The Whimsy and Wisdom of a Simplified Rural Life

As the morning sun washes over the Tennessee countryside, Karyn Houser and her husband typically find themselves sitting on their porch, sipping coffee. There the two enjoy the restorative power of nature within their 37-acre haven, setting the tone for our conversation. As we chat about the therapeutic company of Serama chickens and the artistry behind Karyn's whimsical tote bags, we are reminded of the philosophy that she lives by—a belief in the value of joy and the wisdom of downsizing to amplify that joy.  

Join us for this heartfelt exploration of the richness of community spirit, the restorative power of nature, and the profound peace found in a life less cluttered by material possessions.

Thank you for listening.

Be sure to visit the Restless to Renewed website for pictures and more information about episode guests at www.RestlesstoRenewed.com.

Chapters

• 0:05 Embracing Peace in Small Town
• 4:51 Front Porch Conversations and Community
• 11:55 Small Town Revival
• 25:09 Rural Living and Downsizing Advice
• 30:28 The Power of Laughter and Contentment

Transcript

JaniceHost
Welcome to Restless to Renewed: Women, Redefining Midlife and Beyond. I'm your host, Janice Neely, and today my guest is Karyn Houser. Karen has been on the program once before and I'm so pleased that she agreed to be here again today. Karen has had many adventures in her life, but now, at age 62, she and her husband, Bill, have settled down on a piece of property in Portland, Tennessee, where they've found peace, quiet and happiness. Welcome, Karen, and how are things going today? 

KarynGuest01:07
Today is a wonderful day and thank you for having me back. This is fun.

JaniceHost01:12
It is fun. It's becoming a little easier for me and it's taken a while, but all of you have been so helpful to me and I think that we have a good time. So I mentioned that you're living in Portland, tennessee. You're not from Portland, you're originally from Oklahoma, Correct?

KarynGuest01:29
Correct and then moved to New Mexico, Colorado, Alaska, South Carolina. Yeah, we moved a lot.

JaniceHost01:36
Right, and so you ended up in a little town north of Nashville, Tennessee, and I think the population here is about 9,000 people, something like that. It's bigger than some towns, but it's still relatively small compared to the towns you've lived in before, and so I want to know how long have you lived here?

KarynGuest01:56
My husband and I moved here in 1989. We were living in Madison, Tennessee, which is a suburb of Nashville, in a condo and we were looking through one of those real estate free catalogs that you can get in the grocery store and at the very back page was this little. You couldn't really tell by the picture. It was kind of run down and the picture was fuzzy, but it said 37 acres and a house for $59,900. And my husband and I decided, well, let's take a look at it. And I came up and absolutely fell in love with the place. I asked my husband because he had to work. I said how am I going to know if you're going to like it? He said, well, stand on the front porch, picture yourself naked, and if you'd feel comfortable, then you know I'll like it, secluded, in other words, and it was perfect. It's a tiny little four-room house with 37 acres of woods and two creeks. You can't see the road from the house. You can't see the house from the road. It feels more isolated than it is.

JaniceHost02:58
Okay, so what year was that? Again, 1989. 1989. I was going to say, with the price of  $59,900, that's been a while. Yes, yes, especially with this area growing so much. I know it is everywhere you know, but the Nashville area has just exploded in the last few years. So you've been living in this small town for quite a while now, and how has living on this property influenced your daily life compared to when you lived in Madison or other towns that were larger?

KarynGuest03:26
Unbelievable difference. We have reached to us the American dream, our American dream and content that there's just very little stress in our lives because we're able to embrace the peace and quiet that we have there. We have simplified our lives. It's unbelievable. We have one bathroom. There are people who just can't imagine going through life with one bathroom, but it's so simple. Everything about it is. I mean, we grow our vegetables. If we feel like it, we'll put it in a big garden. We have our chickens so we have our fresh eggs. But the peace that has come over us since we've moved out there, that we look forward to going home after work. Well, my husband works. We look forward to being at home, staying home, sitting on the front porch and there's just contentment and a peace that is part of our lives. That is just amazing. There's a spirituality about it that is just absolutely amazing.

