Everyone's got to have a dream, right? Well, here's mine.To put it simply, I want a farm like a Currier & Ives print: the little clapboarded farmhouse, the smoke rising from the chimney, weatherboarded barns and a flock of chickens in the yard. Squinting across the valley at this farm (not yet mine), I think about the life that would be possible here. Living in a city, you have to buy everything you need for your life. There are times when I'm perfectly okay with it: I do, after all, enjoy shopping. Then there are times (like today) when I struggle and wrestle with it. I feel confined, hemmed in.
And I'm really starting to sound like a popular song of the American West here:
Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love,
Don't fence me in.
And this one:
I've had years of cramped-up city life
Stuck like a duck in a pen.
All I know is it's a pity
life can't be simple again.
This is so American, isn't it? Wanting to strike out, shake off the dust, get out of Dodge? Aren't I just the biggest cliche, your complete, stereotypical rugged individualist case? Maybe. And I'll be the first to admit how much I idealize living in the country. I read my Wendell Berry books. I remember the joys of fresh eggs, the thrill of being prince of the apple towns. This place, this little farm in the valley, this is the place I've always wanted to get to. My whole life, almost more than wanting marriage and children, I've wanted a place.
And so, here's my dream: in fewer then five years, we will be turning the key in the door to such a place. It might be in Montrose, PA (where this farm is), it might not. But there will be room there, room for the chickens and the vegetable garden, woods and fields to be explored.
And maybe even some goats.
What are your dreams?
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5 comments:
Oh, I love how yor describe your creativity. It is like an organ. It is innate and unseparatable from the rest of yourself. Your blog is wonderful. I love seeing other's creativity at play.
Thank you so much! To me, the creating is a physical necessity, like breathing. If I don't find time to be creative, I start to feel smothered by life. Is it the same for you?
Kristina, that's beautiful, and I don't think you're cliche at all, you are one of the most genuine and unique people I know. I am sure you will get there someday. I can't exactly picture Patrick in overalls, mucking out a barn...but you seem to bring out a lot in him that I didn't know was there :)
Oh, the muckin' will be my job, I'm sure. :)
Thanks so much for your comment.
hope your dream comes true soon!! sounds absolutely awesome! i was thinking the same thing how you mentioned that we are both looking forward to our coming season to do gardening. our lives across the world are different yet the same. happy gardening and dreaming xoxo
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