A Weekend in the Country

Stress has been a dominant presence in my life these last months. The same burden everyone else is feeling with the onslaught of world issues - both at large and at home. It has been an eternity since a real vacation. No sabbatical from work, not an opportune time to travel..... So many reasons.

But two weeks back, I was able to take a "respite" in the country. Just like Dorothy; sometimes escape is right in your own backyard. I have a friend who owns a lot of property west of Waconia. The whole family had a wilderness adventure in that when they bought the acreage, all that was on it was the original cabin lodge from the mid 1800s. They were fortunate to find a nearby parish house and had it moved onto the land which has now become their dream family home. But while the long term build happened, the 5 of them had to survive in this small 4 room cabin. A bit of plumbing and a few kitchen appliances made for a "functioning" kitchen and bathroom. One BIG family room with no internet - imagine that. And a second floor addition with a single bedroom for them all. I don't know ANY family who could survive this scenario for more than a single weekend. But they flourished.

Now a short few years later, their cabin has become a sort of retreat for family and friends. There is now a pool table, a vintage pinball machine in the kitchen and set up for big screen movie parties from a DVD player. The gorgeous screened in back porch has 2 custom built giant hammock swinging benches for couches. It is perfect for drifting off under the stars or an afternoon nap. And still no internet.

After a tentative start, where we left half of our food supply back at home, it made for a deserved and needed retreat away from the chaos of daily life. That porch swing was a gift when a vast thunder storm rolled in the first night. It felt refreshing to lay safely in a sleeping bag while the mist of the rains pelted me and made a rumble of noise. A jigsaw puzzle and a competitive game of Scrabble were plenty to pass the time away - I lost, but not without a close effort. There were fresh banana cupcakes and bruschetta from the hosts. Great coffee in the morning. Bottles of wine. And still no internet!

Most would not think of me as a rustic type, but my teen years were spent on acres much like these. We could walk with the dogs just feet away to the banks of the Crow River. Due to a dry summer, it became a mud patch of sorts. But I did put on waders and walked across the banks. It reminded me of old French Creek where, as kids, we would play in the mud until the leeches found us or we would pull crayfish from under shallow rocks. The dogs found a playmate and swam. There were of course s'mores around a bonfire with ghost stories. Borrowing an ATV to explore gravel roads with the wind & bugs hitting our faces. And long naps. It was amazing how the short 2 days felt like a good long week. As with any vacation, parting is heavy as we make our way back to whatever our daily grind is. But it was a welcome reminder that there still are finer and simple things to shock us back to life.