Saturday, March 14, 2009

No place like home

Lately I've been pleased with where I live. All 5000 square feet of it. That is the square footage of my lot, not my house. Don't get me wrong, I still need my occasional breaks in the mountains, the desert, and the country to get my refill of wide open spaces and stars at night, but I am enjoying the benefits of living here in suburbia too. Last week I was grateful that on one day I could tend to my baby chickens and work in my vegetable garden and the next day attend a performance of the LA Philharmonic at the Disney Concert Hall with my kids. I can walk to the park, taekwondo class, the allergy Dr's office and to dinner at one of a dozen or more restaurants without breaking a sweat. I also have a nice view of my neighbor's kitchen from my kitchen window, but that is a price I have come to accept. When I was a kid I distinctly remember seeing subdivisions in a neighboring town and wondering how people could stand living so close to each other. I still hope to live somewhere with more land someday, but there are advantages to being within walking distance of a hospital, a grocery store and a library. I am very blessed to raise my children in a place with so many amazing opportunities and yet I feel even more fortunate that I can take them away from all this to spend a few weeks on the farm every year. I call my parent's place a farm, and to my city kids it seems to be. They have animals, a garden, a few acres, yet are still in a small town. It's rural but more like a big backyard than a working farm. I don't feel the need to live there now but I do need to visit. I don't know where my kids will feel drawn to when they become adults. Right now dd has a love for places with pavement and sidewalks, yet she can't wait to ride horses and collect her really fresh eggs. Ds loves the ocean but also loves climbing tall trees and digging in the dirt. The kids whine that they are cold when its 50 degrees outside, yet lament that we don't have any snow. Will they be drawn to the suburbs because that is where they were raised, or will they like even bigger cities? Will they feel out of place without four seasons, or need sunshine and heat year-round? Will they be able to adjust to living in the country where they might have to drive a half hour just to get to a grocery store? I've found it fairly easy to adjust to the convenience of this place but I still need my time away, my respite from convenience. The one thing I do not miss about the place I grew up: snow. Don't miss it. The one thing I treasure most about a place: having a view of mountains. Do you live in an area that is similar to where you grew up? Country, suburb, city? Do you wish you were somewhere else? What attributes are important to you in a desirable place to live?

7 comments:

charlotte said...

The funny thing is I hated living in Payson and never wanted to live in a small town again. Guess what I live on a farm and LOVE LOVE LOVE it! We have an alfalfa field and cows in the summer that my son looks after. We have a huge acre garden and a 1/2 acre yard to take care of. I want to live here forever but alas we're taking care of Grandma's place for her. My dream is to call it my own soon.

beantater said...

I grew up near Palm Springs, and had a wonderful place to grow up in - huge house (dad's a contractor) 4 acres, animals everywhere (but not in the house!), spare building materials on hand for any project, empty lots all around for riding our 4 wheeler. The weather was usually beautiful with hot summers, mild winters and mountains all around. The only thing I wished for was a closer beach (Oceanside was 45 minutes away). I went to BYU (hate snow) and married a man from Idaho who took his first job out of school in Texas. I never thought I'd live in California again so I am thrilled to be back. Now I live 1.6 miles from the beach and wish I had a bigger house and a bigger lot and my kids could experience all the great things I had, but I am doing all I can to replicate, so they have it pretty good.

TM CLAN said...

I keep pinching myself because I feel like I'm living in heaven. Growing up, we had a nice sized house in a small town near big farms. My friends lived on farms, took care of pigs, entered 4-H contests, won cake contests. It was fun to watch them. Pigs really stink.

My rich friend had a beach house on Lake Michigan and I'd visit with her in the summer. I loved the beach, the sand, the sun, the endless water. (Lake Michigan is HUGE)

Now I live in a city with over 200,000 people, but it still feels small to me, like the town I grew up. The mom's at the school are the same moms at the church and soccer and baseball. I know my kids' friends. I never smell pigs. I live 1.3 miles from even more endless water and warm sand.

What I love even more than that is the energy that flows in a place like this. It's different than Utah or Indiana or Vegas. It's familiar and peaceful and full of opportunities. Granted the energy shifts on a backed up I-405, but who says that's not Good News!

Maxmomma said...

It seems to me that you've got the best of both worlds going here! Chickens and a veggie garden with full year sunshine! I do still miss Utah- it is home to me. I miss hiking and feeling the chill of fall that means winter is coming. I don't miss shoveling and ice and dressing for the snow. But today I am homesick and I think I have hormones to blame!

By the way, how are those allergy shots going?

mindyluwho said...

I lived in a small town in Utah on four acres until I was 12 when we moved to Oklahoma and lived on a postage stamp lot. I missed the country and am a country girl at heart. We currently live in a huge house on a postage stamp while we are waiting to build on some acerage in a more rural area. I soooo long to be out in the country with neighbors a respectable distance (a long way away!) but alas, the Lord has different things in mind for us now and so I am learning patience while I wait!

Michal said...

i grew up in the suburbs of LA, although we always claimed a small town feel. now i live in northern california in a suburb, but in nearby communities there are multiple-acre lots. i would love to live on 3 or 4 acres, keep some animals, have a huge garden, and let my kids experience country life. i NEVER thought that would even appeal to me. but if we ever to get to move to such a spot, it's nice that it's still only 15 minutes to a grocery store, mall, or good restaurant, so i guess i still love the city.

Joanne said...

I didnt know you have a blog. silly me.Oh well, Im sure you didnt know I have a blog too. LOL! I;ve had it for 2 yrs now. Anyways. I miss being with my family. The home cooked meals, I never grew up eating "microwave" meals. Not to be snobbish. But that's just how we cook back home. Also the rain. I miss the rain, We call it Monsoon Rains. The smell of rain and being with family.I always loved the Ocean and mountain which I get to see here in CA.