Country Living RULES (Don’t be the newbie that breaks these…)

If you talk to somebody who's lived in The countryside for a while and there's A lot of new people moving in you'll Definitely hear them gripe about the new People in the area and that's often Because the new people don't quite know How to move into a Countryside community And still get along with everybody so Let's go over some of the rules that you Need to know in order to be able to fit In really well Foreign We're going to be talking about some of Those rules while we wander around the Homestead and see what's going on around Here Rule number one is to know right off the Bat that you are your own responsibility You probably have fewer government Services once you moved out into the Country you might have less availability Of services things like Trash pickup is your responsibility Maybe water and power is your Responsibility definitely realizing that You're further away from medical and Grocery help and acting accordingly is Your responsibility one of the things That frustrates people about newcomers In the community is that they come and They often expect somebody else to take Care of them don't expect anybody else To take care of you you are a hundred Percent your own responsibility when

You're in the community regardless of What your really nice neighbors might Say when they introduce themselves like Let me know if you need any help they're Actually watching you and they're Testing you and they're learning a lot About you and they expect to be a good Neighbor you're going to be able to Generally take care of yourself so rule Number one know that you are your own Responsibility [Music] [Applause] Rule number two may sound a little bit Contrary to rule number one but they Actually go together really well out in The countryside and that is be prepared To take care of other people in your Community while you're your own Responsibility there comes a time for All of us where we might need our Neighbor's help now this should be the Exception and not the rule and most of The time it should be somebody else Needing your help and not you needing Somebody else's help so make sure you're In the position to give help whenever You can Keeping extra firewood on hand or some Of your basic supplies maybe a little Bit of extra hay or animal feed or an Extra freezer meal in the freezer ready To help out somebody a neighbor a friend Anybody in the community who might be

Having a hard time is a great way to be There to make a community feel like a Community and to create a culture of Helping Hands in your community Oh Rule number three know the difference Between a friend and a neighbor When you lived in the city it was Probably that you kind of politely Ignored or just barely acknowledged some Of your neighbors so there was a very Clear delineation between who is your Friend and who is your neighbor out in The countryside it's likely that your Neighbors are going to be very very Friendly to your face and it might Create a little bit of confusion of who Your neighbor is versus who your friends Are friends are people that you borrow Things from all the time friends are People that you're kind of in and out of Their house you have a deep relationship With them and there's nothing wrong with Borrowing something from them now and Again something like I need a cup of Sugar and I don't want to drive to town It's totally fine with friends however Neighbors even friendly ones don't Generally have a positive outlook on Somebody wanting to borrow things all The time so when it comes to neighbors Instead of friends be the one who loans Things instead of the ones who borrow Things

[Music] Thing you need to do when you move on to A new piece of property out in the Countryside is to get your fences fixed Especially if you have animals or Children or if your neighbor has animals Or children make sure that you get those Fences fixed so that they're holding in Whatever livestock you might have and Remember that really especially includes Any dogs you might have There's a good old saying which is that Tight fences make good neighbors and It's absolutely true don't be the person That moves into the community and your Dogs are roaming the neighborhood and Killing other people's chickens you will Instantly be unliked and deemed as Fairly irresponsible make sure you get Those fences taken care of in your Animals under control and keep them that Way there's enough actual accidents with Animals that are going to happen no Matter our best efforts let's just keep It to the very rare real accident and Not Just poor planning by not getting those Fences in if you don't have time to get All the perimeter fences dealt with get A kennel tie your dog up whatever you Need to do to keep your animals on your Side of the property So that the neighbors can keep their Animals on their side of their property

[Music] Next it's important to know that you Should keep your gas tank at least half Full all of the time anytime you're in Town and your gas tank is about to drop Below half full fill it up right then Yeah I know that means you'll go to the Gas station more often than you would But when you live further out in the Countryside you have to be prepared for Getting yourself to emergency services That can mean evacuating the home if There is a natural disaster but more Likely means you need to be able to get All the way to the hospital without any Stops for gas so make sure you keep that Gas tank half full at least all the time Right along with that is Step number six Or rule number six which is make sure That you're prepared for any emergency To take longer than you're used to in The city That means the ambulance is not going to Get to you as fast it also means that in The event of a county-wide or area-wide Disaster you are going to be the last Person on somebody's list to report Restore power to or to fix roads or Anything like that so you have to be Prepared to take care of yourself this Kind of goes back to that rule number One you're your own responsibility You're especially your own Responsibility in a disaster

So make sure you're prepared for it get Extra first aid supplies on hand and Know how to use it get your First Responders certificate so you know what To do in the case of an emergency and Get some herbs on hand that can help you Or even some medication on hand that can Help you in the case of an emergency to Get through it's important to be able to Take care of yourself in those moments Thank you [Music] We've all read the books where when the New family moves into the community all The Neighbors show up with cookies or With goodies or with different things And want to meet you the reality is when You move into the community it's your Responsibility to go meet the neighbors And get involved in the community itself You be the one to take the cookies Around from person to person because They're the ones that already have their Lives kind of settled and running the Way they want it to they have a full Schedule and they didn't necessarily Have time in their schedule to go greet The new family I know it would be Wonderful it'd be great if it worked That way and if you move into a Community that's like that way good for You you're off to a great start but most Of us move to an area where people are Out in the country because they do want

A little distance from other people so It falls on you to go ahead and get Involved in the community definitely Take cookies to the neighbors or jams or Something else delicious over to your Neighbors introduce yourself and say hi Exchange phone numbers especially if They're your near Neighbors on the Property line make sure you have the Ability to get a hold of them but when It comes to the community at large the Best thing to do is pick a few clubs Things that you like being involved in Whether that's quilting or knitting or Gardening or raising livestock get Involved and start going to those Meetings another great way to meet People in your community if you're brand New is to get involved with the Volunteer fire department or the local Search and rescue these people are Usually really active in the community And they know everybody it's a great way To get your foot in the door get to meet People and be helping out at the same Time it's a good way to go but remember It's your job to get involved not Anybody else's job and it'll take a While to build those relationships and That can community so make sure you plan To do that right away when you get to a New area [Music] The last thing that you absolutely need

To know when you move to a new area and It's out in the countryside is for at Least a year keep your ears open and Your mouth shut don't get involved in a Lot of politics or anything else that's Going on for at least a year until you Know what's really happening in a town One of the most frustrating things for People who have been in an area for a Long period of time is to have people Come in brand new and start trying to Change things or having strong opinions About things before they really even Know what's going on in a town so the Best advice I can give you just keep Your mouth shut and your eyes and ears Open for at least a year before you get Involved and that will help you learn What you need to know about the area you Live in to be able to get involved in a Helpful positive way Now obviously most of these could be Kind of summed up with take Responsibility for yourself Get ready to be able to help your Neighbors and make sure you don't go Poking your nose into your neighbor's Business don't let your dog poke your Nose into your neighbor's business Either and in general that will get you Set up for a long time success in a Community to get to fit in well and take Your spot we'll see you later