Eleven women live in The Bird’s Nest, a small village of compact houses in east Texas, United States. Nine of them are retired, aged 60 to 80 years, and share the clear goal of keeping company company in old age, possibly until the end of life.
Most women in the village are single – just like half of American women 65 or older. Many are divorced; One never married; And a widow keeps “the perfect relationship” with a man who lives in another state. Together they have 21 children and about 24 grandchildren. Nine dogs also live there.
Yerian, owner of the terrain where The Bird’s Nest, is 70 years old, is outgoing, with short and discolored hair, and a cheerful way. I was with her and her neighbors in the “kitchen” of the village, which is actually a great open porch used as a community space for eating, talking and playing cards until late at night. Nearby, high flowerbeds were full of zucchini. Mobile houses, some surrounded by sunflowers, looked like fairy tale houses.
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I traveled to The Bird’s Nest in mid -July because I was looking for real examples of a dream I have since I was 20: after raising children and building career, I and my friends would buy a big house in a place accessible to live together, such as college – cooking, laughing, helping each other with accessibility and health care, if necessary. (At the time, we didn’t think much of the partners.)
The women of The Bird’s Nest are neither the richest nor the poorest in the US. They are retired from administrative and help work: teachers, babysitters, data analysts, attendants, legal secretaries, home health carers. Two were fired around 60, which shortened their years of work.
Two married lesbian women live in the village, as well as a republican who has a weapon, a conservative Christian and several who define themselves as “daughters of military.” All have gone through difficulties common to many women: cancer, infertility, dependence, mental problems, domestic violence. Some have adult children who live closely and love to receive their grandchildren to sleep in the house, make annual trips to Ireland and fish in Michigan. Others have emotionally distant children, painful memories of errors in creation. Night conversations in the “kitchen” often saw a kind of group therapy, observes Trish Earixson, part of the married couple.
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Women disagree on many subjects, especially political – after all, it is Texas. Within their homes, one may be writing cards to decisive states in the elections, while another studies the Bible, but they all agreed not to discuss these topics in common spaces.
“We say we respect each other,” says Cheryl Huff, former first year’s teacher, a close friend of Yerian and original village member. “But it’s not easy,” he adds.
They chose to be together, which means that when Katharine Wickham fell from the deck by stepping into a Styrofoam box, the others led her to the emergency room. And when Huff had knee surgery, the neighbors sought their medicines and took food to her door.
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All agree that the first rule, not written but strictly followed, is: no drama. Or at least as little as possible. “No one here likes to create confusion,” says Huff.
This community, explains Yerian, emerged from a group of working women who needed to live independently as much as possible, even with little or no financial reserve. “My goal is to keep people out of nursing homes,” he says.
Yerian only started investing in a retirement plan at age 50. It was a mother who stayed at home, faced a difficult marriage and then worked more than 20 years at Clorox in Dallas. He bought a small house and had a good income, but at 60 he could not retire comfortably. To ensure his independence in old age, he knew he needed to reduce spending and stretch his economies.
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About ten years ago, watching the “Tiny House Nation” program, Yerian thought of living in small homes could solve his long -term financial problem. On impulse, went to a compact houses event in Colorado Springs, visited 50 houses over a weekend and convinced.
He bought his Tiny House for $ 55,000 in 2017. Then he acquired 5.5 acres of land in Hopkins County, turned the site into trailers, installed water, light, sewage and 14 concrete bases for houses. He sold his home and drew the retirement plan. He invested $ 150,000 in The Bird’s Nest – everything he had.
The regret came fast. When he visited the ground, he saw a burnt place, so isolated that he couldn’t even find someone to cut the grass. If it was honest, that place – 70 miles from Dallas, with a bad cell phone signal and little shadow – was not ideal for retirement or for her.
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But there was no other option. He moved his Tiny House to The Bird’s Nest in December 2021. Huff accompanied her, bringing his own even smaller home.
But no one else appeared. Huff saw her friend discourage. “She had a dream. And it wasn’t that dream. She had to adapt.”
The idea of being a women’s community only emerged after Yerian organized a Women’s tool workshop in the village. They came from other states and camped in tents. “We started talking around the fire, and I asked, ‘What if it was just for women?’ It was unanimous: ‘It would be amazing.’ ”
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Then a series of YouTube videos called “Tiny Home Expedition” showed The Bird’s Nest. Yerian spoke about the place, the issue of financial accessibility and described the village as “a community of women who empowed women.” Your phone has not stopped ringing.
In the village, sitting in the “kitchen” of slippers, the mood was relaxed. In one hour we talked about men – more specifically, the rule of not allowing men to sleep on the spot. The village is for women, but what about workers, children, former partner, meetings? Yerian started thinking about it after someone asked on the village’s Facebook: “Can men’s friends spend at night? What if anyone wants to get married?”
For Yerian, “only women” was a guidance, not a rigid rule. They don’t hate men, she says. Many have dear children and grandchildren. They only expect men to respect their autonomy and intelligence – that is, that they do not send them, nor teach us how to use tools or to pack the truck. Many people ask, “How will you survive without men?” It irritates her. “There is no ‘wrong way’ here, we try to do it.”
But when she asked about sex and dating, she was surprised. They laughed a lot to remember the conversation playing cards the night before. She accepts the idea of company and sex, at least once in a while, and imagined that others as well.
But all said no. No man can spend the night, never for any reason. “If you are dating, he has a home, right? Go there. If he wants to have sex, go there,” said Sherry Moore, who moved to the village in June 2024. They laughed a lot. Huff joked: “All our homes have wheels.” If anyone wants to live with a man, there are other places to go, she said, pointing to infinite space beyond the fence.
The laugh decreased. Of course there are security issues. You can’t control all the men who want to spend the night. And men change the mood. When they come in, women stop talking about certain things, says Huff.
“Like what?” I asked.
“What do you pee when you sneeze?” Huff replied.
The laugh came back.
After the visit, Yerian talked about the weight he feels. Many women came from various places to live there, and she feels responsible for their happiness.
Huff and Yerian discuss her role. Are you owner of the land, charging $ 450 per month based on concrete, water and sewage? Or is it another counselor, a guide – “a hostess,” as Huff says? Yerian understands Huff’s point of view: the residents pay for space and utilities, not for the feeling of belonging. But it is this feeling that matters to Yerian. Therefore, she visits all daily, asking who wants to go to fruits, Walmart, IHOP, or who would like a pool above the ground, or where to build the new chicken coop.
Sitting with a folded leg, Yerian said, “Nothing against you, but sometimes I think: now that everything is kind of ready, now what? I will do this forever? Is that what I have?”
Women responded in choir: “It’s better.” And yes.”
This report was originally published in the
