TV OR NOT TV, THAT IS THE QUESTION

TV Above a fireplace....

One thing we've discussed about the farm, extensively I might add, is having a TV out there.  Originally I just thought this was a no brainer...of course we'd have a TV.  We'd even have the perfect spot for it, above the future "faux fireplace" we want to put in.  But then we got to thinking...is a TV really necessary?  Sure there are times when it would be nice to watch a movie on a rainy night, but then again, why not read a book?  Or play a board game?  Or work on the latest craft or food project?  Now mind you, I must confess, I am a bit of a news junkie, I love watching the latest news and catching up on world events.  The thought of being cut off like that does make me a bit tense.  But I DO have an iPad with 3G and since we get a good signal out there, I will have Internet access so I can at least know what's going on in the world.  We also have a stereo we'll be putting out there with Sirius Satellite radio so we'll have that as well.  Still, I come back to 'do I need to know all of that news'?  Unless there is a Hurricane bearing down on us, I think I can do without the news for a few days at a time.  Wouldn't a painting above the fireplace be better anyway?

....small TV hidden like this?

At the house in the city we only have one TV...it's a 55" flat screen in what we call "the TV room" and it satisfies our need for entertainment.  We've never put one in the bedroom, simply because the bedroom should be for sleeping, not watching TV.  You watch TV and then go to bed when you're done.  It's much easier to fall asleep this way. On the weekends though we often find ourselves mindlessly staring at the TV when we could be doing just about anything else.  We have to consciously push away from the TV.  We don't want to fall into this pattern at the farm.  The picture above shows a small TV sort of 'hidden' among the frames on a picture wall.  That would be a fun idea.  Of course, my iPad will stream just about any show we'd like to watch, so I suppose I could do something similar with it if I was so inclined.

...Or outdoor theater like this?

And before you ask about those nights when we just HAVE to watch a movie, we have something like this on the left in mind for that!  But more on that in a future post.

So I think we have decided, for now at least, no TV at the farmhouse.  We'll be old school and just enjoy life with a little less "noise" in it. Perhaps play a board game, or find a shady spot to read a book, cook something new, create something fabulous, or maybe we'll just sit on the porch for hours and decompress from city life...