JaniceHost04:51
You were talking about sitting on the front porch. Years ago I remember thinking, oh, I just need some peace in my life. I was working and busy all the time and doing some traveling and so forth. And I remember I wrote a little blog post called “Just Sitting” and I wondered how people just sat on their front porch and watched the world go by. I thought, I can't imagine doing that. But now, as I grow older, it's becoming more of a reality for me. That means everything to me now. Sit there and be quiet and just look around.

KarynGuest05:26
Oh yeah, my husband and I, every morning, I don't care what the weather is, I don't care how cold it is, how hot it is we sit on the front porch with a cup of coffee, watch the dog, watch the squirrels, watch the birds, and we talk about well, he talks about what he's going to do that day. Does it happen? No, but that's okay. He likes to talk about what his plans are for the day and we'll laugh. There is not a day that has gone by in 37 years of marriage that that man has not made me laugh first thing in the morning.

05:57
Yeah, I don't care if it's a bad joke or if he dances on the porch, and you have to understand my husband's a large man and he's just, he's hilarious, he's absolutely hilarious. So every day I start my day with a laugh. And that's sitting on the front porch time, that's our time together to just soak it all in and, like I said, watch the birds, the deer, the wild turkeys coming into the yard. And that quality time is something that we never had before because, living in a condo, you've got the neighbors. You can hear them flushing their toilet, even if they're great neighbors. You can smell what they're cooking. You can hear their TV. We don't have that anymore.

JaniceHost06:45
Well, you know, it's funny because I spoke to another lady about this. She's looking at moving into her van and we just released that podcast. That's awesome. She wants to follow her dream of becoming an artist and talking about making her livelihood that way. But anyway, one of the things we talked about was there was this time when everybody wanted to have a bigger house. And there's this whole generation of people that are much younger than me now, but they want experiences in life and they don't care about possessions as much you know. They want to be able to get on a plane and head to Europe, and if they come home and they live in a tiny house or a one bedroom home or whatever, that's okay with them. And I'm thinking, golly, I wish that would have been something that I would have thought about when I was younger, instead of thinking I got to go with the crowd and try to keep up with the crowd.

KarynGuest07:38
Exactly. I mean there are people who like the structure of living in a subdivision with an HOA. I'm not one of those people. It seems to me, and I've been thinking, that people that like the restrictions that an HOA puts on homeowners, they like that because they know that there's not going to be trash piled up in people's yards or people working on their cars. But it seems that people that are pro HOA, that live in the neighborhoods they always seem to be so angry at the people who aren't following the rules, so they've got that anger. And then the people who don't like HOAs and having to follow the rules, they have that anger. And I've been in both situations. I've lived in neighborhoods with an HOA.

08:29
Well, one thing I'll never do again. You had to keep your yard cut on certain days of the week. You couldn't do this, you couldn't do that and it was just too restrictive for me. And it's people always just complaining. I can't stand it. One thing out there, I can't see my neighbors and if they want to have junk cars all over their yard, that's their property. I don't really care, I don't have to look at it. And if I want to have two giant RVs parked in my yard. That's my business.

09:10
The only thing I hear from the people that live around us is children laughing, laughing, and the sound travels through the holler and I love hearing the kids laughing. I loved it when my kids were growing up. I don't care if it's two o'clock in the morning. Kids get the giggles and kids get noisy. I could say go outside. And I could turn my kids loose out in my yard at two o'clock in the morning. They're not disturbing anybody, they're getting rid of that energy. You know, just go outside and you can't do that in a city or in a subdivision.

JaniceHost09:50
I'm kind of a rules person, so sometimes I think the HOA sounds good to me, and then there's other times when I think no, but you know I'm pretty bland, so I could probably fit in just fine and I know that's the perfect situation for some people. Yeah, but out here where I am right now, I'm kind of in the middle ground. You've got the acreage and I'm in a kind of subdivision.

