Christmas Eve day spent...Out on the Family Farm

Well...there was cotton out here...Lachlan in the family farm's fields

Like many folks out there on Christmas Eve day, James and I spent it traveling. Planes, trains, boats and automobiles... hopefully we all got to where we wish to be this evening and are enjoying being with our family and friends for the holidays.

For James and I today with leaving the SC coastal region behind to drive ourselves up to North Carolina, our road trip this a' way requires the usual stopping by his family farm which lies between Sumter and Florence, South Carolina. We found ourselves taking a nice walking break, from all of the driving , sauntering along the edges of cotton fields. Row after row after row with just pine tree lines completing the horizon line between fields and the wide sky above them.

This farm has been in his family since f.o.r.e.v.e.r.......like circa 1700's forever...........

James has been trying to convince me for years to move out there and us build a classic South Carolinian farmhouse within the pecan tree grove area that is in between some of the fields. You know the style: wide porches all-around, tall windows, a central hallway running from the front door all the way to the back door, several fireplaces and plenty of spaces for people to gather or for an individual to enjoy a quiet moment within as in a sun room, window seats, small library and such. His Great Aunt's house was like this and we were sorry to see it go out of the family.

Hmmm....throw in an English glass n' wrought-iron conservatory, monogrammed gardening tools, someone to help me with the heaviest n' hardest of digging 'round the dirt and I may finally be convinced ;) But that's a big hmmmmm

Thinking further upon this "possible in the future" lifestyle change-up, I've come up with my own Top Ten listing about what I call Our Family Farm Fantasy:

• Expansion of one's Hunter boots "Wellies" collection would never be questioned as purely a "want"...on the farm, they're definitely a need


• Gardening tools and supplies have become so darn cute and can be monogrammed


• More fresh vegetables and flowers for the cutting than we could possibly use n' give away


• Complete privacy: 24/7 and 365 days a year out there


• No makeup, hair in a bandanna, no fuss getting ready each morning- could get used to that


• Pecans, pecans and more pecans...


• Truly living a simplified, off the land self-sufficient kind of life


• Oodles of time for my writing and also USC isn't too far for the future PhD pursuit


• Carrying on the tradition of family members living out on the road named after them


• James would be happy- I kinda' think this would be reason #1 but of course ;)

Things I would miss by being on the farm would take up another listing and may take up more than ten points bien sur! Best of all worlds would be for James and I to have two places and go in between them: one on the farm and one out on the island.... we'll see what happens.

Until then, we'll keep enjoying walking along the farm's fields and woods with one another........