Rural life - Boring?

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Comments

  • Acequiamadre
    Acequiamadre Posts: 269 ✭✭✭
    edited January 2021

    So much to do and learn here in the country!

    Seeds to start

    Herbs to grow, tend, and create medicine

    Bread to bake

    Wine to make

    Chickens to tend

    Flowers to grow

    Cherries to pick

    Hot springs and swimming holes.

    And the sunsets...

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Another boring story - yawn...

    I was on my way to the greenhouse I used to volunteered at and late. As I was gently speeding down the road I saw a free sign. That means brake quickly. There was a wooden door and a childrens trampoline. I fit the wooden door in my vehicle but I could not get the trampoline apart so I put in behind the guard rail hoping to get back to it asap.

    As I was doing this one of the guys who volunteers at the greenhouse too, drove up. I told him I would be at the greenhouse asap. By time I made it to the greenhouse I was the moring talk. The one guy said you can borrow my truck to get the trampoline. How nice! So with tie straps in hand I went back to see if it was still there. Yes, it was but being behind the guard rail I was having trouble getting it.

    A kind gentleman stopped and helped me get it and load it up. He strapped it on for me. It hung over and did not fit as well as it could and we could not break it down so it was an adventure in the making. I only had 4 miles to drive so it should be an easy plan? Right? Haha

    Right at the intersection I heard a noise and looked back just in time to see it start to fly off. The strap kept it attached to the vehicle but it was bouncing on the road behind me. It took about 100 feet to find a safe place to pull off - right in front of a garage sale.

    I pulled off and asked for a bit of help at the sale. Yes, they were all laughing or standing there with a stunned look on their faces. We put more straps on it and got it loaded but not before a guy that had been behind me came up and asked if I wanted to sell it. My response was I had plans for it. And believe it or not it was not damaged.

    The trampoline sits in my backyard and is a chicken coop.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @Denise Grant Haha! And I thought you were going to get more goodies at that sale...😏

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning I probably did not have room for any goodies!~

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm sure rural life would be boring to people who are interested in city-type activities. Rural people think differently and value different things. Those who move to the country without being prepared and willing to change their focus are not likely to last long.

    I remember when I moved to Vermont, my former co-workers were shocked when I told them there was not a single Target store in the entire state! (There is one now, but it was built very recently.)

    Some of my Vermont co-workers told me a story of a previous professional who took a job with the company and moved to Vermont. She was the classic immaculately-dressed, stylish urban professional. And she didn't last long before leaving.

    We take joy in different areas than our urban brothers and sisters. There is plenty of fun and joy to found in the countryside.

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021

    I remember when my kids were young and homeschooled. We visited a fellow homeschooler whose children all had swords to stave off the roosters. What a great site to see the 3 year old armed for battle as they crossed the yard like Red Rover players.

    My son threw an old tomato into our chicken yard one day......and it killed the chicken. We did an autopsy, then had it for dinner.

    A flock of young quail got out of the pen and wondered through the grassy field. All six of us went out to round them up. They peeped when nobody was around, but went all quiet as someone approached. It took us forever to locate them in a big game of Marco Polo.

    Some people will never experience having your dog killing, dragging and dropping a full grown dear at your doorstep. "Look what I brought you!"

    Don't look now, there's a snake in the chicken coup. Who want to get the eggs?

    All four kids learning to drive a car/truck in the field when they were way to young to be on a road. Talk about four wheeling!

    Good times!

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My dad taught me how to drive a tractor in the back field. He put out 10 tires in a row and I had to weave in and out of them. I was talented and hit everyone of them. I guess I was so good he did not feel I needed a class the next day. Or any day after.

    My border collie got out one night not to long after we got him, a rescue. He got into a dead ground hog and stunk so bad! (I did not want to put him in the house but we had no other place, so in he went. In three hours we returned to a house that stunk so bad we could not stay in it and dog barf all over.Dog barf is bad enough but old stale gross ground hog. Still gives me chills

    When we were 8, 9 and 10 dad brought us all cars home. He welded ther doors shut and fixed them so they did not go over 35 miles (we did not know that) Each week we got one can of gas and could drive the cars until we ran out. I sold my gas to whichever brother gave me the most money

  • jowitt.europe
    jowitt.europe Posts: 1,465 admin

    What an excellent topic @Denise Grant It is nice to read about so many similar experiences of returning into or discovering country life, or leaving the city behind...

    i have also left cities behind and then regained my peace of mind and strength of body. I would never ever think of returning to a city. Here one is in a close contact with nature and nature offers so much! It can never be boring!

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021

    @jolanta.wittib I survived cities but part of me felt numb. I loved the museums and other unique things but I always found a park or returned home to find piece of mind.

    I admire those who do live in cities and especially those who find space to create their own gardens which is often very difficult. Those beautiful little gardens really inspire people who miss green. The one small city I live din I walked by a balcony garden to college. It gave me such peace to see what they created.

    I have had friends who moved to cities and would never return back to this boring place and those who run as fast as they can to get back.

  • jowitt.europe
    jowitt.europe Posts: 1,465 admin

    @Denise Grant well yes! I miss exhibitions, concerts, art galleries..., but we combine such events when we travel.

    Gardens in cities are, of course some escape, but one can’t escape the noise, the lower quality of the air, traffic...

    Well there are positive and negative sides wherever one lives and priorities at certain periods of life. Raising children in a city may offer many opportunities, on the other hand in a village better health and more physical activities...

    and for retirement again, some need culture, some need nature...

  • Gail H
    Gail H Posts: 359 ✭✭✭✭

    @frogvalley The mention of the snake in the coop brought back memories! One day I went to get the eggs and there were two huge rat snakes in the coop. One was swallowing an egg. My daughter grabbed a pitchfork and started twirling the snakes like spaghetti! After she threw them both in the woods, I think she realized just what she'd done. Nothing like an adrenalin rush! She even saved the egg , which we gave to the dog, since it had "snake spit" on it. :o)

  • lewis.mary.e
    lewis.mary.e Posts: 225 ✭✭✭

    This winter has been quiet, but not boring. Between learning how things work here (wood burning boiler, generator, well) and teaching the pup how to be a good dog, boring isn't a thing.

  • bcabrobin
    bcabrobin Posts: 251 ✭✭✭

    I love the traffic jams! When your following the farm equipment that is wider than the roadway.

    The cows, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, etc that you have to stop for as the farm kids try to move them into a new field.

    Following a Amish buggy.

    Slowing down so you can see the neighbors new horse, cow, goat, etc. Oh and stopping to watch the babies play in the field!

    Watching sunsets sitting in the yard and the only sound is birds and animals saying good night!

    Yep I keep this kind of boring any day!

  • Momma Mo
    Momma Mo Posts: 138 ✭✭✭

    Our grandkids love to come to the country where they have space to play and use their imagination!