KarynGuest10:11
Well, it doesn't look like one.

JaniceHost10:13
Well, you know, I've got the smallest yard. Mine's a little over an acre. Other people have more acreage, but anyway I can see houses. Without naming any names, have you ever encountered anybody memorable or any interesting characters here? 

KarynGuest10:29
I really have. One of my neighbors passed away, unfortunately, about, I guess, eight or nine years ago. He was my best friend down here. He was amazing and you know, he had like two teeth and he was big, big, big bubba and ball-headed and he could recite Shakespeare. And I loved that man, absolutely loved him, and he told me when I decided to go to college. He said, Karyn, if you start getting uppity, we're going to have a talk, because I was going to college and I wasn't allowed to be uppity down there in the holler.  And we all had nicknames. Most of us didn't even know each other's real names, but they would give you a nickname and his was Frog and my mother actually loved him too. He was just wonderful. And there's a lot of songwriters and musicians that live here in the Portland area and one particular famous one came during the covid pandemic, my mother's 81st, 82nd birthday.

11:36
But anyway, he came over and he spent four hours playing his guitar and singing and just small town stuff. And if we grow a garden and the neighbors grow something we used to like, one  garden would be full of tomatoes, one would be full of corn, one would be full of peppers and we would just trade. You know you need something. You just say hey, you got any tomatoes? Yeah, come on over and get them, and it's wonderful.

JaniceHost12:01
Yeah, I miss some of that. You know, when I was working a lot, I just didn't have the same camaraderie I did when my kids were little and we had friends that were in the neighborhood. I remember when we were very young, we had just gotten married and we bought a house and we had no money. The next door neighbors were also a young couple and a couple down the street and we would get together and put whatever food we had at night together and eat. One night what we put together was horrid. We thought we were making a chili, but it didn't have any chili ingredients. So I know that people would think, oh, that's terrible. But years later we just laugh about it. It was so much fun and the guys would go outside and we'd dance on the back patio and they'd play guitars and things and we didn't have any money to go anywhere.

12:49
But it was fun and the friendships were just great.

KarynGuest12:52
Oh yeah, one of the most precious meals I ever had was Frog's Mama and everybody down there is poor, that's just the way it is, but we don't care, it's just the way we are. And we were working on the house and she sent over, on her best plates, they were glass plates, the most loving meal I've ever encountered in my life. Each plate had a slice of bologna on it, a scoop of creamed corn, some fresh tomatoes and fresh cucumbers and a slice of white bread and that's all they had and they gave that to us and that just brought tears to my eyes because that was so precious and so giving. That's the way the people are down there. Yeah, absolutely amazing.

JaniceHost13:48
Yeah, that is. I’m thinking about one of the things you just mentioned. I'm going to circle back to you talking about raising food and you sharing that. You said you raise chickens. Can you tell me a little bit about your chickens, because I've seen pictures of them but I haven't been around them.

KarynGuest14:05
I love critters first off, and especially miniature critters. My next thing is I want to get some of those little Pygmy Goats but I just fell in love with them. So a friend of mine was raising Serama Chickens and she was showing them because they're show chickens. They have big contests and stuff.

14:24
Well, they're miniature, it's the smallest breed of chicken, it's not like a Banty, it's smaller than a Banty and it's much more mild-tempered and they're absolutely gorgeous, very vibrant plumage and they're very tiny. They love to cuddle and I've got them trained. They'll ride around on my shoulder like a parrot and we call it playing pirate and I'll take them in the house if they're not feeling well. And you can tell when your chicken's not feeling well. They just get kind of droopy and they love to be cuddled up in a blanket and they like to be rocked in the rocking chair. I mean it's silly but they'll fall asleep and they're great with kids.

