In honor of our newest release, Cowboy Desire, I thought I might share my top ten favorite parts of farm/country living. When I was little, I had the pleasure of living on a small farm out in the country. We were about 20 minutes from the city of Port Alberni. So in no particular order, I give you my top ten favorites:
- DARK
Currently I live in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. My street is lit up almost as bright as daylight at night. We can see stars, but no milky way, even meteors are hard to see. One of my favorite things to do was put down a blanket and just watch the sky, but it loses its magic in the city.
- QUIET
Cities are busy places, full of people, cars and activity. You don’t really get a moment’s peace unless you’re hidden out at home. Back when I was little, there was no internet, and we only had three television stations that I can remember…unless you had a satellite dish, then you could get more. More often than not, I was stuck with my own thoughts, which meant I had a lot of writing time.
- ANIMALS
My parents never had a big farm. We only had rabbits and chickens, but I loved my rabbits. We had Angora, Orange and Dutch rabbits. Did you know rabbits are trainable? Mine would go up the stairs if I patted the step and would come to me if I patted the ground. I still miss him. I tried buying rabbits so my own kids could have the experience, but, sadly, our rental suite doesn’t allow animals. We never had horses, but my neighbor did, and I enjoyed riding them. Almost broke my ribs, but that’s a story for another day.
There’s also never-ending wildlife. We even encountered a cougar once when we tried sleeping outside in a tent in our yard. They really do sound like people say they do, babies. We didn’t stay in the tent for long.
- THE VIEW
The air is so much clearer when you are surrounded by trees, and water and nature. The unbridled views of the mountains and waterfalls. No smog. No tall buildings to get in the way. You can sit on your porch and watch a beautiful sunset falling over the mountain. There is a purity there that’s untouched.
- HOMEGROWN FRESH FOOD
You can’t forget fresh garden vegetables. Tomatoes, carrots, potatoes. I’d say cucumbers, but I hate them. *lol* And then, you have fresh eggs and fresh meat. I never liked the killing part personally, but you really are self-sufficient when out on a farm. No one wants to make non-stop runs into the city.
- PURE WATER
Have you ever travelled between different places and noticed how the water tastes disgusting? Where we lived, we had fresh mountain water, some of the freshest around. There are some benefits to having a well and being away from factories that can pollute it.
- LESS SOLICITORS
People are less likely to come calling when you are hidden and out of the way. Some might be desperate, but most stick closer to home. Granted, soliciting happens more online now. You add someone to your friend’s list on social media and it comes with a request to buy whatever they are selling…unless it’s a book, I probably won’t be interested.
- RIDE-EM LAWN MOWERS
When you have an acreage, the last thing you wanna do is use a regular lawn mower. Before you learn to drive a car, you learn to drive the machinery that comes with a farm. I was never able to cut the lawn, but I was allowed to ride it around—oh, the power…*lol*
- TREE HOUSES
One of the best benefits of country living is that you’re surrounded by great big trees, branches so thick that they can hold the weight of a miniature house. We had a rope with knots tied in it which we would climb to the top. I don’t think I’d ever make it up the rope these days, but I really loved climbing trees back in the day when my body worked properly.
- COWBOYS
Men in those tight jeans, with their long sleeve shirts rolled up to the elbow. Their faces holding that 5 o’clock shadow because they are busy keeping the farm running. Men who could grace the cover of a magazine, but are hidden away in the country. Are you ready to meet a few, or a cowgirl perhaps? If you don’t live on a farm, I hope you’ll dream with us between the covers of Cowboy Desire.
Cowboy Desire is an eclectic assortment of short stories.
It includes contemporary, historical, fantasy, and even outer space romance, Cowboy Desire offers fourteen stunning short stories. These fourteen authors provide a range of sweet to sexy stories all with a Western cowboy theme. They feature strong men and women battling the weather and dangerous terrain, here on earth and in outer space.
The collection is as diverse as the authors who wrote them. Here’s a chance to discover new talented authors and the characters they create. Within these pages, there are blends of tender, often moving, thought-provoking and downright sexy stories.
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Patricia Elliott 