Firsthand Reports from the Field: Discover the Peace of a Country Life

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The old-fashioned tools, lanterns, routines and daily habits of the family were all a pan of the puzzle I struggled to piece together. The crude machines used in everyday life here were puzzling, frustrating and interesting all at the same time. I didn't know my way around very well, and was rummaging through the tool shed one morning looking for a shovel. The dim light pulled color from any familiar shapes; my fingers meandered around, finally landing upon something in a dark corner that felt like a shovel handle. When I drew the shovel into the light, to my disappointment, I realized that it wasn't a shov el at all. There was no spade at the end of this handle, just a jagged row of teeth staggered along each side of a 2-inch-wide, 12-inch-long metal blade. Its purpose was simple, though at the time I was somewhat irritated with my seemingly never-ending ignorance of tools. It was a weed-whacker, frilly functioning (despite its obvious age). I weed-whacked that yard until it was completely whacked naked! It was delightfully fun, giving me such a proud feeling that I had accomplished something that day. No electricity? Who needs it! Tomorrow another discovery is waiting for me outside.

But the glimmer of the new adventure began to fade as I became more familiar with the house and its tools. I found myself missing things from time to time: a toaster, microwave, vacuum, washer/dryer, and definitely the instant and magical luminescence of flicking on a light switch. Really, I only missed practical appliances; I never have missed television, computers or video games. Possibly I never lamented the lack of electronic entertainment because being outside was much more interesting. There, I absorbed energy from the movement of the forest around me, which gave me an amazing feeling of peace and purpose. Alone with the trees, I never felt more alive. The nature that surrounded me improved my mood and outlook on life.

I experience more nature in one week than most people experience in a year. It was only yesterday my mother and I were having a bubbly conversation alongside our shed under the shade of a few oak saplings. Suddenly our conversation came to an abrupt halt, our breath caught in our throats and our mouths hung open with astonishment.

The forest around me... gave me an amazing feeling of peace and purpose.

She landed only a few short feet away; her beautiful feathers danced with flecks of light filtering through the leaves above. Her entrance hadn't been subtle, but very friendly. The partridge stretched her feathered body up and she held us in her confident gaze. I almost expected her to speak. It was as if she had wanted to join in on the conversation, her little partridge sounds an attempt to communicate. After a few long minutes she flew off, leaving my mother and me both grateful and excited. The visit from the partridge was such a gift; many people never are privileged to see such a sight. Here, though, we live right in the heart of such magic and witness endless wonders.

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