Living in the Middle of Nowhere….and Loving It!

I belong to this great Facebook blogging group called Bodacious Bloggers.  Our leader, Joanne Greco challenged us to write about the city where we live.  I had to *giggle* when I read the word city.

Sitting here at the window, watching my yellow finches at the feeder, I can see for a mile across a field of wheat.  It makes for a perfect view of the sunset each night.

This is the view of the sunset each night from my front door.

When I look out my dining room window, across the back field, I have a view of the little town where I grew up.  The population is roughly 600.  There is no traffic light, no barber shop, no bank, no local government, and no restaurant.  There is just one corner store at the moment, a post office, a fire house, a grainery, a chicken processing plant and a school on the edge of town.  If you want to include the outskirts of town, there is a farm equipment dealership, Triple Creek Winery, and an auto repair shop.

This is my view of the sunrise from my dining room window.

The nearest “city” is 12 minutes away, and it’s population is 14,000.  It’s not what most of you would consider a city.  After growing up in the Middle of Nowhere, I moved to the “city” when I got married 27 years ago.  We both worked there, and all of the conveniences were just a few minutes away.  However, after 12 years, I was ready to move back to my home town, and I wanted to enjoy the country life this time.  We found a house on 2 acres a mile outside of town.  Now, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.  We have neighbors on one side, but I don’t feel like I’m sitting under their bedroom window when I want to sit outside.

It is QUIET here!  Right now, I hear the birds chirping and the hum of my laptop…..and that’s it!  There is the occasional car or truck, but they are outnumbered by tractors and farm equipment many days.

At night it is DARK…..like can’t see where you’re walking DARK!   But the stars and moon sure are bright on a clear night.

Living in the Middle of Nowhere takes some getting use to.  Grocery shopping and errands take a little bit of planning to avoid a lot of wasted trips.  The nearest mall and Sam’s Club are an hour away.  There is no rush hour traffic, but following a tractor at 10 mph takes a little patience.

The best part of living in the Middle of Nowhere is the people.  I’ve known most of the people that live here all my life.  They know my parents and brothers.  My Dad was born in a house in town and raised here.  The only time he’s left is when he was in the Army.  It’s nice to walk into the store or post office and know everyone in there.

So what do I do here, in the Middle of Nowhere?  If you already follow my blog, you know that I make cards, scrapbook, and paper craft.  I have a nice craft room, but I prefer to sit at the dining room table.  I have a bird feeder outside my window and a view of the wild rabbits playing in the yard….and eating the produce in my garden.  (I’m not sure if the garden is for my family or the rabbits.)  I can’t see my little fish pond, but I can hear the water trickling and the bull frog croaking.  It’s very peaceful, but it can be distracting.  I often find myself staring out the window.

When you live in a wide open area, it’s easy to find the rainbow after a summer storm.

Like I mentioned, I have a garden.  It’s only a small raised bed garden, but it’s the perfect size for lots of cucumbers, which is my family’s favorite.  I also plant a few pepper plants, a tomato plant, onions, peas, spinach, (no one here eats peas or spinach, so I’m not sure why I planted them!), and lettuce.  Other than the cucumbers, the garden doesn’t produce much, but there’s something about playing in the dirt and watching things grow that’s very therapeutic.

Speaking of playing in the dirt, I like to grow flowers.  I should say….I REALLY like to grow flowers!  In the future, I might add some posts about my flowers.  I can’t get enough of them!  I’ve always been fortunate to have a green thumb, and bedding plants are plentiful in my area with lots of greenhouses and small nurseries.

If you’d like to see my flowers, visit My “Other” Hobby – Flower Garden Pictures.

So there you have it.  This is the city where I live.  I wouldn’t trade it for the real city, for anything in the world.  I can’t imagine living anywhere else!  My plan is to retire here with my family, my yellow finches, and my hummingbirds.

The bright golden yellow of these finches always brightens any day!

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