Sharing

We share 

moments like this all day long.

Nolan shares

his Dry Diaper Treat with Gerret to keep him happy.

Gives and Takes

When we first moved out here, having come from the great metropolis of Provo, we felt rather inclined to turn right around and return to the booming city. Country living came as a surprise, and finding ourselves unprepared for the required change in lifestyle, we had a difficult time looking past the inconveniences to see the benefits. Now that we've been here for not quite two years, I'm able to see both sides more clearly. I'm beginning to understand that you will always have to sacrifice some good for something of equal or greater value and I'm beginning to be okay with that.

The place we live is not within city limits. It does not even fall within the boundaries of a village. We like to pretend we're involved with a community, so we use the name of the closest village in our mailing address. Trumansburg. If we were being technical, we would write Ulysses, the name of a large expanse of wide open space otherwise called a town or township. Our town has barns, a scattering of houses, and some people, but mosty livestock, fields, and trees. Here we drive on roads, not streets, and they are lined with ditches, not sidewalks. We do not have stop lights, fire hydrants, shops, "next-door" neighbors, village water or sewage, a grocery store within walking distance, Wal-mart, fast food, or anything quick, efficient, or convenient. This may sound condemning, but hear me out. In the past, I know I've referenced it with terms such as The Boonies, The Middle of Nowhere, and The Sticks. It really does fit all of these descriptions and many, many more, but today I would like to speak a little more reverently about the place we currently call home. Today, I would like to apply the more gentle term, Rural.

The thing about living in a rural area is you have to plan ahead in order to avoid the inconveniences. You have to keep your refrigerator and pantry stocked. If you'd like to visit another human being, you should make an appointment. It's important to pay attention to the weather forecast. And you should be vigilant about filling your gas tank. I'm not saying these things are ignored by city dwellers.  Most people check the weather and try to have gas in their car, but planning ahead takes on new meaning when you can't make a quick trip to the store for milk, the gas station opens late and closes early, the people you'd like to visit require at least a twenty minute drive, and rain could potentially ruin your plans for the entire week (okay maybe that one's more of a NY thing).

There are consequences for the efficiency of a city. The most prevalent in my mind are noise and filthy air.

Because it is so convenient, the city has noise. The country has only sounds. I am writing from my backyard. Above the hum of my computer fan, I hear birds excitedly talking back and forth, a bee buzzing, leaves rustling in the wind, and a frog croaking near the pond. I've gotten over the lack of conveniences and come to appreciate the resulting relaxation and deep breathing. Deep Breathing. You can breathe when you live rurally. I mean really breathe. Aside from the occasional whiff of livestock fragrance, the air out here is so clean and fresh. After breathing in Provo for five years I really appreciate the opportunity to make each breath satisfying. Not only is it clean air, but often, it even smells good. Spring and Summer cycle through various blooms followed by the glorious smell of autumn leaves (my personal favorite) and then the crisp, unforgettable air of a rural Winter. That leads nicely into a smell that I loved as a child, but appreciate even more now that I've experienced its city counterpart. Rain. My friends, rain on asphalt is not rain on grass. There are things I loved about rain in the city, but the smell of it was definitely not one of them.

So we moved here and eventually started to catch onto Rural Preparedness Strategies. With less stress and more healthy lungs, we started to look for ways to enjoy our time, only to be faced with another slightly shocking realization. Here, there is not a zoo, museum, mall, water park, public pool, or amusement park, and there are no shops, weekly concerts, or regular community activities. This inspired a need to learn Rural Entertainment Strategies. Have no fear, dear reader, we are learning this too.

Although we don't have sidewalks, we still take walks. Though we can't walk to the library or University like we used to, we have found plenty of enjoyable substitutes. For example, within walking distance are three different farms where we can see lots of horses, goats, and cows. Now if that doesn't rock your young child's world, I don't know what will. Going on walks also requires that we pass by many fields and we frequently stop to watch hawks and eagles circling above them. Awesome. Really. And there is always some wild flower in bloom along the ditches.

Also within walking distance are two ponds (one of which is 20 yards to the West). Ponds provide for endless possibilities. If you aren't finicky about gross things, ponds are great for swimming in. By August it's like a heated pool with the bonus of algae. If you are finicky about gross things, there are still endless possibilities. Ducks, geese, herons, musk-rats, deer, foxes, and beavers all like to visit ponds. Some will stay for a while and some aren't too awful afraid of humans. Other wildlife are permanent residents. Fish, frogs, turtles, and leeches, for example, all live in the pond. They are all fun to catch or just to observe or to remove from between your toes. Another favorite pond activity of all three of my boys is rock throwing. Something about the splash or the ripples or the sound is addicting. The pond has something for everyone. Just sitting on the dock and dipping my toes in the water is plenty good for me.

If that isn't enough, we have backyard campfires regularly, room for any game desirable, from soccer to bocce ball, capture-the-flag to badminton. We don't have to drive anywhere to go camping.   I've discovered plenty to do around here and much of it can be done in my own backyard.  Mainly I've learned that when you live rurally, your imagination is most often the limiting factor.  In the Boonies all of your dreams can come true.

My Favorite Cookie and My Son Who Needs a Haircut

I am fairly certain that I will never love a cookie more than I love my dad's chocolate chip.  Okay, really they are Terry Hatcher's chocolate chip -made by my dad, but I wonder if Terry Hatcher could even make her cookies as perfectly as my dad makes them.  They are fabulous.  Seriously.  It takes a lot of willpower to keep from gorging myself on them when no one is looking.

After looking at these pictures, I realized how badly Gerret needed a haircut.  (Isn't it funny that it requires taking a step back from reality to notice something so obvious?)  So, I trimmed him up as soon as he awoke from his afternoon nap.  I must explain that I only trimmed his bangs and around his ears.  He will be 16 months old this week and still has never had his hair on the top cut.  Haven't I noticed that it is long, uneven, curly, unruly, messy, crazy, out of control, and a bit on the wild side?  Yes.  I've noticed all of these things... and that is precisely why, so far, I choose not to cut it.  I like how his hair matches his personality.  

Blowing Bubbles and Such

On the trampoline.

Like brothers do.

Ahhh to be a child.

P.S.  Are you wondering what the gross gunk at Gerret's feet is??  

P.P.S.  It's the crumpled up remainder of his lunch.  Gross, huh?

Watercolor

While organizing some desk drawers I came across an old set of watercolors.   So this morning we painted.

A sampling of the artwork:

A sampling of the artists:

Buttermilk Playground

The boys love playgrounds.  Nolan asks to go to one many, many times a day.  We try to humor him as often as possible.  Typically, we frequent the playground at Taughannock Park, but this weekend we stumbled across a new, fairly fantastic one.  We were running errands in Ithaca and decided to check out one of our favorite waterfalls, Buttermilk.  We parked and headed in the direction of the falls , but Nolan immediately veered in the opposite direction, excitedly talking about playing on a playground.  I've been to Buttermilk Falls more times than I can account for and I've never seen a playground, but I guess I was never looking for one either.  Nolan must have a Playground Radar.  It was hiding across a bridge in an alcove of trees.  So, we ran our errands, saw a beautiful waterfall, found an amazing playground, and all around had a weee (how Nolan says really) nice morning together.

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