How and why the City Mouse came to the country

 

    "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to

change; the realist adjusts the sails.” - William Arthur Ward

 

**Please note that this blog is written in a simple, easy to understand style because I'm interested in introducing ideas to people.  Each blog post has hyperlinks to more detailed and accurate information.  This blog can be personal at times and expresses my opinion alone; it has purposely been designed to be commercially free.**

In the end it was family that brought us home to Western Pennsylvania.  Both my parents, as well as my long time girlfriend's parents, were aging and it was becoming more apparent to both of us that we were needed in Western PA.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic had made working from home a reality and my job, working for a major insurance company, seemed safe to do from anywhere.   

My company agreed to transfer me from Tampa, where we had been living for roughly 20 years, to an office in Cleveland; with the understanding that I may, one day, have to report there five days a week. 

However as the Pandemic dragged on, the company started talking about having people work from home on a full time basis or coming into the office only two or three times a quarter if that.  For now and into to foreseeable future however, I could continue to work from home.

The stars had aligned for me to move back to Western Pennsylvania for the last and final time.    In order to find a home that was affordable to us, move in ready and checked most of the boxes that we wanted checked...that meant moving away from the city and into the country.

Sue, my wife, grew up in the country.  I grew up in the suburbs but had spent nearly all of my adult life as a city dweller.  At one time I didn't even have a car because everything was easily accessible by bus or within walking distance of where I lived. 

Much like the City Mouse in Aesop's famous tale I had grown accustomed to a certain way of life, and wondered if I could adapt to the "simpler" ways of country life.

When I decided to start this blog, we had been in the house for a month and already I worried about costs and other issues, but I also marveled at how many stars were in the night sky on a cool night.

I was able to sit on my porch and watch a family of deer nibble on my grass at the edge of the yard.  My bird feeders were an explosion of color and noise.  I loved the quiet that country living provides.

It didn't hurt that I always had an intellectual interest in alternative energy and permaculture, and now finally I had a chance to actually explore those interests.

I wanted to plant a garden and learn to cook; which is something that I always had an interest in, but never fully explored.   Due to some health reasons, my diet needed to change and I needed to exercise more. What better way to do it than growing what you eat?

To be completely honest, our moving back to Western Pennsylvania was spurned on by climate change as well.  We had lived in Florida for roughly 20 years, and during that time the weather kept getting hotter.   In fact, each of the last 10 years had set records in the state.   If we were going to go, now would be the time since it was likely to get much, much worse.

So, it was the country life for me.  This blog came about because I wanted to share my adventures.  From the very beginning I wanted it to be commercial free.  

I was planning on staying away from politics and anything "controversial" in the beginning, but now I find that I can’t escape the politics of environmentalism or global warming.

The choices we make as a society affect everyone.  The choices we make as individuals, affect everyone.

This blog then is basically whatever I feel like writing about and I do try to update it roughly every 7 days or so.   It's to help others avoid the mistakes I'm making, or maybe getting a free hint or tip too.  Feel free to read it, share it, comment and give advice.

God knows I'll need it.