Country living. Hmmm.
Having just coughed up a whopping $900.00 to access the internet, I thought I should make up for lost time. I realise that most people would consider time on-line as lost time, but for the amount it's costing us to remain connected to the world we've moved away from, it more of an investment, really.
What a lot of changes for us in the last 6 weeks! I used to pride myself on keeping the car in the driveway and walking everywhere. I used to brag that we were a 1-car family. I used to pop off to the store whenever we ran out of something. A big grocery shop was when the wagon was full to the brim. On days when I was feeling lonely, I'd garden in the front yard, and in no time, someone I knew would wander past and I could indulge in a chat.
Where to begin? As the closest convenience store is 7.5 km away -- over three huge drumlins that I am not about to cycle up any time soon -- daily shopping trips are out of the question. I shop once a week, on Fridays. If we run out of something on Wednesday, we do without until Friday. The closest grocery store is a 20 minute drive from here. I used to have one day a week when I would use the car. Now I have two days a week when I DON"T use the car. As a neighbour here says, "We're proud supporters of our local gas stations." Did I mention that the localest gas station is 12 km from here? No more arriving home on fumes, and would someone please remind my husband of that. Speaking of neighbours, the man I quoted above is a close neighour. 2 km from my front door to his.
I am loving this huge garden, though. I've dug out two 15 by 5 foot beds alongside the driveway as a future cutting/ perennial bed. I needed to do that so I could move some of the perennials out of the overgrown vaegetable garden in preparation for cleaning that out this fall and next spring. I put the plants I brought from Etobicoke into this new garden and they're all happy. But, you know, I worked on those beds for three weeks before a neighbour strolled past and stopped for a chat.
No regrets, although we're homesick for Mimico and our old lifestyle. It's beautiful here. It's quiet (except when the neighbour's cows get out of the field and wander to our yard, but that only happened once). We've begun making friends and the children are thriving in their new school (NO SPELLING TESTS and NO HOMEWORK, can you believe the joy?). I've got a new herb garden started and planted; while digging the acres of lemon balm out of that, I found some starved-for-sunlight asparagus. The guest cottage has been cleaned out and needs only a little bit of work to make it comfortable.
Rush hour on our new street. The school bus dropping off the boys and a tractor lugging manure to the organic market garden up the road. Time for tea and a peek at the sugar maple to see how many of the leaves are changed.
What a lot of changes for us in the last 6 weeks! I used to pride myself on keeping the car in the driveway and walking everywhere. I used to brag that we were a 1-car family. I used to pop off to the store whenever we ran out of something. A big grocery shop was when the wagon was full to the brim. On days when I was feeling lonely, I'd garden in the front yard, and in no time, someone I knew would wander past and I could indulge in a chat.
Where to begin? As the closest convenience store is 7.5 km away -- over three huge drumlins that I am not about to cycle up any time soon -- daily shopping trips are out of the question. I shop once a week, on Fridays. If we run out of something on Wednesday, we do without until Friday. The closest grocery store is a 20 minute drive from here. I used to have one day a week when I would use the car. Now I have two days a week when I DON"T use the car. As a neighbour here says, "We're proud supporters of our local gas stations." Did I mention that the localest gas station is 12 km from here? No more arriving home on fumes, and would someone please remind my husband of that. Speaking of neighbours, the man I quoted above is a close neighour. 2 km from my front door to his.
I am loving this huge garden, though. I've dug out two 15 by 5 foot beds alongside the driveway as a future cutting/ perennial bed. I needed to do that so I could move some of the perennials out of the overgrown vaegetable garden in preparation for cleaning that out this fall and next spring. I put the plants I brought from Etobicoke into this new garden and they're all happy. But, you know, I worked on those beds for three weeks before a neighbour strolled past and stopped for a chat.
No regrets, although we're homesick for Mimico and our old lifestyle. It's beautiful here. It's quiet (except when the neighbour's cows get out of the field and wander to our yard, but that only happened once). We've begun making friends and the children are thriving in their new school (NO SPELLING TESTS and NO HOMEWORK, can you believe the joy?). I've got a new herb garden started and planted; while digging the acres of lemon balm out of that, I found some starved-for-sunlight asparagus. The guest cottage has been cleaned out and needs only a little bit of work to make it comfortable.
Rush hour on our new street. The school bus dropping off the boys and a tractor lugging manure to the organic market garden up the road. Time for tea and a peek at the sugar maple to see how many of the leaves are changed.
Comment
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Comment by Jessica on August 30, 2009 at 9:42am - Thanks, Verlee. It's been a year now, and I can't believe how fast the time has gone. We don't regret the move at all! I'm not sure swimming would get you all the way here, though. Do you have a bike? The problem with going north, I hear, is that it feels like it's uphill all the way.
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Comment by Verlee Jenkins on August 29, 2009 at 3:25am - Sounds like you are adjusting quite well...we are hoping to move to a northern state (we are in the central US, right now) next year and really hoping it will be back in the country. We do have an acre outside of town, but we always had more and were further out like you are, before. glad you are getting your guest cottage wrung out...I'll be right over to stay...as soon as I figure out how to swim that far...LOL You have fun with your new garden space!
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Comment by Erica on November 18, 2008 at 10:08am - Hmmm, I've never heard of it. It sounds pretty. You're so close to some major cities though. How convenient! Hopefully, your 10k store isn't like ours and sells expired items. We always have to check and never assume. There are a lot of things that I miss about the city livin'!
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Comment by Jessica on November 17, 2008 at 9:59am
- We're in Flamborough, in a small hamlet called Westover, not too far from African Lion Safari. We're kind of in the middle of everywhere, thirty minutes from Cambridge, 30 minutes from Hamilton, 30 minutes from Brantford, and 10k from the nearest place which sells milk. So far, no regrets about the move. The snow this morning is gorgeous, although the neighbour's cows are looking at me reproachfully, as if I ordered the stuff.
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Comment by Erica on November 14, 2008 at 2:04pm
- Wow, that is a lot of coin for the internet. Where on earth did you move to? We live in Muskoka and there are still quite a lot of places without anything but dial-up...which for myself (a former T.O girl) is so sad and slow. I could cook a meal before a video would play!
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Comment by cindy kelly on November 4, 2008 at 12:14pm -
Your new home is beautiful :) I'm so happy we got the chance to come for a visit! I'll feel your joy and you sadness and often wonder how would make the transition from city to country. I LOVE the country; the fresh air, the wildlife, the outdoors.....but also have a really hard time spending large chunks of time without the company of other adults.
We miss you like crazy and still feel a twinge of sadness and nostaligia every time we pass your house......um ok, that's every day. Luckily you really aren't that far so we can continue to make visits every now and again to get our fix :)
xo
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