It Ain't THAT Hard!

Our Newest Resident said something interesting to me today.

During a quiet moment, I asked him how he felt after being here a week.  Was it what he had expected, or was it different?  He said that he was feeling good, and after a while he said that actually he had been mentally prepared for endless back-breaking work and he was surprised that it wasn't that way.

This is a curious thing to me.  This idea that living out here might be really hard.  I've seen and heard it said many a time—in magazines, t.v. shows, and even this past week at a friend's house—that John Denver was wrong.

Life in the country is HARD, they say.

Well, I'll tell you what, I think life on the farm really IS kinda' laid back.  Just for example, here's what my day has been so far:

I made yogurt

I made panir cheese

I washed the dishes,
by hand,
in 5 gallons of water that I pulled from rain barrels
 and heated on the woodstove.

I pulled a sink out of the Eco-midden
 and began taking the old busted faucet off

I checked on my baby plants

I talked with a friend on an old fangled device called a telephone
 (it's similar to a cell phone except it actually plugs into the wall of your house.)

And during my breaks I worked a couple of New York Times crossword puzzles.

I also did yoga in the morning, had a healthy breakfast, had a nice conversation with my hubby, helped direct the New Resident in some meditative weeding, and ate a piece of cake.  Now it is only 3:38 pm and I don't even need to make supper because I made enough last night to serve as leftovers this evening. I guess I'll sort socks and water the greenhouse plants.  That is, after I finish talking with y'all.

So it gets me to thinking.  Why does everyone think it's so hard to live in the country?  I think it's because they're trying to make it look like they are living the lives of the rich and famous while trying to make a living off the land.  What many people don't understand is that the land, well treated, is more than willing to give us a living with surprisingly little effort on our part.  Now don't get me wrong here, not every day goes as easily as today did.  Sometimes there is more hard work to do in a day then there are hours in which to do it.  But more often than not there are multiple spaces for relaxation, conversation, and a good crossword puzzle.  

As long, that is, as a body is not trying to make MORE than a living off the land.  

If we try to have a 'House Beautiful' house and lawn, go out to eat regularly, have all of the "time saving" appliances that the world has to offer, and dress like supermodels, we'll need so much money that trying to make it off the land will indeed be a life of drudgery and toil.

So sit back and think about, taking a walk in the creek, weeding the garden, having a pleasant conversation in the middle of the day, sinking your hands into some nice warm water to wash the dishes, and then doing a crossword puzzle. Life IS kinda laid back, isn't it?

Welcome to Groundwell Farm!