It’s a tale as old as time: Sophisticated urbanites leave the concrete jungle for the country, and find themselves in over their heads. Think Diane Keaton bumbling through the Vermont snow in “Baby Boom,” or Carrie Bradshaw falling in the mud while visiting her boyfriend’s upstate retreat in “Sex & the City.”

Yet during the pandemic — with the Big Apple on the verge of collapse, and workplaces shutting down or going totally remote — many New Yorkers found themselves drawn to the promise of a simpler rural life, away from people and surrounded by nature.

Who hasn’t warmed to the thought of buying a chunk of land somewhere and moving out there to ‘simpler life’. (Cue ‘Green Acres’ theme….)

The reality is that when you spend your entire life in NYC you may wind up not having factored in certain aspects of reality in your new venue..things like predators, weather, distances, etc.

It’s a trope as old as media itself – the person from ‘the city’ who winds up as a helpless idiot in the sticks….”Northern Exposure”, “Green Acres”, etc, etc. And, rarely, it goes in the other direction..”Beverly Hillbillies”, “Due South”, etc.

Having moved to the somewhat-rural envron of Montana from the urban part of NY, I can tell you that while there are differences those differences are not a problem for anyone of average intelligence and self-awareness. The folks you read about from CA or NY who wind up shooting cattle that are mistaken for elk are a pretty rare occurrence that is predicated more on the people being ignorant idiots than being predicated on where their license plates came from.

However…if you’re going to move to a completely new envrionment it might be a good idea to do a bit of legwork, keep your head down and your mouth shut until you know whats what, and don’t keep saying “Thats not how we do things in ….”

I really like the fall/winter seasons. When the days are bright, cool, and clear…and the nights cold and brisk…that’s my fave. And, of course, that weather change makes some part of my lizard brain kick into gear and want to make sure things are ‘in order’ for winter.

Probably my biggest concern this winter is that fuel and electricity prices will take a big jump up. Between inflation, commodity prices, short-staffed power generation plants, parts/supply issues for same, and the remote-but-still-possible chance of malicious hacking, it could wind up being an expensive (or difficult) process to keep the heat on this winter.

Fortunately, I have a couple things going for me. First and foremost – I keep a cool house. I usually keep the thermostat around 63-65 in the winter. Additionally, my local utility averaged my heating costs and bills me an average amount of the course of a year. This irons out the ‘hills and valleys’ of my heating bill. I can budget and plan on the same amount every month for the year.

And, of course, I have a goodly supply of kerosene and kerosene heaters to cover me in case something does happen and utility service goes on hiatus for a week or two. Absolute worst case scenario, isolate the house to one bathroom and bedroom and only heat those two rooms. Turn off the water to the rest of the house to avoid pipe issues, and just live in those two rooms.

But I don’t foresee this winter turning into that. Oh, I’m ready in case it does, but it’s not what I’m expecting. What I am 99.5% certain will happen is that winter will be just like it usually is but with higher fuel costs. Fortunately, I’ve the resources to handle the increased heating costs if necessary.

Other winter things? Well, time to put the shovel and other unstuck-gear in the back of the truck. There’s already a sleeping bag and other essentials in there. (And, by the by, here’s the epic series on winter vehicle stuff.) And for getting unstuck, traction sand (or cat litter) and a good shovel go a long way….but not as long a way as a good length of rope, some snatch blocks, tow straps, and clevis. But, whatever your choice, at least have something to work with to get you out of that icy ditch you slide into sideways.

And, of course, it’s time to take the Filson wools out of the closet. I have, over the last few years, amassed a pretty impressive collection of Filson. It’s all wool so it repels cold, wind, and evil.

I expect this winter will see me doing not much of anything noteworthy except getting caught up on reloading, spending far too much time in my trading portfolios, and perhaps working on getting the place looking a little more Home & Garden and less Field & Stream.

On the other hand, we could all be isolated in our houses as the Chinese ‘accidentally’ release another ‘not a weaponized version’ of the flu and our economy sinks further into Third Worldism. :::shrug::: Who knows?