Is Rural Living for You? Part 2

   It's been 8 months since I took possession of my new country-house, but it still feels like it was only a couple months ago that I moved in. Like anyone moving into a new home; there's still rooms with boxes in closets/corners, walls to be painted, and whatnot - suddenly, the urgency is low when you realize you're not going anywhere anytime soon and once the priority tasks are already done. Yet as Summer shifted into a rainy Fall, then Winter came with a vengeance around the holidays, I have begun to realize A LOT more about rural living that just screams for me to make a Part 2 to the article I shared...

   Don't get me wrong: I'm loving rural living! Having always lived in a metropolitan area before this move (Greater Toronto, to be exact), it was a HUGE shift that not only started saving me hundreds in monthly living costs, but further assured the disconnect from the busy city energies that I was having to block & cleanse myself of on a daily basis. It's not that those protection & healing methods don't work, it's that I followed my heart out here - the closest I'll get to being the wild woman who lives with the animals in the woods.

Yet I have to admit, there have been some surprises...

So without further ado, let's just jump into a few things that I want to share with you!

With fresh air... come fresh smells!

   It's refreshing to finally breathe outside and NOT get a mouth/nose full of exhaust or sewage vapours... and being in a not-crowded area equals more of a breeze, which is nice. Where this turns into a possible 'con' is the fact that this means the smells from the nearby farms easily drift over on certain days.. especially when the weather turns or gets super humid. This is easily dealt with (so far!) as it only smells for hours at a time, but unless you're okay with the barnyard smells - you might have to find a way to get used to it.

   The good news is that unless you're stuck outdoors or need to always have your windows open, you won't have to deal with it too much! Having said that, the most recent discovery [which secured my idea to sit down and write this] may have something to do with the close proximity to farms...

Free water has it's own price...

   You wouldn't expect this to have anything to do with farms, but logically, it just makes sense. As a disclaimer: the jury is still out, and experts that have weighed in have explained two possible causes. On one hand, I've been told the issue occurs periodically because of the close proximity to farms, and on the other, I've been told it occurs periodically because of the change in weather & temperature and what that does to the well. Perhaps it's a mixture? Whatever the answer, it's information to consider..

   To my surprise, our water started to have an unfavourable smell to it... It was subtle at first, but after a number of weeks, the smell became stronger. Despite having recently replaced our UV light filter and having our softener system checked, a sulfur smell started coming through. Everything that needed to be ruled out was ruled out; and free water testing proved our water was clean, so it really was just a smell. The best advice out there seems to be to find a way to get used to it.

   This is something that can understandably turn a lot of people away! I'm still getting used to it but admit I only use fridge-filtered water for cooking & consumption (the good news: the built-in water dispenser on our fridge DOES filter this smell out!). Yet I think it's a small price to pay considering the trade-off is that there's no water bill... You would have to decide if you feel the same though.

Get used to rising with the sun!

   I'm honestly surprised I would say this, but it's another subtle change that came with the relocation. Just like I was drawn to the setting that living in a rural area would provide, I found my body begin to welcome the more natural changes. Something I never cared for when living in the city was opening up my blinds/drapes - because you were either looking into (or at the side of) someone else's house or were fully exposed to the neighbourhood. This changed when I moved here because I could open my windows knowing people couldn't see in, and this made me realize - for the first time - how much natural light I was missing in my life!

   Even though hydro rates have been decent enough to not be frugal about electricity use, I'm using even less by simply opening up the windows every morning; as the light naturally comes peeking through at dawn. This took some getting used to, because in the city you're likely not used to it at all. It wasn't long before my body synced up with this. Then when Gracie (my newest dog) came along - she synced with it too!

   Like what I'd expect from a farm dog, Gracie rises with the sun and jumps up on the bed to wake everyone. Yet it's hard to fault that - the mixture of local wildlife and absence of streetlights means people don't walk their dogs (or walk alone) at night. So it almost had to happen as we shifted our daily schedule to work with the daylight hours.

   As much as I enjoy the sound of the coyotes when they go at it after midnight, you can bet I wouldn't go wandering outside in the dark because of that. Night driving is worse, and reports of the odd bear sighting are enough to keep you mindful. Aside from the outdoor critters though, I have to mention the abundance of bugs that undoubtedly try to wiggle their way into the house for the winter - I had to quickly deal with my arachnophobia to accept the amount of spiders I now kill.

   It's all a big adventure in some ways, and with each passing day I find a new reason to love this house. At the heart of it all, that's really the point to be considered here! I made this move after falling in love with this house, so all that's come with it has just been a learning experience in my mind. If you want to make a similar move, do it before you regret not doing it!

#intuitiveempath #ruralliving #empathinthecountry