When my wife and I moved to Buckland 10 years ago my new neighbors threw us a party. I don’t want to take too much credit for that. These people liked to get together, and one excuse was as good as another. It was before the pandemic when social distancing wasn’t a thing yet. But it was the only time in my career that housewarming party actually greeted us and was hosted by someone else.
That’s just one of the things about living in the hilltowns that stands out for me. The sense of community, the contra dances, the farmers market all combined with echoes of a counter-cultural past made me feel right at home. As someone who had previously lived the post-hippie lifestyle in Eugene, Oregon I felt that I had landed among kindred spirits.
One of the advantages of living in an area with zero population growth is that it is relatively easy to participate in community affairs. One of the underappreciated examples of American democracy is that in a rural area most of what passes as government activity is performed by volunteers, whether elected or appointed. That made it accessible for a refugee from the suburbs like me to work on the School Committee, the Historic Commission, and the Historical Society. For that I am grateful to my colleagues and the people we served.
People out here take the Right to Farm very seriously. And while my farming endeavors never moved much beyond my backyard garden, I enjoyed being a neighbor to all manner of agricultural activity. My dog, a Jack Russell terrier named Mr. Finnegan, came from a farm just up the hill.
When I retired, I dreamed of living next to a National Park somewhere out west. That never happened. But I found an infinite variety of hills, streams, and lakes to indulge my wilderness fantasies right at my doorstep. I couldn’t have been happier!
But the years spin by and now we find ourselves on the brink of moving to a town that hosts one of the Five (soon to be Four) Colleges. My wife and I will have a new adventure aging in place surrounded by the resources of an academic environment.
All I can say to my acquaintances in the hilltowns is “thank you.” It has been my pleasure to live amongst you. I hope that I have contributed in some small way to the community that you call home.
David Parrella lives in Buckland.