My Country Life

Crossing the creek with Melvin in March, 2009. A well-worn path through the woods connects my property to my parents’ property. The path winds downhill until you reach the creek at about the halfway mark. Years ago, when I first bought my 10 acres, Mama and I hacked our way through the briars, wild azaleas, and privet to create a crossing at one of the shallowest points. We placed some large, flat rocks in the creek bed to act as stepping stones. If your balance is good, and the creek isn’t too high from recent rain, you can cross here without getting your feet wet.

Rudy July 1995 - December 26, 2012 My cat, Rudy passed away this past Christmas, on December 26, just a few days after I moved to the cabin. He was old and had been ill, so he surprised me when he rallied to make the big move to the cabin. He surprised me again by taking a sharp turn downhill within hours of beginning my country year. We arrived about 5pm on the evening of Friday, the 21 st . By early Saturday morning, he was clearly sick and spent the remainder of his days in the hospital. The vet said stress is especially hard on old cats.

Six weeks have passed since I officially moved to the cabin for a country year. Or a “country while” as I started calling it since I really don’t know how long I will be here. Moving to the cabin is an experiment as much as anything - something that I talked about doing for a long time. I eventually decided I should stop talking and do it. My intention is to write more while I’m here, but the only writing I’ve done so far is freelance work for others. So today, I’m writing the first entry for My Country Life since moving. Hopefully, the first of many.

"Rudy" July 1995 - December 26, 2012 Rudy came to live with me way back in November 1995. I had been living at 110 Lamont for about a year, and my first kitty, Cindy had recently died. I missed her terribly so I attended a local pet adoption in search of a new cat. I came home with two male kittens, Rudy and  Teddie .  Teddie passed away  over three years ago. Rudy seemed sad after his companion died, but he kept on going. Over time, he bonded more with Melvin whom he had always viewed as inferior. Eventually, he seemed to enjoy being an "only cat." He made a few trips with me to the cabin, and this picture was taken on his very first trip in June 2010. He liked it here at the cabin, but he hated being crated for the trip so I only brought him a few times.

Wishing you peace, love, and joy at Christmastime. And always. ~Pat and Melvin~

My main project for this trip was to install shelves in the shed and get it organized.  Until now it was just a blank space where I had been storing tools, my CrossFit gear, and other stuff that doesn't belong in a living space. I spent about $100 on materials which included 12 MDF boards from Home Depot, brackets for mounting, and screws. The result is what you see here.  I'm pleased.

White Oak at the Cabin picture taken 11/4/12 I have decided to move to the cabin for a while. When I lost my job back in June, I immediately took comfort in the knowledge that I could move here if I needed to. I'm grateful that I spent the last year getting it livable. Owning this place free and clear of any mortgage has allowed me to think about how I really want to spend my life. I wasn't forced to FIND A JOB - any job - just to pay the mortgage and the VISA bill.