After living in the city for 19.5 years I crossed the geological divide and moved out to the country.
(Ahh!)
Will has lived in the country his whole childhood and for four years before we got married I got to see a glimpse of the country lifestyle.
I thought it would be easy.
Easy peasy.
But, yet again, here is a prime example of me being humbled.
Country life can be hard. And we don't even have livestock!
Today I have compiled a short list of three pros and three cons to country living. Please note that these are specific to where we live and can be completely different for everyone else living in their own situations. This is also only a list of three of each, there are many more pros and cons. And these aren't the top of each category either. Read this post as a form of entertainment and a small glimpse into our lives.
3 Pros To Living In The Country:
1. Peace and Quiet
We live kinda in the middle of nowhere, but in the forest-y part of nowhere, not the prairie type. If I stand outside and close my eyes I can hear many different kinds of birds singing away and I hear the wind rustling the trees, some leafier than others. It's really quiet here, which did take some getting used to but it is also peaceful and a wonderful place to just sit outside to think or read. 😊
2. Privacy
The property that we are renting is full of, and surrounded by, lots and lots of trees! No matter which way you look there is greenery. We cannot see any other neighbours, except in the middle of winter when the trees are bare then we can see the porch light of one neighbour. This doesn't mean that we've become a nudist family (phew!) but it does mean that we don't have to worry about nosy people next door or pesky solicitors. We've only had JWs come by once and I was so surprised because I never really thought they came all the way out here too!
3. Wildlife
Asides from the rodents that you'll read about in the cons section, we see lots of deer, bunnies, birds of prey, and coyotes on a regular basis. Our landlords have a dog, chickens, sheep, and a cow and our neighbours have horses and roosters. Coming from a city girl, it's almost dreamy to be able to sit on our deck and hear all the different barn yard sounds. Seeing hawks swoop in on field mice is mesmerizing and watching little lambs frolic around in their pasture is something out of a children's book. The cow and sheep here are very friendly (sometimes some sheep aren't in a good mood, but I'll let that slide because I'm not always either) and usually love when I come over to the fence to say Hello. I can't think of when we would have such an opportunity for Delilah to be inches away from a cow or a sheep if we were to live in the city.
3 Cons To Living In The Country:
1. Well Water
Our water comes from a well, from the ground, which means it doesn't look, smell, or taste the same as city water. This concept is something I was already aware of because Will's parents' house has salt in the water and their friends down the road have copper in their water. Thankfully we only have 'organic matter' in our water. You can interpret that whichever way you want, but it's more green than brown and supposedly safe to drink. And we have been drinking it, cooking with it, and bathing in it for 18 months now with no complications so far...😛 For me it's really just a mental thing that I'm drinking water that is not water colour. Will drinks it no problem. But I am also a picky water person and complained lots about the city water difference when my family moved from Surrey to Langley. And even in our Langley house the water from the bathroom sink tasted better to me than the water from the kitchen sick...
2. Rodents! Rodents Everywhere!
Mice are a staple item for country living - something I missed the memo on but was quickly told to become accustom to (I'm almost there - I think). After fighting the little guys off on his own for a few weeks with all sorts of traps and sonar repellents, Will brought Willow and then Chloe into our home.Thankfully the cats stop the live mice from being in the living space of our house, but we can still hear them in the walls (eeegh!). But it's normal for the country I'm told! Outside there are mice, voles, moles, shrews, all those tiny little rodent things - but no rats! And I am very grateful for that! If you're brave, feel free to ask me about all our mice stories.
3. Isolation
Isolation. This has been the biggest one for me. We're in the middle of nowhere. Hardly the middle of nowhere, but far enough away from normal civilization. The closest bus stop is a 2 hour walk away. Skip the Dishes doesn't deliver to our area. And BC Hydro seems to take their sweet old time getting to us when our power goes out (which from Fall-Spring is often because there's a whole lotta trees). Phone service is spotty. Some days our internet works, and some days it takes the day off. Coming from the city, being within walking distance of many bus stops, restaurants, and stores, this has been a huge adjustment for me! I'm a people person and like to have other people around, Will and Delilah don't always cut it. 😉 When I'm having a rough day I try to get outside and I remind myself of the pioneer days (Laura Ingalls anyone?) and how much more alone those families were. I'm thankful for modern technology and the fact that I can 'reach' the outside world even on the days I am stuck at home.
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