Before I retired, my favorite book to teach was John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. It's about two friends seeking to buy a little patch of land and turn it into their haven...a small farmhouse, a few chickens, and a vegetable garden. "We're gonna live off the fat of the land," Lenny dreamily tells George.
Every once in awhile, Big Bore and I take a drive out in the Flint Hills for our own quest. We pretend that we have lots of money and are seeking to buy 5-10 acres where we will build a cabin, plant a vegetable garden, and have a few chickens. We don't exactly plan to "live off the fat of the land," but it would be nice to have a little retreat away from home. I could tend to my flowers without having to listen to the neighbors' dogs get into barking matches, and Big Bore could watch storms roll in over the prairie.
Yesterday, following a visit with Mom in Fredonia, we took one of the long ways back to Eureka and meandered through the countryside again. At one point, Big Bore stopped the car at the crest of a hill so we could observe the valley below. Even the stark winter views were breathtaking.
We both know it's not likely we'll ever own property in the hills. Time is not on our side, and the money sure isn't flooding out of our savings accounts, but it is still nice to think about it...and to slow down for an hour during the day to appreciate the beauty that is off the main-travelled roads.
2 comments:
I love your blog today. We too love to explore the country side. I can thank my parents for instilling in me the love of untouched land. Or land that hasn’t been built on. I bet your drive was pretty and relaxing. I think it is fun to have thoughts and hopes that you know you probably will never have. If we had everything we ever wanted, well how boring that would be.
This was certainly my favorite post.
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