Moving to Manchester (i think) very soon with nothing left but myself, small dog and suitcase. This will be my final attempt to adapt and overcome what have been overwhelming circumstances, and if I have to start all over with nothing I'd rather do it there, with my liberty intact if not my pride. Any hints, small or adaptive living arrangements, ideas for an exchange of labor or intellect while I grab on to my bootstraps…? Advice or leads of all types gratefully welcomed. (Found this forum through FSP). And, ummm, exactly how cold is winter? (Spoiled rotten Ex San Diegan here)
[quote author=Bella111 link=topic=6858.msg62208#msg62208 date=1354079210]
And, ummm, exactly how cold is winter? (Spoiled rotten Ex San Diegan here)
[/quote]
Very
Welcome - you will find some Manchester-specific subforums here. Hope they are useful to you.
Congrats in advance on the move!
[quote author=Bella111 link=topic=6858.msg62208#msg62208 date=1354079210]And, ummm, exactly how cold is winter? (Spoiled rotten Ex San Diegan here)[/quote]
There's no such thing as bad weather… just poor clothing choice.
[quote author=MaineShark link=topic=6858.msg62215#msg62215 date=1354145629]
[quote author=Bella111 link=topic=6858.msg62208#msg62208 date=1354079210]And, ummm, exactly how cold is winter? (Spoiled rotten Ex San Diegan here)[/quote]
There's no such thing as bad weather… just poor clothing choice.
[/quote]
It took me a year, but as an ex-Floridian I'm actually wearing pants instead of shorts now…lol.
Well, I have the advantage of stopping in Colorado for 2 winters on my way east. While there I discovered I had few shoes that covered my feet. Problem fixed there, got winter boots and chilly wear there. I also spent some time in northeast Washington state. I figure the seasons might be very similar. Short growing season. I'll have to adapt my gardening methods and varieties I think. Life without garden tomatoes is nearly intolerable. 
[quote author=Bella111 link=topic=6858.msg62237#msg62237 date=1354377948]Short growing season. I'll have to adapt my gardening methods and varieties I think. Life without garden tomatoes is nearly intolerable. ;)[/quote]
The growing season varies widely across NH. Here in Grafton, we have 93 days of frost-free growing. North of the notches (an hour or two further north than Grafton, it's substantially colder. Down in the seacoast region, up to Nottingham/Northwood, there is a micro-climate mild enough for commercial grape production. Mt. Washington, itself, has some of the worst weather in the world.
In other words, you can get a variety of weather, here. If gardening is important to you, look for others in a given area who have reliable gardens, before choosing that area as a destination. Or invest in a greenhouse, if you have the money to build, heat, and possibly light it - some folks here in town are running a 20x24 heated greenhouse, and it's just packed with various vegetables, all year 'round.
Happy to help with real estate issues. My advice re: the cold - learn to like it. There's many former warm weather folks here that are dealing with the cold well.
Brett Markham is a top selling author on Amazon re: Minifarming - he lives in NH and is a Free Stater! You can find some of his talks from Porcfest/LF online. He is also very happy to help and give advice, you might reach out to him. He grows something like 75% of his own food at his own home on 1/4 acre in southern NH.
Perhaps look to take up some winter activities to give you something to look forward to in the winter. I know Free Staters are big into skiing, snow shoeing, sled dogs, hiking, ice climbing, etc. One thing we do have is a lot of outdoorsy activities, no matter the season.
Thank you. I'll look into a greenhouse. Good idea. I have an idea for that. I might be able to get my hands on a mil style inflatable q-hut. It might work. I'll also look up Brett Markham. He's doing quite well on 1/4 acre. Real estate is far in the future. I'll want to get through a couple of seasonal rotations to make sure I can take it and to narrow down where it feels most like home. I plan it to be my last move. Wherever I end up, I end up for good this time.
Hi Everyone- Welcome Bella, I bet you'll love NH, even with the cold weather!
I am curious Mark- you mentioned Freestaters interested in sled dogs, do they actually have sled dogs? Could you tell me what town they ended up in? We have sled dogs here in ME and I was excited to read that! TY! Jessica
Don't know about any Freestaters who currently have sled dogs, but I used to do a bit of mushing, years ago.
I regularly see folks taking dogsleds down the rail trail, here in Grafton.
Cool! Did you mush in ME? I assume that is where you are from MaineShark? We haven't gotten out to Grafton yet but we really want to. We tried to get a place in Hill where the snow mobile trails went right along side of the property. And we have looked in a ton of other places all over NH. We also need to get out to see the Keene area. Take care Everyone! Jessica
[quote author=oddonesout link=topic=6858.msg62347#msg62347 date=1355510603]Cool! Did you mush in ME?[/quote]
A bit.
[quote author=oddonesout link=topic=6858.msg62347#msg62347 date=1355510603]I assume that is where you are from MaineShark?[/quote]
Most recently, before moving back to NH.
[quote author=oddonesout link=topic=6858.msg62345#msg62345 date=1355490140]
We have sled dogs here in ME
[/quote]
What breed?
Are they pets?
I've been thinking about them. My daughter is interested…and we live by an old rail trail.
Sorry to have changed the subject a bit. We have 11 Siberians, and yes they are pets. We have a kennel but they come in and out on a rotation depending on who's turn and it is and who they get along with. Feel free to message me if you or your daughter want to know more!
Good luck with your move Bella- you'll be in NH before we will!
Jessica
Hello Bella,
I'm a former Californian as well, and Azorean by heritage. I HATE winter. It is a vile thing. Despite this, I definitely don't regret the move. I am coming up on my third year anniversary. I have modified my clothing and most importantly, my skincare. Vitamin D is very important. We're human; we adapt. However, I do still wear flip flops 8 months out of the year; my stubbornness (perseverance?) shows.
For gardening, there are great suburbs around Manchester for that. I really like New Boston. It is 20 minutes outside of Manchester and they lowered their town taxes this year! Also, if you can't afford a place with land, we are working on networking apartment folks that have time with house folks that have land that can be worked for a percentage of the produce.
Be aware when renting that if heat is not included, it can get very pricey in the winter. There are pages on FB for job and housing alerts. Best wishes!
+1 Antigone