As I sit in my 'reading room', enjoying the peace & quiet, after the kids have gone to bed of course, I look to the south and can see the distant green of the western edge of the Cypress Hills. Occasionally a couple of deer or a lone antelope venture into sight as they feed on the brown grass that has finally seen rain which has been 3 months over due.
A short while later the night is pitch black, or like the other night when the full moon was high in the sky everything is alight with a blue-grey wash of light giving everything an eiry look to it. When I turn to look to the north the horizon appears to be on fire as the lights Medicine Hat line the distant hillsides.
The next morning I sit at the kitchen table and watch the brightly lit semi trucks as they slowly and silently make their way down the highway and disappear over a distant hill-side. When I walk out the front door to head off to work the wind howls through the eaves, a chorus of coyotes yipe and howl in the distance and than fade once again to the sound of the wind, which seems to blow quit often here on the ridge.
As I drive down the road a white-tail buck crosses the road and hops the barbed wire fence along the roadside and disappears in the prairie darkness. My headlights sweep across the prairie as I turn the corner and head down off the ridge, a faint glow is in the eastern sky and the horizon is starting to brighten as the sun begins to rise, a few minutes later all is lost as I enter the bright lights of the city. My enthusiasm for the day ahead disappears as I stop for that first traffic light and listen to the sounds of the hustle & bustle of the city; I can't wait until I get to the end of the day and the drive home...
On the way home I hit the brakes hard as a heard of antelope cross the road in front of me and than watch as they stop and begin feeding in a lush green alfalfa field, the lone buck looks from his heram of does and watches as my car sputters by.
As I make the ascent to the ridge a rattle snake quickly disappears into the tall grass, disappointed it has to leave the still warm asphalt for the cool grass. When I take the curve and the final push for home a tall jack rabbit crosses the road in leaps and bounds and disappears in the sage like it was being chased.
Finally I pull into the drive, the house is lit up, the kids greet me at the door with stories of their day at school, songs to sing and hugs & kisses all around. Carolyn peeks out from the kitchen and flashes me a smile as she finishes cleaning up after the dinner mess.
An hour or two passes and once again all is quiet except for the sound of the wind and Erinn snoring down the hall. I light some candles, turn out the kitchen light, grab a book and settle into my reading chair. Carolyn cuddles in beside me and we both enjoy the peace & quiet of our new country life, of which I know we will find very difficult to ever give up!
I truly feel sorry for all you city dwellers! We were in Calgary this past weekend for my CPS 10 year class reunion, which was a friends house in Crestmont. I almost felt claustrophobic with the houses so close together, the postage stamp sized backyards and the ability to look into all the neighbouring houses from our friend's back deck. There is no way I could handle having to live in the city again!
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