I like the way the word sounds when the British say it. The word is "Recluse". We Americans say "Ree-cloose" and the Brits say "Rec-cloose". Whatever it is, however it is said, that is who, or rather what, I am turning into. Laura and I moved into our house just about five months ago, and I can count on one closed fist just how many times I've driven back into the city, or for that matter, how many times I've left the boundaries of my small town. I do not go anywhere.
I should add that when we lived in the big city, I would put maybe 30 to 40 miles per month on my car. I still didn't really go anywhere, but just getting to the regular places one must go to took longer. The city was bigger, there were more stops, and frankly, more people, and after being out for an hour or so, we both (Laura and I) have had just about all the public we can take. We head home, I park the car, we go inside, and we open the doors to let the dogs in or out. I will go out to feed the birds every day - I do that.
Laura treks to the end of the drive to fetch the mail. She hangs out in the "back 40" with the horses, too. I walk the acres. I like the quiet, and I really like that there aren't any neighbors to speak of. We can see them. They're about 500 yards to the south. The people who used to live next to us are not only selling their place, they're razing it and selling the land to someone, I think. I don't know exactly what they're doing, but it may be worth looking into. It's another 1.7 acres that could be grazed on by a few horses, I think Laura's thinking of adding to her stables.
I drove into Oklahoma City five months back - it was Thanksgiving Day. I went all the way into the closest point possible - maybe one, three miles past the county line. I had lunch and hit the road hard again, making it back to my cubby hole. I mean, it's a real house, but it's where we like to hide from the world now. We don't go out much, and we don't care that we don't. When Jeannie comes over to see me, we'll hit up the big sidewalks of downtown El Reno. We'll shop and window-shop. We eat out, we walk around, and stuff - when Buc-ees comes to town, I'll venture that far. (It's literally going to be 2 miles from my house)
I have the Progressive app on my phone that gives me a discount for driving safely. They routinely text me to say I haven't driven enough to get a discount. They still have to give it to me. I put 17-22 miles a month on the car. If I had to, I'd make another trip to Tractor Supply just to keep the discount. It's 15% - I like that. I can be persuaded to hang out at the country store for a 15% discount on my already low insurance premium. Being an old gramma and driving like an old gramma has its advantages!
Since I work and write from home, I really don't have to go anywhere other than the store to get food and whatnot. Amazon delivers all of my paper products and, really, anything else I may need. If being a recluse is a bad thing, I could sell the T-shirt and make a little money. What makes me laugh is when I tell people I live in El Reno and they say something like "Oh my gosh, why? There's literally nothing to do out that way." Well, yeah, that's the point! I haven't gone to the casino yet - Jeannie and I may have to do that. It's not hard to be a shut-in -- I prefer it to getting dressed and wearing makeup (and God forbid, I should ever feel the need to shave).
Home is where the heart is - and I guess Laura and I really love our place. We do. We thank God for it all the time. We aren't impossible. We don't mind visitors. We have Jeannie! We also have raccoons, foxes, birds, stray cats, and even cats that live in actual houses that sometimes like to wander by our place and check out the food Laura puts out for their counterparts. We love visitors. We're a friendly lot.
Photo Credit: Pinterest
No comments:
Post a Comment