Along with the sweet fragrance of a variety of grasses and wildflowers, the coolness of the gentle breeze, and the pleasure of absolute quiet, there are a few other joys to be had here in the country.
When we shower, the pipes let out a high-pitched whine until the water reaches full pressure. When I took my first shower here, I kept hearing the familiar whine, but it would stop and start instead of gradually dissipating. Weeee. . . stop. . . weeeee. . . .stop. . . . weee. . . . stop. Finally I heard Evan, who had climbed up on the sink, who said, "Mom, why does it make this noise when I turn the water on and off?" Little stinker was stealing my water pressure.
We have to drive at least 5 miles to get to a grocery store that is only about the size of the first floor of my house (and my house isn't very big). If we want to get to a real grocery store, we have to drive about 30 miles, and even then, it doesn't hold a candle to the great and mighty Meijer. To get to a Super-WalMart type place, or even a real mall, it's an 80-mile trek.
The only internet available to my parents for under $100 / month (which is what you have to pay for Satellite - ain't no cable around these parts) is turtle-speed dial up because a little Mom & Pop shack in town has the monopoly on local internet access.
The local newspaper highlights such things as where Fred and Myrtle went for vacation this summer (seriously).
To get drinking water, we have to fill jugs from the well at the pump. This isn't exactly a necessity, it's just that no one cares for the taste of soft water. But the idea does add to the charm of country living.
I can cash a check at the local bank without having to provide identification because "I look like my mom."
It's a sweet-and-sour mix of inconvenience and slow-paced country living, but I'd take this lifestyle over the "big city" any day!
Monday, June 29, 2009
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Bah ha ha, you can cash a check because you look like your mom! They still take checks here too!
ReplyDeleteI like this post Jen! You make country living sound so idyllic...I think I could easily be a country girl. I love the thought of pumping your own drinking water!
ReplyDeleteI used to live in a similar place...but it didn't have a bank. I don't have a clue if I could have gotten internet there. And one summer my well collapsed and I didn't have running water for 6 weeks.
ReplyDeleteI like city life much better!
That sounds pretty nice to me. We lived for several years in a little town like that - an hour and a half from a "real" store of any sort. I actually loved it.
ReplyDeleteWOW. I would just die. I thought I lived in the country, but huh uh. THAT is country, you bumpkin.
ReplyDeleteLol at the fact you can cash a check b/c you look like your mom!!? Hilarious.