Topic: country life

Sweet Home Indiana: Locavore’s Paradise

For some reason, I never got to the farmers’ market as often as I would have liked to when I was in Washington, D.C. or New York City, though I lived less than a mile from Eastern Market in Capitol Hill, and likewise for the McCarren Park farmer’s market in Brooklyn. Maybe I was too busy recovering from the night before to make it in time. Maybe it just never seemed imperative, surrounded as I was by supermarkets and grocery delivery services. Since moving to Indiana, though, I’ve been hitting the farmers’ market twice a week. More »

Sweet Home Indiana: In Pursuit Of Health And Happiness In The Midwest

At about age seven, my favorite movie was Baby Boom, featuring Diane Keaton as a fancy New York City businesswoman who inherited a distant relative’s daughter, moved to the ‘country’ (well, Connecticut) and learned to can applesauce. I’ve never quite approached fancy businesswoman status, and I’ve yet to can anything, but last week I moved to Lafayette, Indiana, after years of living and working on the east coast, and I can’t help thinking that seven-year-old-me would approve. The so-called good life is bound to be easier here, with no dirty subways, crowded commutes, tiny railroad apartments or exorbitant rents, right? Or will I perish for lack of constant movement, new faces and ample vegetarian restaurants? I suppose I’m about to find out. More »

City Mouse Vs. Country Mouse: The City Really Can Change Your Brain

So you’re living in NYC, and you just can’t understand why your friends visiting from rural Ohio seem so overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the place. Or maybe you’re living the good life in small town, U.S.A., and you wish your city friends who came to visit could just chill out and relax for 97 seconds. Are these sort of differences between city and country temperaments all in your head? Well, yes — but that doesn’t mean you’re making them up: It turns out urban brains really do behave differently from rural ones. More »

How is a hay field like a basket of fleece?

Today was one of those days that are full of seemingly small pleasures that are actually the source of great happiness. For instance… part of our daily ritual is to take a mid-morning break to walk our two beloved dogs: … More »