Connecting with old friends

What a sad commentary on our current world. We live in a day and age of almost instant communications. The telegraph of our predecessors gave way to the quicker and more personnel telephone. The telephone was then supplemented by mobile phones. We developed the ability to communicate via computer and called it email. This type of communication reached it's destination much quicker than a stamped piece of mail going thru the United State Postal Service, hence a piece of mail traveling the later route has been nicknamed "snail mail". After the introduction of email capabilities we developed an even quicker type of computer communication called instant messaging. Even with all of this technology, it is usually only at this time of year, when we start sending and receiving Christmas cards, that we exchange details of what is going on in our lives with friends and family. I guess it takes a sentimental occasion for many of us to slow down long enough to try and let everyone in on "the latest".

We have received several such Christmas cards this year. Usually these cards contain information related to health issues. Perhaps none of the health issues were serious, but then again they might have been. Often the friend or relative lives far away, but not always. I received a card a couple of days ago from a cousin who lives only about a 1/2 a mile away from me. In her card she asked for prayer because she has started radiation treatments. She had some lumps removed from her breast several months ago and has already had a course of chemotherapy. I felt horrible because I haven't been in closer contact with her. She has a wonderful support system thanks to her immediate family, but still, I felt that I should have been more up to date on her situation. There has been so much going on in my life, with my family, that I completely forgot that she was going to be taking radiation after she finished up with chemo. Maybe that's what the problem is. We are all living in the fast lane, whether we realize it or not. Perhaps we all need to get off of the express and take the scenic route, slow things down a bit. Reminds me of a bumper sticker I once saw. It said that an optimist is someone who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

I can't imagine what my life would be like now if I hadn't moved to a slower paced life 7 years ago. Even though I have many things going on right now, life is much different for me than it was when I lived in Connecticut. Our circumstances here are so different than they were before the move. The stress level of day to day living is almost non-existent compared to what we were experiencing. Here our nearest neighbor is about 1/4 mile away. We lost our faithful sheltie, Kiesha in December of 2005, but this May we added another sheltie to the family. Where we had one cat in Connecticut, here we have about 10. The cat population changes, depending on a variety of factors including predation by coyotes. Currently I have 11 chickens. The jury is out on how many of the chickens will stay, because 8 of these were just hatched this July so we have not yet been able to determine with 100% accuracy which are hens and which are roosters. The excess roosters will go elsewhere and I will keep the hens. If I should end up with more roosters than hens, I may order some day old chicks for spring delivery. My windows no longer vibrate from loud music of passing cars. Any gunshots I hear are coming from hunters in the distance and are not aimed toward us or our dwelling. Randy no longer lives on antacids either. From the time I first met him he hardly had a day pass that he didn't have to have at least a couple of antacids. After the move here I bought one of those big bottles, like we always had to have on hand before. Usually those bottles would only last a couple of weeks. I finally threw the bottle away a year or so ago. It was still about 1/2 full.

Another difference is that I have a huge garden spot. Last year was the first year since we moved down here that I didn't have a garden. I missed it terribly. There is nothing like being able to go out into the garden and harvest fresh food that you grew. Nothing store bought tastes as good. If you have been a good steward of the earth and have not poisoned the soil with all sorts of chemicals then you are rewarded not only with great tasting food, but also food that nourishes you. If you have been blessed with good weather and have not been afraid to put forth some effort then you should have enough of a harvest to preserve for later use. That is if the deer didn't eat all of your hard work up before you harvested it! Deer can be a real problem here. I know many people who hunt deer. I always wish them lots of luck and express a desire for them to get their limit each deer season. The reason behind this is two-fold. Not only do I want there to be less deer to eat up my garden, but the deer are so plentiful that they are a hazard when driving.