"I can tell you this -- these women, this place, this *lifeline* have all been so important to me that I have no words to verbalize it. I belong, in some deep way in which I've always wanted to and never did. These womyn are the most wonderful, terrific womyn on the face of the earth. . . . "

Good idea in giving the hens the run of the vegetable garden and very sharing of you also I might add.  So glad to hear from a sister Canuk and to know that you are keeping well.    My work involves working towards adequate services and shelters for wommin in rural and isolated areas of the province through a provincial support group.  We never have any money to meet.  Most work is done through phone calls or letters as we are always looking for handouts.  We feel so isolated but continue the work across the limitations set before us.

This is really just an area where some houses and farms are. There is a gas station and a couple of country stores and of course the farm and feed store.  I have less than an acre with 5 chickens (my ladies) and flower gardens.

I have been a farm woman since I was young and plants are in my veins.  No matter where I live the farmer in me comes out loud and clear.  I own a 1948 Ford tractor which I bought at an auction where there wasn't another woman. That seems to sum up my life.  This list is made up of a wonderful group of women.  I've been on other lists but quit because there was no sense of niceness among the women.  This group is full of fascinating information about life.  I look forward to the posts when I get up in the morning.

My caregiving responsibilities keep me pretty isolated from the outside world.  Seems the only time I get out much any more is to do grocery shopping.  At times weeks will go by without seeing another soul outside of family members so being able to connect with everyone here on the Rural Womyn Zone list has been really wonderful.  This list has been a lifesaver for me.  It is comprised of some of the most loving and caring womyn I have had the good fortune of meeting.

Unlike many on the list, I am a single apartment dweller, living in what seems like a city, compared to the incredibly isolated areas where many on this list live. I have always been a rural woman, have always lived in small towns.  About three years ago, I co-founded a nonprofit that focuses on educational  programing around violence against womyn. In most of our work, we utilize interactive, educational theatre as a means to raise awareness of the dynamics of violence against women and to help people connect emotionally to the experience of rape victims and battered women, as well as to understand their roots in a sexist society. This has been hard work, requiring a great deal of patience and nurturing, but I am still very excited about it.  This is a wonderful group of womyn--so intelligent, creative, impassioned and supportive.

I am a rural outreach advocate for battered & sexually assaulted womyn and their children, thus am on the road a lot. I can't always respond to every post; but certainly do read each and every one and absorb all the knowledge of these brilliant wimmin!  I do hope you will like it here.  I love it.  There is such a wonderful sense of sisterhood/womynhood in this group.  I have had doors opened to knowledge in areas I was ignorant of, I have sat at my computer and laughed till I cried, and I have cried at the hurts these wimmin have had to endure. But, mostly, I gather strength, support, love and courage from them.  Living in a very rural, conservative, isolated and good ole boy area, this list has taken me to areas and topics I would never be able to experience. It is so good to get home at night and connect with my friends.

I look forward to these incredible words that we share. I have found much love and support here, through happy and troubled times, and have made the best of friends.

I really appreciate knowing that there are women who are facing the same issues. . .and it is incredibly comforting to know that I have a community of cool women in e-space.........

....the list helps me feel connected to other like-minded women.

We live in a chaotic house on a hill in rural county Galway on the Western Seaboard of Ireland surrounded by farmland, but we don't farm. I also own the old cottage which was the original house and is over a hundred years old and if I ever get my act together am going to convert it and add a new barn to make it livable and useable as Art studios for painting sculpture courses. That's my dream.  Do look at our photo album if nobody's told you to yet.

. . . it does get a little lonely sometimes without kindred spirits who share my concerns and experiences. ..

....most of my days were/are spent in isolation from people. . . because I would like to set example for other womyn. Because staying in touch with other rural womyn helps keep me motivated.

I am suddenly rural and a little at a loss.

.....a great place to question and learn. My group of feminist allies and friends (all three of us), in the redneck town, seems a bit small and limited at times.

I am supported in my life, by a diverse group of accomplished wimmin, who understand the obstacles with which I live.

We live in an ultra conservative area that likes to remind us that single mothers are the root of all evil.

I use the internet and specifically this list service to stay connected to others who seem to be on a journey similar to ours.

I find other women who understand  the contradictions and what it is like to live with them.

We are really a bunch of warm, loving, supportive and sometimes silly (funny) womyn...I've grown to love us all!

I am living on a small farm/market garden, and working on a dozen projects at any given time, and think I'm doing well if a couple of them are for pay.  There are 175 people in the village where we are located, and the *big town* that I get to maybe twice a year has a pop. of 5,500. Being and feeling politically isolated is a part of my daily life, so this list is essential to my mental health!

Geographical and cultural isolation makes this online community of women absolutely essential to me.  Without all of you, I would have to give up a house that I own free and clear and move away.

"We are an undervalued group, even by ourselves. We have great strengths and resources, and we all need to network. "

I find great comfort in learning from other rural women.  . . .  I just want to stay connected to other women who have similar experiences.

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