Town and Country

Five years ago my husband Houston and I lived on Main Street in downtown Dallas. We had been looking for property to build a retreat for artists, other guests and ourselves when we found the land in Navarro County that we now own.

A year later our daughter Emilie planted the first garden at Purdon Groves and a few months later we purchased 16 hydroponic towers, all while we continued to commute. We moved to a loft at the Dallas Farmer’s Market (DFM), wanting to establish a relationship with the folks who owned the bustling market. Before we had any produce, the market manager let Emilie and me sell sprigs of mistletoe harvested from trees on our property. As produce began to grow, we had a weekly stand and got to know some of the other vendors, like the Proper British Baking Company, Bonton Farms and others. It was a fun time to be at the DFM.

The next year we made the move to Navarro County. There were a lot of things we took into consideration as we thought about where we’d live - either in downtown Corsicana or in a tiny home or RV on our farm. There were pros and cons to each decision. In the end, we decided to rent a loft on Beaton Street.

Even though it came at a financial sacrifice to live in town, we knew for us it was the best decision at the time. As a writer, I’d still be able to walk to a local coffee shop to work. It also gave us a chance to become involved in the community. We’ve been here for almost three years now and we’ve loved it. Making new friends and serving on boards has allowed us to feel very much a part of downtown life. We even got used to quiet Sunday afternoons, taking the time to reset for the week ahead.

Now we’re in decision mode again. This time, we’re going to go tiny and move onto our property. As I look back on our years of town life, I’m thinking of things I’ll miss about living on our brick streets:

Writing and grabbing coffee at Mita’s every week

Running into neighbors when walking our dogs

Dining with friends on the spur of the moment

Working at the farm/relaxing at home balance

There are some aspects of living on our property that I’m looking forward to though:

Waking up and being “at work”

Pacing myself - working a little at a time

Waking up to a beautiful sunrise and the sounds of the animals

Welcoming guests when they arrive

Watching our “home” dogs run and play off leash

Cleaning/organizing our glamping tents/glamping operation

Responding promptly when emergencies occur

The past three years have been a good transition for us from living in the city to a small town and now to the country. I can appreciate aspects of each lifestyle and am grateful I’ve had the opportunity to experience all three.

This piece first appeared in Sherry’s column, Finding Myself in a Small Town, in the Live News site of the Corsicana Daily Sun, on May 28, 2022.