"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Friday, August 24, 2012

Going to the Country

     It's the last weekend before Labor Day, and so B and I are taking a long weekend, leaving our suburb behind and going to the country. We'll be staying with her sister who lives in a 150-year-old farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania, with no air conditioning, but stone walls four-feet thick and an attic fan that keeps the whole house comfortably in the 70s, even if it touches 90 outside.

     There's a corn field out front, a big kitchen garden in the back, and a couple of shade trees hanging over the screened-in porch.
Home-grown tomatoes!

     B will help her sister put up some corn, and they'll probably go to a quilt sale or a craft fair. We'll take walks down a country lane past all the wildflowers, smelling the cows in the distance, then head over to the wood shop where old men build hand-made wood tables, benches and chairs.

     We will eat fresh salad with lettuce from the garden and home-grown tomatoes. We'll get up early and go to bed early, and spend the weekend breathing in the country air. Our last great gasp of summer.

     See you next week.




11 comments:

Olga said...

Have a wonderful country experience.
I like Canned Heat, but I don't really associate them with fresh vegetables so much as other agricultural products...just saying.

schmidleysscribblins,wordpress.com said...

My daughter lives in the same bucolic setting as your SIL, but here in VA. I tried country living years ago (I grew up in the country).

I am a city mouse. Have fun, enjoy. The best thing about the country for me is coming home to the city. Dianne

Arkansas Patti said...

Sounds positively wonderful. Have a stressless romp in the country.
Love Canned Heat or any blues for that matter.

Bob Lowry said...

Where do I sign up? I spent much of my vacation time as a youth in rural parts of Pennsylvania. Your plans bring back great memories...except for the outhouses involved. I could live without that part again.

Chris said...

Was it only time that focused our musical tastes. Quite a throwback listening to that clip. Thanks.

stephen Hayes said...

Your post is as close to a farm as I'll get this summer. My loss.

Dick Klade said...

What a great way to end the summer. Have a wonderful time.

Linda Myers said...

Lucky you!

June said...

Welcome to a world that, if not mine, is close to mine!

Friko said...

Not a bad thing to do at all. Have a good time.

I hope you are taking a book or two as well. I find reading after a day spent out of doors sends me to sleep very nicely.

Jessica Howells said...

Tom, I have a report on working in retirement that I think you will find very interesting. Can you please email me so I can email you the report? jessica.howells(at)bm(dot)com