Hayfever

Ok, one of the not so great things about living in the country is my hayfever. I feel the need to blog about this because if there ever is a con list for living in the country, this would be on mine. I have never had it as bad as I have this year. I'm not sure if that has to do with the fact that they planted sunflowers in the fields around us this year or not. Last year was wheat and the year before that was corn. I don't remember the wheat fields giving me this much trouble. I'm not sure what to do about it, if anything. I've tried lots of different kinds of sinus/allergy meds, but I'm always in a fog on that stuff. Total med-head. And I'm not motivated to do a darn thing. I don't like feeling this way...it's like the day just before a cold hits you, except you just plateau with those symptoms and never get better or worse. Still, if this is the worst that happens out here, I guess I'm ok with it. Small price to pay for all the great things about country life!

Homemade Apple

Do you ever choose fonts or paint colors by their names? Sometimes the names just sound so perfect for the outcome I envision in my mind. I once painted a room near seafoam green simply because I liked the idea of surrounding myself with a "Scottish Path"...seems silly to me. Yet, I continue to do it. This blog is no exception. I just went round and round with myself over the font for the blog title and post titles. I love the idea of using "Homemade Apple"...seems to say country to me. Thing is though that I hate the way the capital Rs look in this font. Sigh. I'm keeping it for now simply because I'm stubborn, but I may have to settle for "Dancing Script" in the end. It just doesn't sound as fitting -- even though it really has nothing to do with the content of this blog! LOL, and at the same time, Boo.

Magic

So why did I choose the title "Rural Hocus Pocus" for this blog? When my husband and I were house hunting out here, I wanted to find a place that had some magic to it. I couldn't even really explain what that looked like...I just knew that I would know it when I saw it. Thing is that I never really found it. The house that we bought wasn't exactly what I had in mind on many levels. Oh, it hit the mark on some things -- the mechanics were all updated, had a new roof, lots of potential for finishing the basement and really didn't need any major remodeling at all. But I was looking for the magic all wrapped up in a bow.

The interesting thing is that now that I've lived here for a while, I'm starting to find it. Every once in a while, I'll turn around and see something that makes me feel a little like what I was trying to feel in the beginning. I can only attribute this to the idea that the magic happens over time. We create the magic by making the place more ours. Changing the little things that make the place speak more to us.

For example: when we bought the house, the shelter belt to the north was overgrown and neglected. My husband has since cleared it all out. He removed all the fallen trees and cut them up for firewood. He picked up all the branches and sticks and barbed wire remnants so that we could get a mower through there. He planted some additional trees and seedlings so that we could build it back up again and replace some of the shade. Now we get to watch it grow over time. Clearing out that area has given us a clean slate to really see what we have.

And we already have big plans for that outdoor space. Space we didn't think we had when we moved in a year ago. We're going to build a treehouse for my nephews and other little visitors. We're going to bring in a small corn crib and turn it into a fun farm gazebo. More on these ideas later; they deserve their own posts!

The bottom line is that if he hadn't done all that work (thanks honey!), we never would have thought that shelter belt had any potential. He allowed us to wonder about what could be out there. Cleaning up the belt has really allowed us to dream a little more about what this place can really be. There's the magic.

Wide open spaces

So I moved to the country. There is a long story around the reasons behind how and why I ended up here. But that may be a post for another time. This first post is simply an introduction.

I live in just outside a small town that boasts 267 inhabitants. I live twenty minutes from the nearest grocery store. I have five acres of property that is surrounded by fields on three sides and a grove of trees on one side. I look out my living room window and there isn't another house as far as my eyes can see. And I love it.

When I first announced that I was moving, the initial reaction from people once they learned where I was going was pretty amazing and unepected. Almost everyone told me of some version of a dream that they had that I was living. Who would have thought that an old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere was such a fantasy! It was one of my dreams too so it didn't really surprise me that it appeal to some...what caught me off-guard was that it appealed to so many.

Before I moved, I created this blog. I've lived here for over a year now and this is my first post. I'm not sure why it took me so long to circle back to this, but I'm looking forward to it. My intent is to keep this blog like a personal journal. A place where I can jot down thoughts and notes to myself. Things I don't want to forget. Feelings that need to be worked out (writing is somewhat theraputic for me). I'm not even sure I want any followers yet, if ever. This blog is just for me. To kind of figure out who I am and who I want to be. Maybe I'll look back on it someday and be glad that I have the chance to read through my journey.