The Way We Live

As I was looking through my webshots photos tonight, I came across pictures that made me stop and think. We have this whacky setup with the house in town and the house in the country. The plan was to sell the house in town and move back to the one house in the country when Chad graduates in May. Now it's looking like Chad may go to Community College so we may keep the house in town and then there's the chance we might sell both and move on to a new phase in our lives. But, look at the difference. The house in town is on a postage stamp size lot with houses as far as you can see . . lots of little houses. The house in the country has few houses within sight. I'm such a chicken though. Everyone tells me I should feel safer at the house in the country but I feel safer at the house in town. My friend and I were talking the other day and she said she feels safer out in the country and we decided it depends on how you grew up. I grew up in a neighborhood with houses all around and that's how I feel more secure after dark. I love having the house in the country where I have a clothesline and no "rules" about what I can do and when I can do it. This, of course, is the house in town in December, 04 when we got 20 inches of snow. Looking to my left, there are houses and more houses. The driveways here are barely long enough for one van to be parked outside the garage -- definitely an advantage when it comes to shoveling snow. This is the back yard . . pretty much the entire back yard right here! There is a little spot of grass on the left side and a little bit bigger spot of grass on the right side but not much at all. I do have a few herbs growing and managed to get some tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants planted last year. The good thing is that I can cut the back yard with the battery operated weed eater before the battery runs out of juice. Here's the driveway of the house in the country. It takes a LONG time to shovel this one and it goes downhill and uphill again before getting to the highway so you really need to have it clear of snow and ice before trying to get onto the highway. Not a good driveway for winter. This is Vince and Chad working on the lathe but it shows the the driveway and part of the front when things aren't covered in snow. I think Chad was making either a bowl or a rolling pin for me that day. Those two together are dangerous! :) And, last is another day with Chad working on the lathe but it shows the back yard. The house is my closest neighbor (the one with the blueberry bushes right there on the fence line). They're nice neighbors and they don't mind that I love blueberries and have none of my own! They have about 15 acres and they have chickens and horses and they share fresh eggs when I'm home. As you can see, there's a pretty vast difference in the house in town and the house in the country!