Go with fixing the innards of the one you've got. Anything that upgrades the
exterior just invites folks to sprawl right on up to the next door property.

I remember a few years back I was down in the little village from here and a
guy was bellyaching at me that he was not happy that I never finished the
front of our shack. He says something to the effect of 'you're ruining my
property values' and I said 'good... that's the idea.' Then I went on with
'you bought that house for a tarnished nickel and sunk a fortune in it for
one reason and one reason only... to turn a big profit. There are three
sorts of folks living out here... families who want to have a chunk of cheap
property to divide up to their kids, folks who move here from the suburbs
and then want us all to look like the suburbs they just left, and those who
figure they can snag a few acres from someone who's hurting and make money
selling it to the suburbanites. The latter then raise the property taxes of
the rest of us still living here, meaning we get to pay for the rest of our
lives for your profit long after you're gone... no thank you.' He wasn't
happy.

But once you let them start taking over, there's no stopping them. All the
zoning protections you are assured of early on are amended eventually until
it's another suburban hell hole of house after house after house just like
the house in front of it. They tell you the line about raising the tax
base... but that's an old fallacy that becomes obvious once all that
infrastructure needs maintained, repaired and upgraded.

We went around and around here, the extended family and I, about letting the
gas drillers put wells on the farm. They really butcher the land, some of
these guys, and we discussed whether it was worth the aggravation that it
would be to go head to head with them with lawyers and such to make sure
they weren't raping the farm. Then we found out that they don't allow any
houses to be built for 300 feet around one... they've been drilling all
around the perimeters since early November. There's gonna be a bunch of the
things hissing away... but at least we won't end up with neighbors staring
down our noses and in our back windows. We'll still be able to see that
hillside of Poplars turning brilliant yellow in the fall.

One guy out the road sold half his acreage to a developer... then they sued
him for spreading manure! If they wanted to stay in the
burbs... why not just stay there?headshake They did not win... but they
cost him a lot of grief and money. He just invested $3,000 for a green
outfit to come and plant a 200ft by 1100ft row of trees and brush and stuff
to form a quick growing shield. It was a bargain considering what all they
are doing... but he shouldn't have to and now the homeowners' assoc. is
going to sue him for ruining their view without a permit. It's all A-1
(agricultural) from that point on... so they'll lose it at first, but they
amend it somehow to screw him... it's just a matter of time.

When all the farms and farmers are gone... and all the green space is
gone... and all the industry is gone... and we are at the mercy of the world
for our every need... our nation is gonna be screwed.



I'm sure I've posted this song to you before... but it could use repeating
as often as possible:

"Houses In The Fields"

John Gorka



They're growing houses in the fields between the towns,
And the Starlight Drive-In movie's closing down,
The road is gone to the way it was before,
And the spaces won't be spaces anymore.

Two more farms were broken by the drought,
First the Wagners now the Fullers pulling out,
Developers paid better than the corn,
But this was not the place where they were born.

There's houses in the fields, no prayers for steady rain this year,
Houses in the fields, there's houses in the fields,
The last few farms are growing out of here.

At first he wouldn't sell and then he would,
Now there'll be children playing where the silos stood,
The word came from the marrow of his bones,
It was the last sure way to pay off all the loans.

The new streets will be named for kings and queens,
And a ransom will be paid for every castle's dream,
The model sign is crested with a lion,
And the farmers they will have enough to die on.

There's houses in the fields, no prayers for steady rain this year,
Houses in the fields, there's houses in the fields,
The last few farms are growing out of here.

Oh, I guess no one should be afraid of change,
But tell me why is there a fence for every open range?

It's a sign I'm getting on in years,
When nothing new is welcome to these eyes and ears.

But there's houses in the fields, no prayers for steady rain this year,
Houses in the fields, there's houses in the fields,
And the last few farms are growing out of here.

They're growing houses in the fields between the towns,
And the Starlight Drive-In movie is all closed down,
The road is gone to the way it was before,
And the spaces won't be spaces anymore,
No, the spaces won't be spaces anymore.




I've seen pictures of your place, if I recall, Madgardner (winter shots?)...
or maybe I'm confusing you with someone else... but nonetheless, you've been
blessed with a spot to protect. Good luck with it.







ralph






"madgardener" wrote in message
...

