I've spent the past two plus years living in the cabin my husband and I bought for retirement. No, I haven't retired yet but I was craving the country life. He, however was not. So here I am. Living mostly alone. Learning about myself.

When I was little, I would dream about being "Heidi" you know, the little girl sent to the mountain to live with her shepherd grandfather.  The idea of living freely with nature so resonated with me. The fresh air, the gentle sheep.  In my dreams it was always sunny, the skies always blue.  I carried that dream, somewhere buried with me all my life. The dream, like most, didn't include dark winter days, blustery winds, and deluge rains. The dark times.

In these past few years I've discovered that there are never enough of the beautiful blue sky days, that the sunny days, when too hot can be as miserable as the dark, cold winter days; that some of my most joyful times actually stem from the darkness (though I usually don't see it until later).

The other day I was walking my dog and I noticed the street sign next to my property.  Of course I'd seen it before, but it dawned on me that it was a marker for the life we all live.  "Solitude Way." Most importantly the sign indicated the road was private.  Of course many may travel the same road but it is different for each person. The sign struck a cord with me, and so, this blog was born; Near Solitude.  It's where I live, but also where we each exist as we travel the journey called our life.