Fwd: [thesimple_life] the simple life

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Sheryl Simons <thesimple_life

thesimple_life

Sun, Jul 19, 2009 6:55 pm

[thesimple_life] the simple life

 

 

 

~~~ Keeping it Simple ~~~

 

Down a Back Road

 

Here in God's country most of us live down a back road. If we don't live down a back road, it doesn't take long to get to one. One of the roads near our house is a hilly path through the woods shaded by a canopy of old trees. I could never trade the peace and quiet of my country road for the traffic and congestion of the big city. Not for anything. And, it's so nice and peaceful down our back roads, we can tell it's the weekend, just by the noise of the city slickers who bring all their toys to enjoy all the great outdoors, because they forgot that the way to really enjoy a back road, is to take a walk!

 

Enjoying a cup of lemonade on the deck, I asked my neighbor, "What are some tips you would have for someone who has never lived down a back road before?" We came up with quite a list we can all relate to in some shape or fashion.

 

Neighbors: Get to kn

ow `em. Out here on the back roads we all stick together. They will plow you out if your 4x4 is broke down, you'll give each other a hand with all kinds of projects, they are only a quick phone call away, and on warm summer evenings you will grill burgers together listening to the fire pop as the sun sinks below the horizon and the fireflies begin to twinkle.

 

Budget: We don't spend the money `big city' people do. We have fire pits instead of grills, clothes lines instead of dryers, venison instead of $9.00 a pound steaks, and pesticide free produce in home-canned jars instead of cans. We knew "organic" before organic was cool. We eat homemade pies from what ever fruit is in season at our place or the neighbors. Most of our flowers that come up year after year were free from someone's back yard and they told us not to even say `thanks' or they might not grow! How's that for an ol' wives tale?

 

Cars: We drive older cars because they will always be either dusty or muddy. That's one small price to pay for living on a back road but we save so much money we don't give it a thought. We also are too smart to drive a new car off the lot and lose one quarter of it's value. If we did have a new car, it would just look dirty anyway.

 

Shopping Malls: When we visit a mall we laugh at all the things we happily do without. We go for the exercise – and I don't mean exercising our wallets.

 

Garden: We never have to actually plant zucchi

ni because it magically appears on our back porch summer through fall.

 

Laundry: We don't need a dryer because we love hanging the clothes out on the line and every country home has one. We don't need one in the winter because with a fire in the woodstove our clothes dry overnight anyway and help humidify the house – naturally. Luckily, we learned not to place our birdhouses near our clotheslines!

 

Friends: Everyone needs `em. If you don't have enough, the place to find `em is in one of our many local churches. Country folk go to church. And, they will be your best friends for life. They will be there through thick and through thin and always have a coffee pot brewing if you need someone to talk to. They will throw you a baby shower when you're expecting and help your kids throw your 50th anniversary party and stay to help clean up. You'll do the same for them.

 

* * *

"That beautiful season the Summer!

Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;

and the landscape

Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood." ~~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

* * *

Summer Smoothie

1 t honey, 1/2 c frozen strawberries, 1/2 c 1/2 c fat-free plain yogurt, 1/2 frozen banana, peeled and chopped, 2 T powdered protein supplement, 1 1/2 T flax seed. Add any fruit desired. Experiement with flavors and ingredients.

 

Keepin' it simple down a back road,

Sheryl

 

 

 

 

 

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