Ohio - The Last Frontier!

Ok, well Ohio may not feel like the Last Frontier in the majority of the state, but where my Mom lives, its kindof like Little House On The Prairie!  My mom admittedly lives a very pioneer-like lifestyle.  She rarely complains about the long-hand ways she has to do short-hand tasks.  I know she secretly likes it, living like a woodsman! 

Here are some pics of my recent holiday visit to the Ole Town of Peebles Ohio in Adams County Ohio, where I lived for about 2.5 years and where my Mom still resides today.

This is the 100+ year old farm house my calls home.

We moved to Ohio at the beginning of my sophomore year of high school.  She moved me and my younger brother & sister and older sister (who was pregnant at the time) there for a simpler life from Owings Mills, Maryland which is a suburb near Baltimore.  We were already livin' country back in Maryland with a small plot of land and some chickens, and goats and other critters.  I once overheard someone more hoity tioty refer to our family as the Owings Mills Hillbillies...which was embarrassing to a young teen but pretty much true!   

The ol' garage/ work shop

Despite our semi hillbilly status back in MD, we were not prepared for the real deal in Ohio.  It was to say the least, a culture shock.  Our "unconventional" family of vegetarian hippy dippy wierdos with my single mother and single mom-to-be sister wasn't readily accepted in the bible thumpin' community.

  The "Big Barn" where my mom's chickens currently reside for winter

I had to go from a semi-urban environment to a severely rednecky one.  I was constantly defending my "liberal" views to the townies on topics like racism, sexism, homophobia and probably the hardest to accept...vegetarianism!  Let me just say after my high school education was up, I moved right out to California where my dad lived.  I have been living here happily ever since!

But enough about me, here is my Tough as Nails Mom!

  She is filling water jugs at a natural spring that is open to the public on a beautiful old farm.  She doesn't have county water on her farm, instead needing to rely on well water.  Unfortunately, her wells are sporadic at best, even the one we had drilled during my life there.  She has to have a water truck deliver water to a holding tank under her house.  She uses that water for everything but drinking & cooking.  She gets this super tasty and ice cold spring water for that.  (the water runs constantly into the basin from a clean spout, don't worry she's not drinking algae!)  Surprisingly after 15 years of residence there, the county is finally running water up to my Mom's farm and she will be able to use as much as she likes without the worry of running out. Yay!

Here is the spooky old farmhouse on the spring-water farm.  I don't think it is occupied by people, but there may be a few ghosts floating around in there!

This is the field across from the spring.  My mom said a few years ago there were some unexplained crop circles in that field.  She calls the spring the "Alien Watering Hole" because of this.  It could have been some bored farm boys or...who knows!  The historical enigma known as Serpent Mound is just over the hill though..some say it was built by Aliens, not Indians!

After the watering hole my Mom drove me into town and past my old High School which was..hilariously...demolished!  Now a vacant field stands in its place.  Dreams do come true!  The water tower across the street is still there though!

I bet those folks have county water!

  I saw this water tower everyday from the now long gone old high school building.

 The other place I spent a lot of time is the laundry mat in town since we couldn't do laundry at home what with the water rationing and all!  We stopped in on my visit this year and lo and behold, the awesome fiberglass tables and chairs were still there!

I got some funny looks from the people doing laundry for taking pics of these and squealing with delight when I saw them again!   Oh man, what I would give to get those back to California!  So funny that these once commonplace tables and chairs are so desirable these days and here they are...still in service!  I told my mom if those EVER end up on the curb to grab em all and throw em in the barn for me!

 

I wish I could say I took pics of my sister's awesome Victorian home in Chillicothe, OH on this trip but alas, shortly after these pics I ran outta juice in the ol' digital camera.  I did however get some shots of my Mom's homemade dollhouse that I'll share tomorrow.  It was wonderful to visit the family and the farm and scraggly Ol' Peebles Ohio which is still clinging to the map.... for at least another year!  

It is also very good to be back home to my own life too ;-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!