Rural Inspiration

In my last post I mentioned how, when I'm longing for change, I sometimes allow myself to indulge in the guilty pleasure of browsing the MLS real estate site and dreaming of the perfect house in a country setting. Such was the impetus for a beautiful drive in the country this past Friday (Canada Day).

We left early in the morning and meandered along tranquil back roads allowing ourselves to stop and take photos, admire quaint villages, century old farmhouses and breathtaking scenery. We imagined our lives cut and pasted into various country homes with huge wrap-around verandahs or living in the converted school house we saw which sits atop a hill overlooking a neighbouring farm with horses. Perhaps this is my grown-up version of make-believe. It's free, fun and allows my imagination to soar.


I noticed yet another (!) funny thing about myself. There was a home that we'd seen listed on the MLS that we wanted to check out. I was actually quite excited to see what it looked like, having been very impressed with the on-line photos. When we arrived we noticed that it had recently been sold. I also knew immediately that this wasn't a house that would have interested me at all. It sat at a busy intersection, it was too close to the road, there was no privacy on the property and it was in need of more TLC than I would want to give. Yet, (and here is where I begin to wonder about myself) I felt disappointed. Why? My best guess is that it was fun to pretend and play "what if" but the fact that it wasn't available brought my game of make-believe to a grinding halt.

Former Milk House

We continued on through Ormstown and came upon a small bridge barricaded to traffic. We parked and walked over it, stopping to watch the water gushing below. Continuing down the road we noticed one of the most beautiful properties we've ever seen, a large two-storey stone house overlooking the river. The grounds were beautifully kept and several small out-buildings sat on the sprawling property. The owners happened to be working outside and they very graciously gave us a mini-tour of the grounds, the old stone milk-house, a log cabin, the oldest silo in Quebec (!) plus an impressive array of gardens and stone walkways leading down to the river. The setting was simply beautiful and completely inspiring. The couple themselves, Lindsay and  Jean, seemed so well matched to this elegant country home: attractive, gracious, easy to chat with. What I found completely fascinating was that Lindsay had long wanted to live in this exact house and when it became available, they were able to purchase it. Walking back over the bridge to our car, I felt quietly content or comforted somehow that this lovely couple had actualized their dream of country living.

Oldest Silo in Quebec

Manicured Grounds Overlooking the River

Old Log House (logs are visible on the interior)

This week I find myself returning to thoughts of how people design lives that are authentic, turn day dreams into reality and achieve goals that are meaningful to them. That's fodder for another post. My closing thought for today is to encourage you to find yourself a little bit of country road to explore and by all means stop and say hello to those whom you meet along the way, you too may find some rural inspiration!

Thank you for taking time today to visit My Turquoise Kettle Life.

Have an inspiring day,

Sandra