Life in the country has its own pace, one that brings into focus the whispers of life - calling out to us to slow down and enjoy the view. This blog is about my life and rediscovery of art while living in the country. After having lived way too many years at the frenetic pace of New York City I am all too ready to adapt to the slower pace, the visual stimuli of nature and country life in general. However, lest you be lulled into the idea of country life as being more gentle let me set you straight right here and now...in all her glory nature, granted, is amazing in beauty, diversity and resilliance; however she is also much closer to your doorstep in the country than when living in the city. You really have to learn a completely new set of survival skills, probably not much unlike those of ancestors long since passed. Sure we have electricity, well ususally and we have fancy (read expensive) ways to heat our little wilderness abodes along with modern building materials, well unless you are like us and live in a converted barn that is 100+ years old and not quite converted all that well. Everything moves along at its own natural pace until something goes wrong and time stops dead in its tracks. Winter ice storm 2008 - no electricity thus...no heat...generator what? Hardwired where? Down a half-mile dirt road now covered in ice and fallen trees and branches everywhere, including directly across our driveway which by the way is also the end of that half-mile dirt road. Oh and did I mention, no electricity no pump for the well where your precious water once uncomplicatedly came from...you guessed it no water. Hmmmm, OK we have a brook so water for toilets is not impossible just a challenge to get without falling in. We have lots of candles, (as it turns out no one could have enough for 12 days of no power, well unless you are a pilgrim and used to this sort of thing). No heat still a problem and no solution is readily presenting itself, ok and now DH and I both have the Flu! Modernity has failed us and mother nature is welcoming us to our new country life!
More from the country to come...
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