FARM VACATIONS:

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Outside the house, you might want to cover that abandoned well so that no one will fall into it. Pick up glass and tin cans that could prove dangerous, and make sure there's parking and turn-around space for the extra car.

Next, plan a tentative menu for the week and stock up on groceries. At this point, remember that your guests are looking for a change from their city diet ... so don't wear yourself out trying to duplicate what you think they might be accustomed to. Rely heavily on food that you have grown and prepared at home, fix it simply and be sure there's plenty of it.

Most important, while you're preparing for the first visit, don't try to make everything perfect and get all uptight with worry and anticipation in the process. If you do, your family may have a spotless house but aching backs and nasty tempers when the customers arrive. Remember that the visitors' impression of the farm will depend 99% on their hosts. If you enjoy their visit, there's a fair chance that they'll enjoy it, too. Make your preparations at a leisurely pace so that you can all wear smiles of genuine welcome when the strange car pulls into the driveway.

HAT TO DO WITH YOUR GUESTS

When rural vacationers recall their holidays, they generally mention the same pleasures: the beauties of nature, the clean and quiet air, the chance to forget the pressures of their own lives and participate in the refreshing activities of the farm. For many of the children who stay with you, the visit will be their first introduction to a world entirely different from their own ... one which they've only seen in movies or on TV, or read about in books. For adults, the experience is frequently a trip back in time to their own childhood when they lived in the country, perhaps (or at least lived at a slower pace).

The farm work will have to go on and the guests will simply become part of the scene, helping when they want to, learning, observing and appreciating. Don't hesitate to ask them to get involved ... usually they're eager for the chance. They might especially enjoy projects which include a number of people: adults and children of both sexes. City families don't often have the opportunity of working together.

If you've been a country dweller for a long time, you've probably started to take many aspects of your life for granted ... little events such as smelling your own narcissus as you step out the back door, or walking barefoot to the garden and carrying freshly ripened tomatoes in to the table for a meal. These simple rituals which comprise your daily existence offer absolute delight to a city-bound person, and it's just such ordinary pleasures that your urban cousin wants to share.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print