15:01
But they are a very gentle, gentle breed of chicken and I raise them for fun. And there's some organizations that are using the ceramics as service animals for children with autism, where there's something about holding one of these miniature chickens because they're so loving that it just reduces your stress level. And when my husband, when he's watching a football game his blood pressure goes up. I can see when his veins start popping in his head. I'll just go get him a chicken, you know one of these miniature chickens and hand it to him, and you can just see the calmness come over him. They're wonderful.

JaniceHost15:39
They're just fun. That's just not something most people would think of. I mean, we have our dog and she calms us down, but I would never have thought, get a chicken to calm yourself.

15:48
Yeah no, they're fabulous. You just never know, do you? So you're doing that, and you also have another project that you work on, and I don't know if it's called a project to raise chickens, or maybe this isn't either, but you work on and I don't know if it's called a project, raising chickens, or maybe this isn't either. But you create bags and if anybody wants to follow Karyn, she has SnagBag by Karyn on Etsy. She has her own store and these bags are amazing. So tell us about how it came about that you started making the bags and so forth.

KarynGuest16:22
I have a very whimsical personality and even at 62, I like to dress up like a fairy and like with little wings and splash around in the creek and act silly. And I think that's why teenagers and little kids like me is because I'm silly and I wanted something that expressed my personality. And you know skirts and purses and I started sewing together bits of lace, vintage lace, antique lace, doilies and vintage handkerchiefs and next thing, you know, it has evolved into these fabulous bags. They're tote bags and they're covered with vintage jewelry that you can actually take off the bag and wear. And they're almost like full of other people's memories because I mean there's a hanky on there from like 1950 that some little kid, some little girl, embroidered mother on and you can tell it's hand done. I mean these are quite old and you think about the pride that that little girl had embroidering in this hanky to give to her mother, maybe for Mother's Day, and the pride that the mother felt and the love that the mother felt when she received this gift. And they're just full of beautiful memories and they've just really taken on a life of their own.

17:42
And there was a young lady who owns a boutique here in Portland. Her name is Lauren and she owns Tipsy Ricky's. I have no idea where that name came from, but I get a message from her one night at a concert and it says I've been trying to find you and she starts talking about the bags. She says, I would love to carry your bags in my store and I'm like, yes. So I went and saw her and we are so different. I've never seen so much pink and rhinestones and bows and sparkly things in my life in this boutique and the bags are perfect there.

18:27
And she's become my muse when it comes to the hanky bags because they're strictly hankies and jewelry and I just have to think of her. And here comes the bling and they are so much fun. And she and I are an interesting pair and it's like people come into your life that you would never think would have such an impact. And here's this fabulous young woman and she's got the personality and the business sense. I've never seen business sense in a young person like she has. I just. stand back in awe. She's amazing.

JaniceHost19:04
It is surprising to me. We have a little street here in this town and I guess I don't know when the town was built, but probably early 1900s, late 1800s but there's a little street, a strip, and a lot of shops were closed and the window fronts were just empty and now it's starting to fill in and one of them is her shop, and then there's another one where they sell health drinks.

KarynGuest19:29
And it's right next door, yes, yeah, and that's a young woman too.

JaniceHost19:32
Yeah, and they're just starting these businesses and I am thoroughly excited because I love to see a little small town be revived. I hate that so many of them are just going to dust. Yes, and these are young women, probably in their 20s. Yeah, they are. And they're amazing. I know I'm so happy that they had the foresight, the dream and the ambition to start something like this and they're being very successful.

KarynGuest20:00
They really are and you know it gives me faith in our future. It gives me faith in our community, watching the young people. I love this town and I was at the Taco Bell the other night right, and it was late, it was like 8:30 and it was full of teenagers. I noticed that I didn't hear any cursing, not one cuss word, not a darn. But it was loud because people were in there and I'm just watching them and listening. I was so impressed there was no food throwing, there was no loud screeching or chairs shoving. They weren't obnoxious. I was so impressed. I posted about it on a Facebook site for our local community because I want people to know how great their kids were when the parents weren't around. These kids were amazing. I'm so excited.

