I grew up in the boonies. We lived in a dirt road about a half hour outside Flint, MI. The nearest grocery store was... I dunno... three miles or so.
After I left there, I lived in cities for the most part - Flint itself, Tallahassee, Salt Lake City. I adjusted to that. It was a faster pace, more people = more headaches, etc. The grocery stores were actually farther away, but when you're zooming with the rest of traffic, it doesn't seem so far.
When I left SLC, I moved to a tiny town on the eastern plains of Colorado. And I adjusted again. The grocery store was less than a mile away, but if I wanted anything major - like Walmart or Barnes and Noble, I had to drive an hour or more.
Now I'm here. In the boonies again. The nearest grocery stores are 15-20 miles out - including Walmart, so I got a shorter distance there than before. (We won't talk bookstores. I use Amazon now.) We're also in the Ozarks, which means everything here is uphill/downhill.
Back in CO, I went to the store several times a week. It was right there, so skipping over wasn't a big deal. Here, I had to cut back. Gas prices alone make it hard to jaunt back and forth that much. Since winter struck, though, it was doubly hard.
You see, I live at the top of a hill. And the top of my hill is amidst several other hills. Just getting to the highway looks like this... Down, Up, Up some more, down, up, down, UP and down to the highway. That last UP is a killer after it snows. So, part of the adjustment is waiting for the road to melt. (I think they don't bother salting the neighborhood roads out here.)
And waiting for the road to melt means stocking up when I finally do make it out. Fill that grocery cart, load up that car (I now refer to my Cavalier as a stealth pickup truck - I move so much stuff with it.), and hope you remembered everything you needed, because if you didn't, it'll have to wait a week.
It's been just under a week since I got out last time. Today, I'll be hitting the Walmart (which I couldn't do last time because Arkansas has no concept of blading the highways) to load up on all the stuff we're running low on, plus the stuff I can only get at the big box store. Then I'll be swinging by the Feed store so I can get whole corn for the deer.
Ah, the country life.
It's all an adjustment. But I'm not having a problem with it. Life is all about making adjustments, right? And hey, that's just how I roll, baby. Ziggin' when I need to zig and zaggin' when I need to zag.
How's life where you're at?
I hate running out of stuff and with gas prices the way they are, I try to keep my trips into town at a minimum.
ReplyDeleteMy pantry keeps two of everything. As soon as I open one package, the item is put on the shopping list for next time.
That's the idea, Maria. Keep the travel to a minimum. I don't always do the two of everything method. But I do buy in bulk when I can. And instead of listing ahead of time, I do a house walk-through on shopping day to see what we might run out of before the next trip. =o)
ReplyDeleteNothing's quite as comforting as a full freezer and full cupboards.
Having lived 'remote' I know exactly where you're at, B.E. - and stocking up becomes a skill in itself! We're still rural now, but only 15 minutes from town! But still frugal enough to only make the trip in maybe twice a week. Besides, I think living rural actually saves you money in the long run! Glad you finding the 'country' life fulfilling :)
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