A number of my more geekish friends often ask me why I live so far out in the country. Why don’t I move closer to the city, where they have real amenities, like electricity and plumbing. (Ah, they kid because they love… Of course we have electricity and plumbing. We even have TV out here. Sheesh! The only thing we don’t have is decent internet access.)

Tonight, as I was taking the baby dog out for his last perambulation before retiring, it started to snow. Everything was quiet and dark, except for the little patch of light we were standing in. The snowflakes emerged from the dark sky and landed on my face, ever so gently. It was beautiful, watching them sparkle as they drifted down. I can’t tell you how many moments like this I have experienced out here in the country: deer walking into the pasture for a twilight snack, eagles down at the river arguing over a catch, onions growing huge in my little garden, the horses rolling in the summer grass and shaking their great blonde manes once they are upright. During our last cold spell, I would go out at night and stare at the spectacular Milky Way across a vast black sky. No one in the city can do that. It can’t bee seen from there.

It’s worth the long commutes and the expensive, almost inadequate access to the internet just to experience moments like these. Even though I’m certifiably nerdy, I know that sometimes reality on the farm is better than all the video games and high tech tools in the world.