Sunday, June 03, 2007

Sunday Scribblings: Town or Country


Each summer as the highway fades in the rear view mirror as we head into the mountains I relax. Certainly the fact that exiting the highway represents the beginning of two weeks of swimming, kayaking, reading, puzzles and relaxing has a lot to do with it. But it is also that our place in the mountains feels like home.

Our cabin in the woods is less than 70 miles, by road from where I was born. My family didn't stay in that little town for long. By the time I was 4 we lived in a small city several hours southeast. But our place in the country holds an honored place in our family history, and it has a hold on me.

In my life I have lived in a small city, the suburbs, and in a small town. I am happiest where trees, and water are the views out my window. I have both of those things in my suburban home - trees in the woods behind the house and a pond just beyond our next door neighbor's back yard. The view from the cabin in the woods is of the trees that surround it and the lake just down the path.

While the view from my house is nearly perfect the sounds are not. We live within a mile of 2 major highways and can hear traffic sounds when they are not drowned out by lawnmowers. In our cabin in the woods the sounds are perfect. Loons call in the night, and the breeze rustles the leaves. The silence is broken occasionally by a power boat, but on this lake those are few and far between.

I am at heart a country girl. The lights and noise of the city don't appeal to me. The twinkling of the stars in the sky far from city lights is one of my favorite sites. I love to lie on the dock, or float in the lake, and look up at the stars, and it's even better when I can talk Amy into joining me.


The picture is me and my brother in the front yard of my family's house in the country.

More: Sunday Scribblings

4 comments:

strauss said...

Well I can certainly relate to that! Give me peace, nature and solitude anytime. Graet picture too.

Molly said...

The quiet is so nice... and that's an adorable picture!

abby - the geek girl said...

I love nature. However, I don't think I could spend all my time in the country, I am a city girl at heart though the suburbs might be the compromise my bf and I make. :) Cute picture!

Crafty Green Poet said...

The peace of your cabin sounds wonderful. I love nature and the countryside but love living in a small city. Our flat is in the centre of the city but there are trees across the road and a beautiful historical building. Birds sing too and there are loads of riverside walks nearby.