JaniceHost20:57
Yeah, I saw that post actually and I saw that the parents were happy to hear that, because very seldom do people post positive things. Yes, it's even when you go through in a restaurant or whatever. Be sure to tell people when they're doing a good job or, you know, tip well, because you get so beat up in the world..

KarynGuest21:16
We really do, we really do.And it's like I was saying earlier before we started recording you can't control the world, but you can control your world. And I'm not saying, you know, turn off the TV forever and don't engage with what's going on in the world, because I think it's important that you'd be involved in some way. But in our home and on our little piece of ground, and this is the way the kids were raised, we do not allow arguing, fighting, or temper tantrums. It's not allowed. It's okay to feel those things, but you can't do it on our property because that's my happy place.

21:55
So, before the road got paved, I would just send the boys out to the road if they wanted to argue about something. Or if one of the boys got mad at me, they'd say, mom, we need to go to the road and I'd say, okay, I'll meet you down there in a little bit. And then you know, by the time you get down there, you can just talk about it and you can control your world. If you're dreading going home, just because you just dread going home, you can set those rules. Just go out in the road, but just make your home a happy place.

JaniceHost22:26
Right, Right. I think that so many people would probably think well, I don't have that opportunity. It doesn't have to be the road. You can designate something. You could go, sit in your car, you know, but take it out of your house.

KarynGuest22:39
Take it out of your house. And if you have somebody in your home that the minute they walk in the door they start complaining, don't let it continue. It's ruining your happy place.

JaniceHost22:51
So, as you look ahead in your life and what's coming down the pike for you, what are your hopes and goals, as you sit in this setting, you know in your home? 

KarynGuest23:10
Well, one of the interesting things is that at 62, I'm fortunate because, with the help of a wonderful husband, I have accomplished my goals in life.

I have reached the apex of my happiness. It's everything I ever wanted. I am at peace. I am happy, I am content. I make my own bread. I make my own laundry soap. It's such a simple life. I have managed to almost completely purge the excess baggage. I mean, I got rid of it, and took it to consignment stores. It is gone. I don't need 36 pairs of a particular brand of sneaker, they're gone. Simply, simplify, simplify.  And to be able to get up in the morning and listen to the birds. My husband's happy, my dog's happy, I'm happy. Put a cup of coffee on the front porch. I have arrived.

24:01
And it's not just me either. My mother lives with us about six months out of the year, half the year, and when she comes here she just feels so free. I have a friend in Phoenix, Debbie. She's horribly, horribly ill and when she comes here to visit, she tries to get here every year for at least a week, she's a different person. It's very healing there because of all the positive energy and the negativity is not allowed. It's very healing and my best friend, Denise, I have known for over 40 years, she feels it so strongly when she's here. We used to laugh all the time when we were kids. You know, one of these days we're going to be two old ladies traveling around the country, taking day trips or whatever, but we're going to be together and we've known this since we were kids and it's time. It's time. And just simplify your life. It is so fabulous. You don't have to have 37 acres and a little bitty house somewhere to get that peace. Just control your world.

JaniceHost25:04
Yeah, peace, just control your world. Yeah, well, you know, I think there was a time when I thrived on busyness and being around a lot of people, and traffic was not a big deal to me, and you know, going to a restaurant and waiting in line, well, that's just part of it. And now I have become a person who tries to avoid large crowds as much as I can. I crave being able to have some space and be able to put my arms out and not bump into somebody.

KarynGuest25:35
Yeah, I can't stand it if I go out in public. I can't stand people griping, the complainers of the world, but I can't control them. Yeah, but I can control my space and not allow that stuff in my happy place. Just take control of your life. We have a crying tree now because I can't send the kids out to the road because there's too much traffic now because the road's paved. So we have a crying tree that's at the end of the driveway that if they're going to throw a tantrum, they go to the crying tree. And even people that bring their children know about the crying tree and Granny doesn't take that.  They'll walk themselves to the crying tree if they feel like they're fixing to have a tantrum. It works, I'm telling you it works.

