What a great article. When I retired - I got chickens, increased my gardening, do genealogy & handwriting analysis, and teach gardening all year long. It is a great way to live and ignore people who think life is other than that. Las Vegas Nevada In a message dated 1/9/2010 5:46:11 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, cepage1@verizon.neet writes: Hi Madison County List, Your friend, Charles Page, has recommended this article entitled 'City Slicker: Getting Back to Basics' to you. Here is his/her remarks: She apparently moved to Madison County and will tell more in future columns City Slicker: Getting Back to Basics Posted By martha On December 31, 2009 (8:00 am) In Agriculture, Art & Culture, Front Page, Fun & Recreation, Opinion-Editorial By Linda J. Haley Online definitions of a “city slicker” differ: someone who lives and works in a city, one accustomed to a city or urban lifestyle or unsuited to life in the country, or a city-dweller regarded by rural people as a smooth, tricky person. Well, I do live, work and am accustomed to urban life, but am far from smooth or tricky. My reason for choosing the column title was a reference to the 1991 comedy of the same name starring Billy Crystal as “Mitch,” a man who has just turned 39 years old, and is thick in the middle of a midlife crisis. I, too, experienced a midlife crisis of sorts upon turning 39, and much like Mitch set off to discover what would bring me happiness. A therapist friend asked me, “When was the last time you were really happy? In the moment, not a care in the world, and fully enjoying yourself?” It took some thought and a serious amount of reflection – I recommend it to everyone who isn’t where they thought they’d be or is just plain unhappy. It’s a hugely revealing exercise to say the least! Where did my search take me? Back to my childhood friend Angie Martinez’s barn when I was 14 years old and helping her groom her horse, Tigger, for yet another horse show. Her mom, whom I adored, whisked us out to this magical place of fly spray, brushes, flax oil, and that unique warm and earthy smell of horses. Huge animals, with eyes the size of cue balls that kindly shared their space, patiently put up with young girls fussing over them and braiding pretty ribbons into their manes. I was completely enamored and terrified at the same time, and Angie was unaffected. To a country girl, it was no big deal, but to me? Utopia. Alas, it was short-lived. Angie’s parents sold their house and moved away a short year later, and that was my last exposure to equine paradise. Twenty-five years later, not knowing if I was nuts or had a moment of clarity, I began my journey to my happy place by getting back to horses. This journey helped me to discover way more than I ever knew about myself and what really makes me happy. That’s what this column will be: a sharing of my experiences as this city slicker stumbles her way around the foreign lands of rural life. It’s about horses, small towns, the truly great outdoors, fantastic people and places and the endless lessons along the way – all of which are found in abundance in Madison County. I look forward to sharing the people, places and lessons I find with Madison County Courier readers. Speaking of sharing, I would love reader input and invitations to experience more. The never-ending learning is the best part of this journey. I am interested in all things nature-based and back to the land: horses, homesteading, farming, ranching, green technology, outdoor activities, raising livestock, survival training, etc. It seems to me, everything old is new again, including me. Linda J. Haley of Syracuse is a nine-to-five urban professional sharing the joys of rural living she finds in her off-time. She can be reached at linda@m3pmedia.com. Article taken from Madison County Courier-Madison County News - http://www.madisoncountycourier.com URL to article: http://www.madisoncountycourier.com/agriculture/city-slicker-getting-back-to-basics-9333/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NYMADISO-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message