A few friends have mentioned over the last couple of years how “difficult” or “harsh” my living conditions out here at the tree farm seem, and I can see their point! No bathroom or running water in the camper van, a cobbled-together heating system in the winter (though it DOES work really well, it just needs a lot of babying), etc etc. I even got told “jesus, you are a cavewoman”, lmao!!
It’s had me reflecting a lot over the last couple of weeks about the differences between my life Then, back in Liverpool UK, and my life Now, here at the tree farm in Thornville Ohio.
1) Then: Being woken by the sounds of my neighbour in the apartment below me retching and groaning and turkeying because he hadn’t been out shoplifting yet for cash for his breakfast heroin fix. That, or the sound of him beating up his girlfriend because she’d woken before him, found the little stash he’d hidden away for his breakfast fix, and taken it herself.
Now: Waking up to birds singing, and occasionally Junior meowing on the doorstep outside because he thinks I’ve had a long enough lie-in now, if I don’t mind, and he’s hungry. Thank you very much.
2) Then: Walking around the local streets and having to tiptoe around all the dog crap everywhere.
Now: I think I’ve forgotten what dog crap even looks like! I just have to watch for unwary toads after it’s rained.
3) Then: Night skies made a blur by the thousands of city lights.
Now: Night skies so crystal clear and full of stars that sometimes it’s like daylight at 3o’clock in the morning.
4) Then: Thinking “Moonshadow” was just a song by Cat Stevens.
Now: Discovering that they exist! And I actually have one of my own sometimes.
5) Then: Being constantly hemmed in by rows of brick and concrete houses, so close across the narrow road I couldn’t see sky out of my window.
Now: Being surrounded by 70 acres of woodland – as much space as I’ll ever need.
6) Then: Falling asleep to the sounds of cars racing by, fights in the street (or in the apartment below me), and windows being bricked on a regular basis – occasionally mine if the thrower was too wasted to remember which window belonged to my downstairs neighbour.
Now: I fall asleep to the gentle hum of the fan, or crickets chirruping away outside in the undergrowth.
7) Then: The constant fear of having my apartment broken into and burgled every week I worked night shifts, which was often.
Now: The safety of living in the middle of nowhere and going out for as long as I like and only shutting the door to keep Junior from sneaking in and raiding the fridge.
8) Then: Having a 20-year-long phobia of driving, and only using my licence for ID if I had a parcel to collect at the Post Office.
Now: The pure JOY of driving on the right (as in right hand side, and CORRECT!) side of the road and LOVING it!
9) Then: The total “blah”ness of English weather, with a couple of weeks of sunbathing around August if I was lucky.
Now: Experiencing full and proper seasons, from ice storms to heatwaves.
10) Getting together with the love of my life every six months or so, for not much more than 2 weeks at a time. For two years.
Now: Having him home every weekend (bar hiccups, lol!), and usually at least once overnight during the week.
A few friends have mentioned over the last couple of years how “difficult” or “harsh” my living conditions out here at the tree farm seem, and I can see their point! No bathroom or running water in the camper van, a cobbled-together heating system in the winter (though it DOES work really well, it just needs a lot of babying), etc etc. I even got told “jesus, you are a cavewoman”, lmao!!
It’s had me reflecting a lot over the last couple of weeks about the differences between my life Then, back in Liverpool UK, and my life Now, here at the tree farm in Thornville Ohio.1) Then: Being woken by the sounds of my neighbour in the apartment below me retching and groaning and turkeying because he hadn’t been out shoplifting yet for cash for his breakfast heroin fix. That, or the sound of him beating up his girlfriend because she’d woken before him, found the little stash he’d hidden away for his breakfast fix, and taken it herself.Now: Waking up to birds singing, and occasionally Junior meowing on the doorstep outside because he thinks I’ve had a long enough lie-in now, if I don’t mind, and he’s hungry. Thank you very much.
2) Then: Walking around the local streets and having to tiptoe around all the dog crap everywhere.Now: I think I’ve forgotten what dog crap even looks like! I just have to watch for unwary toads after it’s rained.3) Then: Night skies made a blur by the thousands of city lights.Now: Night skies so crystal clear and full of stars that sometimes it’s like daylight at 3o’clock in the morning.4) Then: Thinking “Moonshadow” was just a song by Cat Stevens.Now: Discovering that they exist! And I actually have one of my own sometimes.