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Working Life - Masako's New York

Natural beauties of upstate New York

By Masako Yamada


ニューヨーク州北部の田園風景

雅子さんの住まいは郊外にあります。郊外といっても、団地やショッピングセンターが建ち並んでいるので、田舎というわけではありません。しかし、バーモント州との州境まで数十キロ車を走らせると、のどかな田園風景が広がります。雅子さんは先日、3連休を利用してドライブに出かけ、田舎ですごす時間を楽しみました。

ゆるやかに起伏した丘に点在する干草の塊。ロールケーキのような形で、なんだかおいしそう?!
I live in a suburban neighborhood a little over a mile (1.6 km) from my workplace. There are many apartment complexes and shopping centers in the area, and I wouldn't exactly call it the countryside. Even people who live in single-family homes tend to have plots that are less than an acre (4,046 u) in area - often much less than an acre - and although one family down the street from me keeps one or two horses in the backyard, they don't seem to be farm animals. They look like pets.

Drive 30 miles (48 km) out, and the story changes completely. I recently spent a three-day weekend exploring the area, and I was enchanted by the beautiful scenery. My part of New York borders Vermont (from the French for "green mountains") and is quite agricultural.

牛のいる風景
Among the rolling green hills, I saw many red barns with cows lazing outside. I saw haystacks with my own eyes for the first time and it's difficult to explain the beauty of huge haystacks dotting large green fields. These haystacks aren't pyramid-shaped, as you often see in paintings, but they are neatly rolled, like a sleeping bag or Swiss roll. They are just piles of dead grass, I know, but they seem both calm and powerful.

But there's more than the scenery that's tempting. Many roadside stands dot the roads, offering fresh produce. I went to a goat farm and bought some fresh, unpasteurized goat milk, as well as some goat cheese. I rummaged through a refrigerator inside a shed on the farm, picked what looked good, and left money in a jar on a table. Another refrigerator contained cuts of organic meats, and a wooden table displayed the fresh vegetable harvest for the day. All purchases are made on the honor system.

I also drove several miles up a winding path to reach a garlic farm; I took a pound (454 g) of garlic stems from the refrigerator and left my money in a box. The stand offered free Bibles. I suppose those Bibles helped serve as a deterrent against stealing. At a different farm stand, I bought fresh tomatoes and radishes. I saw many green fields of corn along the way; come corn-harvesting time, I know that sweet, fresh ears will be sold at these stands. I'm looking forward to it already.

For three nights, I stayed at a B&B on the border of New York and Vermont, less than an hour's drive from my apartment. The B&B used to be a farmhouse, and the barn was still in the backyard. The owners had chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep and a duck. They also had a cat and dog as pets. I had the pleasure of eating freshly laid eggs for breakfast. The yolks were almost orange.

When the goats have babies, they are milked. I asked the proprietress whether they use the wool from the sheep. She said they give the wool to a local woman in exchange for her giving the sheep their much-needed haircuts. When the time is right, the sheep are slaughtered for meat.

She told me that she and her husband are both originally from an industrial town in Massachusetts and that they had lived in New York City before moving upstate. Apparently, it's not uncommon for city folk to move upstate to pursue their dreams of living off the land. She seemed very happy to have made the move. She said that one of the best parts is that it's not too far away from the conveniences of a more urban lifestyle, but it feels like a completely different world.

I've never really thought of myself as a country person. I'm still frightened of all animals, including rabbits and birds. But more and more I'm starting to understand why people choose to accept huge lifestyle changes in order to live in upstate New York.



Shukan ST: Aug. 15, 2003

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