This past year my wife and I purchased a home in a private lake community far removed from any metropolis area – about 45 minutes or so out of Indianapolis. We had considered this for a few years, but when you know, you know, so we did it.
One of the things that has always bothered me is how little I can provide for us and in tandem how far I’ve always been removed from nature. When it comes to providing, I don’t mean earn a paycheck. We both work and are blessed with careers we both enjoy. What I mean is I have never really grown anything. I’ve never provided a meal that was entirely of my own volition. That eats at me for some reason.
Combine that with the allure and convenience of the city was degrading more and more into the feeling of being in a concrete jungle. Even living in the suburbs, more and more pavement, strip malls, and brick and mortar stores appearing taking the place of vacant green fields, and I just needed a change. There were some concerns that my wife would not like it out here, but it turns out she loves the peacefulness of a little bit of isolation as much as I do. That worked out.
As far as lifestyle change, I want to learn to fish. I want to garden. I definitely see buying a boat this year. It might just be a starter fishing boat, but it will be enough to take at least a friend or two out on who can help teach me to fish. I mean, anyone can throw a line, hook, and bobber off a dock, and I did some of that as a kid. I want more than that. I want to be able to actually catch enough to fill a cooler, learn to clean them, and eat them. Did you know you can smoke bluegill? And they actually are good? I sure as shit didn’t. But I’m going to learn to when I catch my own. Walleye, crappies, bluegill… some will be fried, smoked, pan seared, etc. This is what I’m talking about. I want to learn to do all that, and I will.
As for the garden, yes I would like us to grow our own fresh vegetables; and, I can see my wife enjoying getting into that. Now for the stereotypical and lame part of this, like a lot of dudes, I want to grow peppers and make my own hot sauce. I am kind of a hot sauce fanatic, so I might as well try my hand in it.
My property limits me in what we can do. We can’t have livestock nor can we have chickens for fresh eggs, but we have access to fresh fish and enough property to have a decent garden; and that was our goal.
Overall, and this is based just on pure opinion, I just think it is a little bit healthier if you can provide for yourself. If we’re doing that a couple meals a week I think that’s probably a good thing.
As for nature, We’ve already set up a basic feeding/watering station for the deer out back, and a game cam I intermittingly put out there to capture them eating. They get fresh carrots and greens (lettuce and brussel sprouts) on the reg too. If you knew Pat, my grandmother whom raised me, you knew she had the biggest heart for stray animals. Some of that was passed down to me. These are my strays. We love seeing them, and I have no problem buying them feed – particularly during these winter months. Also, the wife purchased from a local self-published photographer a picture book of a lot of the wild animals and birds that are around the lake. It’s fun to see a new bird, and be able to identify it. And I loved seeing an eagle in my tree my first month out here. In the spring, several bird feeders will be in place. If you didn’t know, I happen to be a bird lover, so that’s another benefit of moving out here.
Some of this might sound mid-life crisis-ish or maybe even douchey(sp?). I don’t know. But I can tell you this. I am so much happier than I was a year ago. I’m more settled, more at peace, and I finally feel home. I look forward to these challenges, and I love talking about it with family and friends. In my estimation, that outweighs any judgement or strange looks I might get from someone that just doesn’t get it.