It would be very easy for me to leave the city and head back to the country. It really would. I love a lot of things about living in the country. I love the quiet and the space. I’m still slightly freaked out by the amount of people who walk past my house each day and gaze into my yard – or windows (we don’t have a fence). In fact, I was so bothered by the idea of being on display that I was ready, as I said in my last post, to give up my third of an acre in downtown De Pere, and head for the hills.
But then I really thought about what that would entail. First, my kids really like it here. They ride their bikes on trails and paths and sidewalks (something they could never really do in Vermont). They walk to the library on a whim – and I don’t have to gather everyone up and put them in the car and drive 30 miles to a library that has more than 12 books. If I need a gallon of milk – or a package of marshmallows for Rice Krispie treats, there is usually a kid nearby willing to take a bike to the store and get it for me – or they’re willing to take a walk with me to go and get it. Except for large trips to the store and field trip days, we rarely use our car.
I used to feel stranded without my car. Now I feel liberated to not need it. My oldest daughter (my only schooled child) takes the city bus to high school in Green Bay and has learned the public transportation system inside and out. She’ll get her license soon, but probably not a car, as she knows the expense involved.
I used to feel very guilty driving and driving everywhere when I lived in the country. Frankly, there was little option. We simply lived too far away from everything. And I still do everything I did in the country in the city. I still cook from scratch. I still hang my laundry. I still make my own baby wipes. And now we can be even more eco-conscious, because we can walk and bike to run errands.
AND….the recycling truck comes right to our curb every other week! No more heading to the transfer station every Saturday.
So, rather than take my family out of the city (something the kids don’t want anyway), I decided to bring more of my country lifestyle here. We do have a very large house…really, the largest I’ve ever lived in. So we are really working on making it more energy-efficient (because it’s also very old). We have radiators for heat – which are great and work well, but will bring in a wood stove for next winter. I’m considering a wood cookstove for the kitchen but don’t want to give up the convenience of the gas stove (considering I ditched out microwave!). Of course, there are a lot of changes to be made. But right now the biggest challenge is digging up the yard, pieces at a time, to grow food.
Yesterday, for example, I didn’t need to do my regular work out in favor of the 4′ by 6′ patch of turf I dug up in the back for lettuce. I also hand dug a row for spinach and set out some cauliflower plants. My hands still hurt from pulling up the turf, but I am satisfied to know that next year I won’t have to do it and I didn’t waste any fossil fuels tilling up my yard!
Next on the list? Convincing my 12 year old that we don’t need the lawn tractor that came with the house and that pushing a reel mower is great fun! We’ll see….
Please click here to download the plugin required to make recent comments work!