Serenity vs Convenience

When we transitioned from typical urban Dallas area life to living in the country, one of the inital trade-offs I became aware of was serenity in place of convenience.
Ah, the trees, clean air, quiet, and star-gazing skies at night were great. I loved hearing owls at night, seeing deer run across the pasture, listening to the little creek behind the house. Many of the pressures and complexity and frustrations of city living were nonexistent. Sing: glorious!

But wait! What do you mean Walmart is 30+ minutes away? Good Lord, you mean I can't run to the store for (anything I want) several times a week? Sure, there are two little country stores 5 minutes from here, but they are about the size of a really large Dallas TV room, and they have no whole-grain bread (only white - ugh). Luckily one does sell beer. That emergency was averted during the hot summer as we were moving in...

OK. I can do this, I decided. I can turn up the radio. And drive. Here is what I realized: I could DRIVE. No traffic. It took me about the same TIME to drive to the town of Poteau (with Walmart, fastfood places, a cinema!) as it did to drive from Carrollton to many of the places I went in Plano, or Dallas. Because those trips were in slow-motion due to traffic, long stop-lights, etc.

And I had been hideously worried that a move to Oklahoma would mean no more avocados. But Walmart has those too. The (evil?) Walmart is a life-saver in a place like this since they sell Everything! Keep those trucks running from California, baby!

We also are only 45 minutes from Ft. Smith, Arkansas. What you can't get in Poteau, OK, you can get there. But we rarely go. Strangely enough, we have simplified what we need and buy, and going to the bigger city is less and less necessary.

What conveniences in home living did we otherwise give up? NOTHING. We have central heat and air, a jacuzzi bathtub, a trash compactor, Satellite TV, lots of storage space, all in a nice new house. I will admit, it is lovely to come in from outside, tired, and dirty (as in you have real DIRT and other things on you from the barn) and shower in a nice comfy place.

What do you know? It CAN be done. :)

Fondly,

Who throws rocks? Honestly...

Wanted: in trade for a weekend "farm experience"...friends are invited to come up and help throw stray rocks (from the arena) into the creek. It is a thrilling and rewarding activity, but one we need help with. Mah ole back just gets a 'crick' innit. :)
(note: there was a vague Mike Meyer's reference in the title of this post...Who can identify the quote it mocks?)

Life on a Farm

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to cash it all in, leave the city, simplify your life? Wondered about a rural venue, closer to nature and away from traffic, pollution, crowds?
Ah, perhaps. But you also wondered what the trade-offs would be...what you could live without and what you MUST have. And it certainly seemed a massive and risky endeavor.

In this blog, I will post some of our thoughts and experiences about our transition from Dallas to rural S.E. Oklahoma and what it is like to trade city life for farm life. Sometimes we are amazed we actually did it!

I hope you enjoy reading it and maybe it will serve a purpose, to either confirm that you are a city person, or that a less complicated and expensive lifestyle is intriguing, or that it amuses you to read of the escapades here.

But for now, the sun is shining and I am heading out to work with horses and Emma the donkey, whose photo is featured on this blog.

Fondly,