World Community Cookbooks

Sound like good books. We have many Mennonites around these parts.

You mentioned that you are a rural wife. I am too! What kind of life to you have?

I live in one of the largest counties (geographically) in California that also happens to be one of the smallest--if not THE smallest--population-wise. I think there's about 14,000 people in the county. Most of the county is wilderness, and hardly any of it is flat--mountains take up most of the space. The population sign at the edge of my town reads 200, but it's more like 50 in the wintertime. The next town, which happens to be the largest in the county, is 45 minutes away, down an incredibly winding road. Its population is a whopping 3,500. There's exactly one store in my town--it's the all-purpose gas station, grocery, gift shop, propane place, etc., so most of us must do our shopping either at the town 45 minutes away, but usually big shopping trips are done at the town that's one and a half hours away. There aren't any cell phone towers, and hence, no cell phones.

It is a lonely life up here; most of the people in town are retired, and my husband and I have no friends our age up here. Days go by where I don't speak to anyone but my husband and 6 month old baby, not because I don't go out, but because when I do go out, I don't happen to see anyone else outside. I've never been so isolated. In fact, I lived in a high rise apartment building in Chicago before moving here. I miss feeling like there's lots of people busy living around me. I miss seeing people go off to work in the morning. I miss being able to go places--having a baby doesn't tie me down so much as not having any place to go does!

It is a lonely life but in many ways it is a good life. It is not a life that I expect to have for much longer; my husband and I plan to move in the near future. It is a good life because, up here, for the first time, I have truly begun to love simplicity. I have learned to savor the pleasure of a sunny day. I have learned to work with the soil. I have learned the simple household skills that are forgotten in most of our country: how to preserve foods, how to bake bread. Outings to restaurants and movies have become special occasions to me in a way that they can't be for most people, because most people can go out to eat or to a movie whenever they want.

Emily Dickinson said, sweetest nectar requires sorest need. I'm not sure what the opposite of "jaded" is, but I guess I might say that I've become "unjaded" here. The joy of sharing a meal with friends, the joy of picking fruits from my own trees, the joy of hanging the wash out to dry in the hot sun, the joy of seeing the new fawns in springtime--these are things I would have either not noticed or not cared about five years ago. I am often lonely, but I think I'm also more alive.

I would be so interested in hearing what other rural women think and feel about their lives.

But I do like the More-With-Less cookbook a lot! I haven't seen the others.

I will have to check these out. I grew up in South Dakota, and only now are we getting an Indian restaurant and "Middle Eastern" restaurant in my home town. I do love to tell the story of how our church sponsored Vietnamese refugees to come to town, and one of the families became a regular part of our Thanksgiving dinner, including the wonderful egg rolls they made. My hillbilly grandpa (from Georgia) had never had anything like them, but he loved them and they quickly became part of our tradition!

I'm not rural -- the rattlers alone would prevent that! -- but I'm still a Midwestern girl who loves to get out into that "big sky" on the plains!

Shaun
www.homeschoolblogger.com/shaunms

I love the More with Less cookbook! Pakistani Kima is a favourite in my house

I live on a dirt road (well, a mud road right now) and our house sits on the edge of an 80 acre meadow. We just recently got a neighboring house we can see, but it's two acres away. We are in the edge of a woods and it's just so, so, so beautiful.

I grew up in Phoenix, and I am thrilled my children are being raised here. My almost 16 year old son hates it though, because everyone knows him, so everyone can tattle on him!

Our little village 3.5 miles away, and the town part I live in, have a combined population of just over 2,000 people. The elementary school has 200+ kids, and the nearest "big city" is 60 miles away and has a population of 30,000 or so. Actually, Montreal is the closest big city, and Boston is next.

We do live a fairly simple and quiet life. We are too far out for cable TV and choose not to have a dish, so we watch almost no television. We have dial-up internet at home, which is so slow it precludes much online time. The kids play sports (ballet for DD5)and the older two participate in a community service youth group. DS14 also does scouts, so that is the bulk of our free time. We own a farm machinery repair shop, and I work here and homeschool our daughter.

This morning I went for a run up the dirt road. The sun was just coming uo over the mountains, and the birds were singing a magnificent song. It was so beatiful and peaceful. And a car never passed me in 5 miles.

I love living in the middle of nowhere. I'm not sure how I'd feel being as isolated as it sounds you are, but I'm very happy existing in this little, quiet, beatiful corner of the world.