As you know, I am writing a blog to build a body of daily entries none of which, in themselves, is much in the way of writing or of reading interest. It is mostly just an ‘exercise’ for me. And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate those of you willing to follow along. I love it. Thanks.

The hope is that, after a few years, there may be enough stuff to distill into a short book that, with some very liberal rewriting and considerable lying and exaggeration may be of some interest to someone other than me.

The theme of the book I envision is that of people making the leap from their long established urban routine to a new rural learning experience despite being of the ‘awkward age’ (boomers retiring) instead of the younger, more adventuresome generation that usually undertakes this sort of thing. I dunno. Call me crazy. But life changes are interesting, don’t you think?

As you know by your ongoing suffering, the regular entries need extensive work, editing, polishing and improving. I’m hoping Sal will do that.

But I may have to help and so I have been doing some research. Never having written a book before, I have been reading a few lately that claimed to follow not dissimilar themes as the one I am claiming.

Turns out I hate those guys!

I read about a couple last month who escaped Connecticut and their Starbucks habit to ‘rough it’ while building their own place in Mexico. Turns out the hardships they endured were mostly in finding good restaurants, good workers, good mod-cons and entertaining while living in ‘temporary’ accommodation. They built nothing! But they did choose the doorknobs, the curtains and much of the lighter furniture. Ooooh, the pain and hardship were almost intolerable.

A real page turner.

And now I just finished a book by a woman who left Toronto for three months of residence on a nearby island in a rented house. Didn’t have cell service! The challenges of not having handy grocery stores, fresh ground coffee and enduring the presence of eccentric neighbours brought her to tears. Poor dear!

I was more glad than she was when she finally went home. It was a relief!

For the record: making the move from the city is not that big a deal. Yes, there are logistics. Yes, there are discomforts and yes there is the requirement of using muscles not always previously well maintained. But, really?!

Trust me, the experience is well worth it! The rewards are even greater!

Has it come to this that the modern person, grown so incredibly inept by the urban lifestyle that renting a cottage and living in it for three months is challenging enough to warrant writing a book? And having it published!!! Complete with Canada Council grants!!?? Get this: this last woman had a need-for-shopping attack. She needed to shop and there weren’t any stores on the island! She wrote a chapter on it! For the NATIONAL POST!

OHMYGAWD!

Do people really think that when they hire an architect and pay for a contractor and ‘choose’ the finishing details that they have built a house?! They ‘ordered up’ and ‘chose’ a house. They didn‘t build it!

Of course the challenge of building is huge and most people opt to have it done for them. Even out here. It is difficult. But that is not hard work. It is just expensive. I don’t care how bad the experience might be, it is a walk in the park compared to doing it yourself, from scratch, without skills and working with the aforementioned neglected musculature. Like most of the people did it out here.

But even that is do-able. None of this is rocket science.

Mind you, it is also true that if you DIY you will likely have to do it again a few times before getting it right. OR, like most of us, you’ll learn to live with it ‘done wrong’. But is that so bad?

You expecting Better Homes and Gardens to drop in?

And, yes, there is a difference to the lifestyle and yes, you do have to do more for yourself. It can get difficult. There is no one to rely on and even basic services are miles distant. It can be a bit inconvenient. There will even be things that you can’t do. At times.

But, so what? So one is ‘inconvenienced’ a bit or made a smidge-less-than-comfortable at all times. Is that so bad? Isn’t that, actually, kinda good in a ‘makes-ya-hardy’ sorta way?

I’m sorry – this is a rant. I apologize. But I am reading published books by spoiled brats who haven’t done diddly-squat towards learning about the non-urban lifestyle and whose definition of off-the-grid is too far away from a Starbucks. That’s pathetic.

Breathe, Dave…………….breathe……………breathe…….

There are over 200 people out here the vast majority of whom have had it rougher, faced greater challenges, built their own homes, accomplished more, faced greater dangers, did it alone, did it without money, did it without even neighbours nearby sometimes and did it in a glorious confrontation with the natural world and all that that entails. Every single one them has a greater story to tell than I do.

And every single one of them gets books by mail from the library and some of them may even get the ones I just read. Makes me cringe just to think about it.

I wasted my time on those books. My neighbours teach me more every day.