Title: Try-N-Find-Us
Author: Frederic Buse
Publisher: Authors’ Tranquility Press
ISBN: 978-1-968750-40-4
Pages: 134
Genre: Memoir
Reviewer: Jason Lulos
Pacific Book Review
A charming, realistic, and sometimes hilarious memoir about a newlywed couple moving to a remote house in the country. It’s hard to describe Try-N-Find-Us in one go, but one could say that it’s The Money Pit set in the 1960s. Author Fred Buse admits that when he and his wife, Dot, decided to try country life, they were naïve. Their story of living like Thoreau is thoroughly heartwarming and despite all the hardships they faced, his fond recollections illustrate how rewarding that experience had been. This was the age before computers and cell phones: a DIY time when everything was hard earned. Fred does not reflect upon this as a difficult time, rather, the work made it even more rewarding. This is a quaint but realistic story that beckons to what many might imagine as “the good ole days.” It’s a story about building a home and learning to live with, not against, mother nature.
In the early 1960s, Fred and Dot bought a house (built in 1928) via Turkey Hill Road near Jug Town Mountain at the base of the Musconetcong Mountains in New Jersey. Those place names alone should give you an idea of the truly rural setting. It was so remote, that Fred’s father made them a sign dubbing it “Try-N-Find-Us.” When Fred used this sign to direct a delivery driver to their home, the driver hung up. Fred never made that mistake again. Fred and Dot were new to country living so it was a continual learning experience where hilarity and adventure often ensued. Fred notes that one of the “selling points” of the house was a double-seated outhouse. He was quick to remark that he would never imagine using such a thing for that purpose. Not to mention, the outhouse was located uphill from the wellhouse: another headscratcher left by the people who built the house before them.
Without spoiling too much, there was the occasional electrocution, being chased by a bull, floods, and rescuing a pregnant woman on top of a mountain with an army tank. Although naïve, Fred and Dot faced it all with real pioneer spirit. They were always fixing, always working on some project to make their home cozier. Family, friends, and neighbors were often there to help. So, it wasn’t just a series of lessons about home repair and appreciating nature. It was also a great time for the community in this old-fashioned setting.
This is one of those cozy, heartwarming stories but also serves as a “how to” manual on living in the country and fixing up an old house. Fred’s engineering background came in handy, and he describes the home improvement projects with relatable detail. Despite the challenges, there was always humor. Fred’s narration indicates gratitude for the experience. This was the time of telephone partylines, fireflies and star-filled skies, real Christmas trees, poison ivy, actual cat scratch fever, and occasionally being chased by a bull. Try-N-Find-Us is a charming blend of memoir and homesteading wisdom and filled with stories of trials, triumph, and the timeless joy of living close to the land. Buse invites readers into a world where simplicity is hard-won and every day brings a new lesson in self-reliance and community. I recommend this if you’re in the mood for a lesson in building a home – or just a good story about what it was like to live in the “good ole days.”
