Acclimation to the quiet, no electricity, no modern appliances, no water well--as easy as putting on clean socks. We just cleaned out the kitchen and remade the bed and we were ready for several months of wonderful outside living. The weather greeted us with nights of 50-55 degrees, a wonderful relief from the South's 70 degrees night life.
We brought our cat, Bobbisox, who loves the new woods that contain a myriad of bugs, turkeys, deer and a host of other exciting things of nature she has refused to reveal. She's been a great companion. She unfortunately didn't accompany us to Maine where we celebrated our wedding anniversary with our grown kids, as she wouldn't have wanted to travel that far. We've discovered that she hates riding in the car!
For the third time that we've visited Maine from our NY digs, the Delaware River has flooded! I'm afraid to let anyone know the next time we leave. We've always returned when the waters have subsided, so we have no mental picture of water, water, everywhere.
We think we've got this living in the woods down to a fine routine. We use 6 gallons of water every other day, fill our cooler with 3 bags of ice every three days, and enjoy the other times when we don't have to travel 15 miles to the laundrette or 5 miles to the library, or 20 miles to Home Depot! I have a workshop close by and I'm learning to cook something about every three days. The downsize of this life is leaving high-speed internet to dial-up, which can cause consternation waiting for the connection, only to be interrupted numerous times in a short period. Thank goodness for the library's computers! Other than this stab of pain....
....life is beautiful.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
Joyful Reunion
To anyone passing the room, one glance at the occupants would make one think "two old hens clacking away." In reality, it was two old ladies, former college roommates reuniting after five years.
In order for my Wyoming friend and I from Mississippi to have this short time together, I met her in Harrisburg, PA, a 2 1/2 hour drive where she arrived from the Wild West. She dedicated a day and two nights to our visit before heading out to a wedding in York, PA.
No man would have been able to remain in the room hearing our whirling tongues. But careful attention to the conversation would have revealed two women still feeling like they'd just returned to the dorm after a weekend at home catching up on news. Somehow the years peeled away and we were again the carefree, independent young singles studying with goals in mind and having fun dating the campus guys.
In the span of 27 hours, we rediscovered why our friendship has remained so tight for over 50 years: we still thought alike, had the same beliefs, philosophy, goals and had experienced similar struggles of being wives and mothers. We compared the changes in our health and the new shape of our bodies, all the time being reminded of having been naive young girls of yesteryear.
Untold stories of our rearing and of our parents' desires to see their daughters achieve something better in life than they, as well a remembering lost loves, deceased friends, and endearing teachers.This took time. We both had chosen teaching as a career and wondered aloud if anyone we had taught would remember us and our zeal to impart some knowledge of life to them.
We departed the second morning stronger than ever that our friendship would remain endless. We assured ourselves that we each were a True Friend.
In order for my Wyoming friend and I from Mississippi to have this short time together, I met her in Harrisburg, PA, a 2 1/2 hour drive where she arrived from the Wild West. She dedicated a day and two nights to our visit before heading out to a wedding in York, PA.
No man would have been able to remain in the room hearing our whirling tongues. But careful attention to the conversation would have revealed two women still feeling like they'd just returned to the dorm after a weekend at home catching up on news. Somehow the years peeled away and we were again the carefree, independent young singles studying with goals in mind and having fun dating the campus guys.
In the span of 27 hours, we rediscovered why our friendship has remained so tight for over 50 years: we still thought alike, had the same beliefs, philosophy, goals and had experienced similar struggles of being wives and mothers. We compared the changes in our health and the new shape of our bodies, all the time being reminded of having been naive young girls of yesteryear.
Untold stories of our rearing and of our parents' desires to see their daughters achieve something better in life than they, as well a remembering lost loves, deceased friends, and endearing teachers.This took time. We both had chosen teaching as a career and wondered aloud if anyone we had taught would remember us and our zeal to impart some knowledge of life to them.
We departed the second morning stronger than ever that our friendship would remain endless. We assured ourselves that we each were a True Friend.
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