Take a Hike

Lately, in an attempt to stop being so sloth-like in the evenings, we've been trying to peel our backsides from the couch cushions (you know how hard that is after a long day at work) and take Daisy out for a walk around town.  This also gives Daisy some much-needed attention and time away from her little brother Jip, who can't help but chew on her tail and chase her around the house.  Since both of us spend a lot of time sitting all day at work, it feels good to get outside in the summer air and get a little exercise.

Since we have started our after-dinner walk routine last week, we have pretty much walked around the entire town (there's not much to it.)  But it seems that every night we discover something new or see something we wouldn't see from our cars.  We have walked past some amazing vegetable gardens, stopped at a little league baseball game down at the ball-park (yes, we were those creeps who don't actually have any kids playing the game,) and rubbed a friendly horse's nose.  And got sneezed on by said horse.  And last night, we discovered a gravel road that leads out of town, behind a farm with barns and a windmill, through cornfields and the wide open sky.  Last night, we walked down that gravel road and watched a storm past to the south.  A light breeze rustled through the knee-high corn and the pink sky reflected in the prairie grasses growing along the gravel.  With our backs to town, and our eyes to the skies we felt like we were walking on a forgotten road, just me, Joey, and Daisy.  Being able to see the weather played out so boldly across the open sky, without a house, or car, or anyone else in sight, reminded us of our dream of living on a bigger farm, far out in the country, someday.

For now, we are staying in our Vermont house.  We thought about what was in our hearts, and it wasn't moving even farther away from our family, just for a job.  In the next couple years, we hope to move to a bigger farm and be closer to our family.  We know that our roots are planted in agriculture and sustainability, it's what we dreamed about growing up and what we studied in college.  Joey studied agriculture and animal science and I studied environmental studies and studio art in fibers.  We loved working together on the 15-acre vegetable farm in the city where we grew up (and my sister works there now.)  The farmer was an inspiration to us, providing local food in the middle of a city environment, even when it wasn't popular.  He grew up being a farmer, and in a way, we did too.  Sometimes, all it takes is a walk under an open sky to remember what is important to you, what your dreams are, and how amazing lightning bugs look on a summer evening in the country.

Comments

  1. I'm so glad to hear about both urban and rural farming - we need both!

    I, too, am amazed by lightning bugs. Every year. I can't wait to share them with my nephew, now he's old enough. Maybe we'll stay at the urban community farm late enough to see them come out, and then walk home for his bathtime.

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