A Place in the Country

BY BILL ZIERCHER

Bill Ziercher is the founder of Select Properties Real Estate. He has been active in building, buying, selling, and managing rural real estate and income property for over 25 years. For a free consultation on marketing your rural property, you can contact Bill at 314.412.3966. and for copies of previous “A Place in the Country” Articles you can email him at ziercher59@gmail.com.

Sunrise at White Mountain Wilderness, New Mexico above . . . and moonset below Bill and sons Kyle and Kameron at Lizard Head Wilderness, Colorado

at·trac·tion: the action or power of evoking interest, pleasure, or liking for someone or something to The Country.

his article is a little and Philosophy, Music and Poetry? Nature

Tmore philosophical and rural time evoke those in a very real than usual. The way, not faux, virtually or as some artificial subject is the environment. attraction or better yet immersing yourself in a rural getaway, or even moving there and adopting it as a way of life. There is the music of songbirds in the morning, coyotes at night or the sound of water falling. The design, colors and symmetry of Balance is noble in most wildflowers things in life. In my cannot fully be mind one thing that is reproduced in out of balance in large images or on parts of our society is technology as a way to experience everyday living, as opposed to realism. As an example, people (especially our children) are not made to spend hours every day in front of a screen or iPhone. I am not proposing people live an Amishlike lifestyle, rather a little more balance of “virtual” with realism. John Paul II provides a healthy view of technology where he says machines are “man’s ally because they facilitate his work, perfect, accelerate and augment it.” (1) Christina Ianzito, an award-winning travel writer, cites studies that show nature is a good prescription for physical, mental and emotional well-being.(2) We live longer, are more comfortable, well-fed and live largely peaceful lives from the fruits of the canvas. The poetry of forests, sunrises and ducks landing on water still one’s heart. To truly experience the heavens at night you must be away from city lights. There are multiple ways to experience nature, and it certainly is both qualitative and quantitative, meaning you cannot fully appreciate the great outdoors with just momentary immersions in the country. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? We are blessed in the United States to live in a country that has more public access to fishing, hunting and recreational activities than any other place on earth. For those who can afford owning a place in the country there are additional benefits. Roots and family memtracts of your own property provide greater hunting opportunities. Owning your own place also appeals to the left brain because land is a very sound long-term investment and as I ask, “When was the last time you or your family could enjoy a portion of your 401K or stock portfolio as much?” Or, “When you die, do you want to leave more money or more shared memories with your kids and grandkids?” My brother and his family live in Durango, Colorado. They have a rustic cabin just South of Telluride on a small lot that overlooks Trout Lake on the San Juan Skyway, the Uncumpahrge National Forest is on his back doorstep and the Lizard Head Wilderness is just across the highway. One of the key attributes is that door-to-door from home to cabin is under two hours. Likewise, in the St Charles/St Louis region a little incremental drive provides a much greater return: buying a place an hour and a half out vs. an hour provides a lot more bang for your buck, but 2 hours or much further you and your family are less likely to get there to enjoy it as often. natural sciences. On the ories, the freedom to use other hand, what would the land how and when life be without the Arts you choose, and larger

1 Laborem Exercens 2 Nature: The Prescription for Better Mental Health