Country Girl Convert: Part 3

***Disclaimer***

This post was set to auto publish on July 22, but for some reason it didn't :(


I can't say that this last installment of Rachel's story is the conclusion because her journey did not end with these words. Like all of us, Rachel is living a life that is in constant  progress.

Marcheta *ever onward

 

Country Girl Convert: From the city to the country one day at a time Part 3

And the air – the air was crisp and sweet every morning, not like the smog-filled dusty air we tried to breath in the city.

My husband built a desk for me by a window so I could write each evening after supper. I was able to finish my first novel in nine months.

We sat outside listening to the evening noises, swatting the few mosquitoes that made it past the yard spray and rejoiced at the absence of arguing neighbors, bright lights and sirens.

We thanked God for good neighbors who helped us, accepted us for who we were, gave us lots of free advice from years of country experience and knew our names instead of neighbors who ignored us, avoided us and told us in no uncertain terms that we had too many children.

No one complained about the dead car in our driveway. No one called the cops because of a fight in the upstairs apartment. No rental manager gave us a letter saying baby number three was not an option at this establishment – only two kids per apartment. No gang kids knifed our tires or broke into our cars. No rebellious teens walked past our house smoking dope, yelling obscenities.

I wanted out of the city to escape the noise, the crime, the danger. But I realize now, looking back on 20 years of country living I traded even-up for incessant tree frogs, raccoons and poison ivy. But that's fine by me. Tree frogs sing for a season. Sirens are year-round.

Now, on lonely nights when I can't sleep, I open a window in the living room and sleep on the couch, glancing at the picture window watching for a moth, listening to the semi trucks going by on the highway and remembering the good times at my grandmother's house.

Dreams are hard work. But they are worth it.

Bio

Rachel H.T. Mendell lives in Morrow County, Ohio. The family raises rabbits, chickens and cats, puts in a large garden each year and plants lots of trees. Rachel can be reached by emailing mendell.rachel7@gmail.com. If you enjoyed this article you can see others like it on her blog Domestic Mobility (http://www.domesticmobility.blogspot.com) and her website Rachel H.T. Mendell (http://www.rachelhtmendell.com).