COUNTRY LIVING

Terri has been enjoying her home in the country for 3 1/2 years now. I love to see her race around the yard, enjoying the freedom of all that space. Herding dogs need room to stretch their legs and half an acre is as much as I care to mow -- any more and I'd want a little goat to keep the grass short.

It's funny how my attitude has changed over time. When I first moved to Orleans after living in areas closer to downtown Ottawa, it felt too "remote". I felt I was out in the middle of nowhere. That idea changed when I quickly learned to appreciate the 5 minute walk to acres of unused grass & woods for my Labrador retriever to romp in. During the years in Orleans, those acres provided many hours of quiet enjoyment for both of us.

Chimo died in 2005 when Terri was 9 months old. Around this time, the grassy acres I had delighted in started to be built up. There would be no romping room there for Terri. While some people were enjoying the proximity of the big box stores, I felt hemmed in.

By 2007 it was definitely time to move to a quieter, more relaxing neighbourhood. I found just the kind of place I wanted: not too far from civilization (shops) with neighbours neither too close nor too far away and with active farms in view instead of construction sites. It was the right move at the right time.