Technical Difficulties

One of the biggest adjustments to rural living so far has been the absence of the internet.  I am dealing with the critters and the physical labor just fine.  The adjustment to the lack internet is not going well.  Not at all.

We are outside of the city.  We are in the county.  We do not even have access to dial-up.  The 3G on our iPads is good for a quick internet fix but it can be as slow or slower in some instances than dial-up.  There are so many sites that I miss (craftgawker, pinterest, etsy, and just plain old surfing).  Most of the sites I miss are major time-sucking sites and I have been extremely productive for the last four months without them.  Still, I miss them.  Desperately.

In order for me to post to the blog I have to go into town and patronize a local establishment that offers free Wi-Fi.  Prior to today, I had been visiting the mexican restaurant next to library (which does not have Wi-Fi, shouldn't libraries offer Wi-Fi?).  Those of you that know me well can attest to the fact that me plus mexican restaurants (okay, margaritas) can sometimes equal disaster.  Yup, I am a fan of tequila.  Our move to a simpler lifestyle has also been a move toward drinking less.  A lot less.  Yet, I find myself ordering a margarita every time I sit down.  It reminds me of when I quit smoking.  The habit of buying a pack of cigarettes every time I stopped for gas was just as hard to break as the habit of smoking.  As I was driving into town this afternoon, I found myself chanting a mantra ::  "just water, just water, just water".  Then (seriously, for the first time) it occurred to me that there are other places to patronize!   So, today I am at Fleur de Lis Patisserie and Cafe enjoying a Oregon Chai and a super tasty apple cinnamon muffin.  Remove yourself from the temptation Fox!  Remove yourself!

So, back to the absence of the internet at home.  There are so many things that I want to write about

:: an introduction to the cast & crew here
:: a tour of the farm
:: projects past and present around the farm
:: all the sewing I have been doing
:: pinterest inspired projects that I finally have time for
:: the adventures of the mini socks (it is true, I have written a story about mini knit socks
   and the adventures they go on!)
:: my experiments in baking
:: and many, many more topics

but I am currently limited by my ability to motivate myself to go into town to spend a couple of hours starting various posts and uploading photos.  Often times I arrive in town only to realize that the I did not take the photos to accompany the post I wanted to write.  I have figured out how to post limited blogs from my iPad but I find the experience frustrating and the end result to be disappointing.

About a month or so ago, I made a call to dish satellite inquiring about their internet options.  It turns out that we can get satellite internet through them.  (Explaining repeatedly that I was only interested an internet package and not a television package is not a conversation I want to participate in again.  Sadly, I know later again today I will be having that conversation.  Again.  Internet only, please!)    We are going to give it a go and hopefully satellite internet will be a huge step up from the 3G on our iPads and I will not have to go into to town for my internet needs.

So, I leave you with the hope that the next time I post it will be from the comfort of my living room.

Cheers!