"BillandJeny" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 06 Feb 2005 16:50:45 GMT, escape
wrote:

On Sun, 06 Feb 2005 15:58:27 GMT, BillandJeny
opined:snip, prune,

It's great to be back in touch. I had withdrawal (sp) symptoms in New
Mexico. Too far out in the boonies to have a computer. After
Hurricane Ivan blew us out of Pensacola we landed in New Mexico. We
have bought a double wide here in central Florida in a retirement
community so we can be around the grandkids part of the year. I won't
admit to being trailer trash but it is the first home I've ever had
with VIN numbers.

Now look here, around here we call those MODULAR HOMES!!!! Squire and I
have been looking at those for a few years now. I've even considered
getting
one, tearing the house off the foundation and getting someone with a crane
to put one on the foundation so I could have a house with TWO or three
bathrooms and four bedrooms and den/kitchen. It's either that or we trash
the inside of the house and make it the way we want. At the rate we're
going, no one in their right mind would buy this place, no matter how
ecclectic it is.

What I long to do is finally hit the lottery number that John dreamed
about
that he keeps playing, and buy the biendejo (sp?) across the driveway out
completely and after bulldozing HIS worthless house, hiring Carmichael to
haul ALL the non running vehicles on the property, tearing down the
assorted
outbuildings, and the old three story barn (saving all the wood and
replaning it of course, you can't replace old oak and the like and it'd
make
great material to use), making a better road to that barn, and putting a
Palm Harbor house where the barn is using the recycled wood as the outer
clapboards and what not............and digging a deep pond in the lower
pasture to stock with catfish, bluegill and bass (if you build it, the
rest
will come.......cranes, frogs, etc). There are better trees further down
in
the property, and as you remember how we scraped ourselves up treking thru
part of the land that day (I am still mortified in trying to help you over
the barbwire..........I'll learn). I actually went further inside and
wonder why on earth no one built further in but realized the answer was
because it used to be Joyce's dad's farm. It's perfect now for a home to
be
tucked way back where the barn is now................and there is a nicer
view back there.

THAT is MY dream. I still like it here, but damn lady, even YOU would be
shocked at how much it's been built up around here. A lot of Floridian's
have relocated up here, and the property value is rising like flood
waters.
Mine are still low but I smell change in the winds. I know purchasing
other
land would cost dearly and this island of land that is a "green belt"
would
be easier to get at cheap prices because of the restrictions in building.
Since my house is the real one and they won't let him build on the land
(something about grandfathering, so his three kids and his sister's four
sons are really S.O.L when it comes to selling the land when he passes on
for profit. And she's moved in with one of her son's and his new wife now
up
in Wisconsin so I don't think she'll move here even if he goes despite
that
she has life rights too). Greed will play a huge part in it when he goes
with his kids, especially the one daughter over in Seymour, but unless
Dandridge city counsil gets up off it's butt and rezones this land into
buildable property, and that means a road...........paving, I don't see it
happening. I might just be sitting in a good spot. We'll see............

That's what I really want though. There is a subdivision just east of me,
I
can see the lights of one house. They won't put a road thru here because
it's a one way in and out subdivision. Wish I'd known about the land when
we were first looking. I'd be living there now with a nicer plot of
land.....but can't wish for shoulda woulda coulda's......

There is another subdivision behind us to the north that scares even me,
but
that won't touch us either as there is a quite distinct hill and ridge
separating us from that as well. I just see houses building up around us
and
below. You would notice the eleven new houses on your way up my winding
road. And much longer, the field before the woods will sell and there
will
be even MORE houses I have a
feeling..........sigh........................At
least they're nice houses. Not like the expensive ones across the road
though. Or the small mansions they'll build in Majestic Bay
acres................................yeppers, Tennessee is the place to
be............Dandridge still doesn't have a traffic light though ! LOL

I can do all the gardening here I want to as long as I don't make it
difficult for the maintenance crew to mow. If I do then we have to mow it
ourselves. I'm sure Bill will keep me in check.

