This time of year makes me remember why I love living where I do - on a secluded 40 acres on a Wisconsin ridgetop 20 minutes from the nearest town. In the winter I tend to curse the weather and roads and insanity of our decision to move out here from our house right near the city, but spring makes me remember that it was the best decision we ever made.
My best friend and I planted our shared garden this weekend at my house - she’s the city mouse, I’m the country mouse, we do “in town” things at her place and “country” things at mine! This was our second year of doing this and it was just so wonderful to have Mags be able to help and play in the garden and Jake toddle happily around while I was working - after last year when I was juggling gardening with a 1 year old and a constantly nursing infant, I feel so free!
I love that I’m able to share this with my kids and have them see and understand the growing process - it
makes up for every day in the winter when I’m unable to drive into town because of icy roads, it really does (remind me of that in January, k?). I love that when we’re working in the garden the kids can run around and I don’t have to worry about cars - since we’re the only house on the mile-long road and the road dead-ends at our house, we don’t get that much traffic! When I get frustrated about our isolation, I just remember that 40 acres of land isn’t something most people have, and the availability of this kind of isolation is shrinking by the day. Our family will hold on to our piece of solitude and earth - it’s just too precious to give up for the conveniences of city life!
Once I’m home again full-time starting in June, though, you might see just a FEW complaints about the lack of Starbucks……….
Kate,
I remember the grand freedom of living on a campground (which my husband managed) when I was a newlywed and the open spaces surrounding the farmhouse we rented when our daughter was a baby. There were interesting times - like the cold spell when our pipes froze and couldn’t be repaired for 10 days…with an 18 month old in the house - but most of the memories are wonderful ones.
By choosing to live in an open, rural area, you are giving your children a gift that will stay with them and affect them for their entire lives.
diane
Diane Cordells last blog post..Not As Easy As It Used to Be
Right on Kate! I myself am waiting impatiently for the day I can be a country girl again. I am also looking forward to gardening with munchkins who should be old enough this year(finally!) not to eat dirt.
Diane - Frozen pipes? been there, done that
Barb - Yay, you made it here! Can’t wait to see you again soon and maybe even garden with you this summer!
Planting a garden with my mom and dad is one of my favorite childhood memories. Every year, we would drive over to the market and by lots of flowers to plant. I loved that I was able to choose my favorites to plant in our rock garden. We would also plant seeds in the backyard and eat the cucumbers that came just a few weeks later. It was a magical time and I am happy that Mags and Jake get to experience it at such an early age. Sometimes the simple things make the most wonderful memories.
I go back and forth on whether I’d like that. I think if I didn’t have young children and worked from home I would. I always wanted to have a house on a big chunk of land, preferably on a lake. I bet you have some awesome nature photography opportunities. I would love to be able to get up in the morning and just walk out my door with camera in hand.
But, with young kids, it’s so nice to be able to walk around the block and chat with neighbors or walk to the park or even drive to one of the many area parks without having far to go. While your post sounds wonderful, I think I’d go a little nutty being that isolated with little ones.
Michelle
Melanie - I remember the simple things as well and just keep trying to re-create them for my children. It’s so easy to get drawn into all the “stuff”, which I have plenty of - the garden is a nice way to escape that.
Michelle - it’s simple, I DO go nutty. That’s why I’m kind of crazy, seriously it is. I’d kill for a block to walk around and a coffee shop or a park, but we are where we are and there are wonderful things that help make up for the isolation