A few years I made the change from city dweller to county bumpkin. All for love I made the change. Before I met and married my husband a world without sidewalks held no appeal for me. I was used to living within hearing distance of my neighbors conversations and backyard antics. I relished that I had a supermarket and a Target within a mile of my house. I liked that my yard work could be done within a couple hours and then I could focus on yard play...planting flowers; playing with the dogs; or simply watching clouds pass in a lawn chair.
Now, the yard is a lot larger and a trip to the supermarket takes a bit more thought. It would be an impossibility to finish up the yard work on our 2.25 acres within two hours. In fact, I would venture to say that our yard work is never done. There is always something that needs mowing or pruning or planting. It takes a shout out of "Hello" to grab our neighbors' attention for a friendly wave. And, the only backyard activities we are aware of are smells of barbecue in the vicinity.
Before county living I didn't know a thing about wells or septic tanks. I didn't realize that wells ran dry and septic tanks filled up. I didn't know a person could buy propane by the gallon and have it delivered by truck. And, I surely did not know that it would take several hundred gallons to keep a home functioning through the course of a year. I never knew about a "Weed Witch" that could cite me if my grass was too long too far into the fire season. "Mosquito abatement" meant about as much to me as "culling a tree."
But there are other things. No longer do we have to drive to the mountains to see the stars at night. No longer do we wish our neighbors party would cease at midnight because we need sleep. We see wildlife like kit foxes and coyotes weekly. We own an owl house and have it perched in a tree. We have three-foot holes ...I mean "caves"... in our back field dug by our children that have the freedom to explore a tree-lined space in safety.
We are part of a community to that waves you into traffic and greets you at the market. We are kindred spirits that relish the quietness of country living. We can actually hear the wind blow through the trees and the bees buzzing on the summer grass.
So, for love I gave up the rush of city living; the convenience of living smack in the middle of things. But, I gained so much more and found in myself a person that enjoys the contentment of country living; the contentment in coming "home."