Oh heck, he can handle a little bit of mowing. How much property comes
with
your modular? Half acre? 50 X 100? Acre? 200 X 200? Give me idea's.
Gonna
grow ornamentals or veggies and herbs and such? Or all the above? I still
long for a more level area to put tomato's and peppers and spinach and
beans
and the like. ....I just might make this year the one where I tear down
the
shed behind the house to free up that spot for a veggie patch. It might
lie
north of the house, but gets rather intense eastern, southern indirect and
western exposure. I'm sure the veggies would be fine. I would even cut
down
more Jack's if need be. I found an inexpensive but honest tree cutter.
He
cut down six of my Jack's for $100 last year. I just need his number again
to call and get him to drop six more for me.He just doesn't haul them off.

After Ann and her new hubby, Greg came to visit last year, she saw where I
could even make a garden if I'd cut a good swath of trees down to do it.
I'd rather clear the patch behind the house though and leave my woods on
either side alone and thin the pin oaks and such out altogether and do my
rooms and paths in the quiet shade and such.

This year I'm determined not to cram another plant in up top of my ridge
by
the house in those nine beds I've made. I'm cleaning out fence on the west
side, whacking saplings, burning a pile of wood that will bring the fire
department up here (I'll get a burn permit first to cover my butt) and
scare
the neighbors, and then clean out Squire and my first attempt at the first
woods room that has started to return to the wild where I planted the
Harry
Lauder's Walking Stick or Twisted Filbert, Florida Kousa dogwood, Yoshino
cherry and Forest Pansy Redbud.

The Zebra grass and Yellow archangel lamium has taken quite nicely. And I
noticed the yellow twig dogwood has survived along with a larger Snowflake
viburnum at the back of one of the woods boxes. The 17 year locusts
females
damaged quite a bit more than I realized. There are deformed and drooping
end branches EVERYWHERE, and my Yoshino cherry tree lost her leader tip. I
have to get a ladder and prune it to encourage branching, and weed out and
remove all those sneaky pin oak saplings. That will keep me busy for
awhile. Not to mention I'm once again going to have to remove acres of
Vinca
Major. More than normal I fear. I'm starting to see it in places I never
put
it at all......and it'll trip you if you don't watch out.

Gardengal's Diablo ninebark should be placed in a more prominant place,
it's
too happy there next to the fence, but it will be competing with tenacious
honeysuckle that is flat determined to reclaim the chain link fence. I
have
to keep a wary eye on Miz Mary's brother in law when he moves his cattle
to
the pasture next to me. If he uses post he might kill everything I have
planted near my fence. I need to get him to allow me to just burn the
dead
and dry stuff near the fence line on the pasture side. Post or
professional
stuff will do in everything I've struggled to get established. Right now
there is a Diablo ninebark, Lance Leaf Helianthus, Wine and Roses
Weigelia,
Variegated Weigelia, Oak Leaf Hydrangea, woods poppies, violets from all
my
friends at the newsgroup is establishing, another Forest Pansy redbud that
is replacing a long dead mimosa whose stump the cats won't let me push
over,
the Zebra grasses and Crape myrtles interplanted among them, and despite
that the lilac's are a bit further, I'd fear the seepage would get their
roots too............

Thanks to John's convincing, I'm taking cuttings this year of every
ornamental shrub along the fence so I'll have more. And JOhn's Deutzia
has
finally gotten it's wind and might give me my first blossoms this year.
Just tearing out the privet and vines will be a major undertaking. And
undoing the massive damage the dogs have blessed me with lately
(grrrrrrrrrrr)

In NM all my gardening is done in containers. I remember the
pictures of your garden in Dallas, IMHO you're lucky you got him to
dig it up the first time. :-)

you're right about that one! I still do massive container gardens. I'm
eyeing some of them to top the space under the Lady Jane magnolia I
planted
halfway into the ground at the bottom of the concrete driveway. I built a
three high retainer wall around the whole thing after talking to Pam about
the rootball being not deep enough. I can't deepen the hole now, the bush
is
LOADED with tens upon tens of fuzzy buds waiting impatiently for spring to
burst open. (pictures will be sent, I promise you)

before I get flamed for long winded, I'll end this babble........there's
more brain droppings, I'll share if I get a response back. And I bet Geoff
will be glad to send you a calendar of Scottish origins. I got mine just
in
time for boxing day and it's a beauty........gbseg and yes, I'm bragging
a
bit, but I sent him one of Tennessee wildflowers and nature as an even
exchange LOL

GREAT to have you back lady. The neighborhood wasn't the same when you
left.
maddie
Zhan