JaniceHost26:16
That's surprising, because I know so many people would say that they cannot control their children, and I know there are certain incidents where there's some kind of issue or whatever, but with a lot of people, I think it's just a matter of not setting boundaries, and that's my opinion. My two cents. I might be wrong, but anyway, if someone is wanting to move to, or considering moving to a rural area and I think you talked to your friend Denise about this, what would you say to them? Would you encourage them? 

KarynGuest26:46
If it's what you want to do, if you feel like it, then you should do it. But you got to downsize. One of the big things about living a simple life is to have simple things, and if it's not functional, you don't get  it. Just like I got rid of all those designer clothes. I don't need it anymore, I didn't need it when I had it. And keep it simple and just purge. Take it down to the bare minimum and you will be surprised at how much more peaceful your life is, because your brain is no longer thinking about I've got all this stuff, I need this and I want this and I want that. It's gone. It's just gone. It's not there.

JaniceHost27:30
Yeah, and I think when you have stuff, it creates situations where there's more that you have to do to maintain the stuff.

KarynGuest27:37
Yes, and I'm still getting rid of stuff.

JaniceHost27:40
Yeah Well, I was going to say that living out in a rural area is not for everyone, and we know that. And I didn't think it would be for me, but I found out it is. 

KarynGuest28:06
But if you like, living in the city, it's hard work living out on 37 acres.

You've got to have a riding mower and if you're going to put in a garden you're going to need a tractor or a tiller. These are expenses, but you don't have to go off the grid completely to have that peace. But I highly recommend getting away from the rat race. Oh, and raising kids in the country. Like I said, my kids could play outside at 2 o'clock in the morning and I wasn't afraid. It's just so peaceful.

JaniceHost28:31
Well, I'll tell you what. I think that, like I said, it's not for everybody. I know we've had quite a few people that I've met moving to this area, not just in this town but in this area, from lots of different states, and I'm surprised at the people that have come here to homestead. Yeah, and these are people that had high profile jobs and, from what we've talked about, they're tired of it and they want their children to be in a situation where there's a slower pace and they're not so driven, because success can be measured in lots of different ways.

KarynGuest29:09
One of the things that I have to advise, and this is a law of the people that live in the country: If you're going to move into the country, don't try to control your neighbors. You're coming to the country to get away from people telling you everything you have to do and what color to paint your door and the HOA rules and regulations and stuff. Don't try to control your neighbors. Look around, go to a house you're looking at on a Friday night about 10:30 and sit there and listen and if you hear noises that you don't like, then do not buy that house. If your neighbors are throwing a bonfire party every Friday night and that bothers you, then do not move there. Back when we were younger, every Friday night, just about, we'd have a bonfire and everybody in the holler would come over. If they're all there, they can't complain. You know, and we have freedoms and we respect each other's right to those freedoms out in the country.

JaniceHost30:1
Well, I'm still having difficulty with that, Karyn, because I've lived in town my whole life and there's times when I think really? You're putting that on your front porch?  But anyway, if there's nothing else, any other advice?

KarynGuest30:34
Laugh. Laugh every day. Find something funny and laugh at it every day, and never underestimate the power of being content. And those young people that seem so strange to us. They can open up a whole new world for us old people and just like Lauren at that boutique. She is absolutely blowing my mind. She's amazing and she's helped my business take off like crazy. But I still do it at my pace. I only do it when I feel like it.

JaniceHost31:07
Right, no, that's the key, yeah, okay. Well, I want to thank you again for joining us today. Please remember to visit the Restless to Renewed website for guest profiles and recommended reading. And now the store has some fun t-shirts, bags, and some other items. You can also find a link to Karyn's SnagBags in the Collective section of the website. So thank you, Karyn, thank you, and I will leave everyone with this quote today by poet Gary Snyder. “ Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.”  Thanks, bye everyone.