dying country towns

Jeanette has lived in the city most of her life but was born in the country and has always held a romantic notion that it would be cool to buy a rustic cottage on the outskirts of a little country town for her retirement, but the reality of checking out homes for sale in the country was an eye opener.

"You know," explains Jeanette, "some place to visit on long weekends to get some peace and quiet and commune with nature, and maybe live their permanently in retirement."

"I'd never done anything about my dream - other than bore my friends silly talking about it," laughs Jeanette, "but one day I was looking through the classifieds and found this intriguing real estate advertisement."

"It was a country cottage for sale and it was worded in such a way that it described perfectly what I had always dreamed of," says Jeanette. "Its price was so cheap that I could buy it outright and because it seemed to jump out at me I took it as a sign to act immediately!"

"I telephoned the agent handling the property and he gave me the address to check it out," says Jeanette. "I thought it was a bit strange that he didn't make an appointment for me to view the house - but being a good rationalist I thought that maybe he was busy that weekend, or the place was too far out of town, or maybe it was the way business was done in country towns."

"I couldn't wait for the weekend to arrive," laughs Jeanette. "I was so excited. I booked a room at the nearest motel to the town and early Saturday morning I took off."

"On the long drive inland I was filled with excitement and anticipation," says Jeanette. "It seemed like I was really going home even though the town I was born in was hundreds of miles away."

"I arrived in the town just after lunch and didn't have much trouble finding the motel - it was the only one in town," laughs Jeanette. "The place was empty - I was the only guest - and the husband and wife who ran the motel made a huge fuss of me."

"When they heard I had come to check the house for sale they asked me which one - and I soon discovered that just about every house in the town was for sale!"

"They had nothing good to say about the place I had particularly come to see," explains Jeanette, "but they assured me that when I returned from checking the place they'd have a list drawn up of other places for sale that might interest me."

"Undaunted by their remarks about my dream cottage - and eager to stretch my legs and take a good look around the town - I put on my joggers and walked to the address given to me by the agent and directed by the motel proprietors."

"They weren't kidding about the house I had come to see," laughs Jeanette. "It was a run-down shack alright, but it was situated at the back of a huge old factory!"

"Hello? You go to the country to get away from that sort of thing!"

"I also understood why the agent didn't make an appointment with me - the shack had no doors or windows and every imaginable creature was living in it."

"As promised, the motel proprietors had a list of other places for sale when I returned," says Jeanette. "Not only that, but word had passed around the town and a guy actually turned up eager to show me his place."

"Without thinking, I did something I'd never do in the city," laughs Jeanette. "I jumped into the car of a strange man - someone I had only just met!"

"It just seemed the natural thing to do in the country," explains Jeanette. "This guy not only showed me his house but a whole stack of other houses for sale - and everyone welcomed me into their houses and made me really feel like I was home."

"I think the disappointment of finding my dream house to be a total wreck took the edge off my being able to fall in love with any other house this guy took me to see," sighs Jeanette.

"His place wasn't bad - it was better than anything else for sale in the town - but it wasn't exactly what I wanted and it was twice the price I could afford."

"Because he had been so nice to me - and the town itself was really sweet - and I didn't want to leave empty-handed," explains Jeanette, "I told this guy that I'd think about buying his house and would get back to him in a few days."

"Early the next morning - after a great sleep - I walked around town by myself and got a real feel for the place."

"I stopped at a cafe and sat there for an hour or so observing the people who came in and walked by," says Jeanette, "and I chatted with the shop-keeper and his wife, too."

"All the smiles and pleasantries I had experienced the day before were gone," says Jeanette. "I don't know whether it was because it was Sunday or too early in the morning or maybe just the fact that my rose-colored spectacles had dropped off, but everyone looked miserable."

"Not just miserable, but downtrodden, resigned and zombie-like."

"No wonder so many houses were for sale - everyone wanted to get out of the place!"

"Realizing this, my dream of a country retirement cottage and idyllic weekends spent communing with nature was quickly dispelled."

"I couldn't get back to the city and my little apartment fast enough," laughs Jeanette. "Next time I feel like communing with nature I'll take a walk in the local park!"