mrs-roboto's Diaryland Diary

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Country Mouse and City Mouse

Thanks to all for the well wishes on the anniversary. The getaway was just what the doctor ordered. Two days of cross country skiing followed by hot tubing and barbecues. Perfection! Mt. Hood is just a spectacular place. One evening I met Pete up at the Timberline Lodge where he'd been downhill skiing. The lodge may look familiar. It was used for the exterior shots in The Shining. We sat by their fire and drank red wine and snacked on fondue. There's truly nothing like the feeling you get after an intense day of activity. I know I sound like some sort of fitness nut but honestly, I feel my best after I'm moved and sweated and breathed fresh air which leads to one of the big debates I've been having in my head lately.

As you all know, I am a city girl by birth. I grew up in New York and went on to live in major cities across the country. The smell of warm asphalt in the summer air is as comforting to me as an apple pie baking in the oven. I love the way you can gaze upon a city skyline at night and be captivated by the Milky Way of man-made lights. I adore being able to hear awesome music in any number of venues all over town. I like having the option to dine at all sorts of restaurants from Thai to Austrian. I like that I can visit all types of museums and see foreign films and take classes in just about any activity from bellydancing to didjereedoo lessons. I like that I can walk out my door and stroll to an artwalk or a microbrewery or a bookstore. But....

I also love the way a big old red barn looks surrounded by a field of grain or the way a mountain reflects in a lake on a warm summer day. I like watching my dog run free through tall grass. I like big camp fires on which we roast smores. I like roadside stands where you can buy homemade preserves. I love long hikes in the woods and cross country skiing. I adore log cabins and scenic overlooks. I like small town stores where shop keeps know your name. I like having room to breathe.

So how does one reconcile these two yearnings, city sophisticate and country charm? The answer is certainly not the 'burbs (which scare me senseless with their strip malls and chain restaurants). My parents have always kept a "country home" and a "city home," a necessity for Native New Yorkers who would occasionally like to sleep through the night without the chaos of car alarms. However, keeping two homes is costly not to mention that's twice as much to clean, maintain and worry about. We've thought about moving somewhere that has a mixture of urban bliss and rural beauty, but where? What hasn't been ruined by developers and has career options that appeal to both Pete and myself? I've thought alot about this lately and I'm still running in circles. Do other people think this way? How do they reconcile their situation? Ideas, thoughts, comments?

9:58 a.m. - 2006-03-23

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