part of where to move, what to buy for Maine real estate too. Telecommuting, working remotely online and bring your job with you.
Lucky to live in Maine cornavirus or not and will do more than just survive. Lots of good can come out of any situation with the right attitude and staying positive.
Stay healthy, ask questions, learn more about is this simple living in Maine for you! Thinking about buying or selling real estate in Maine? Fire away, don’t swallow them. Here for questions.
