All-seasons acreage

Sari seems to embody the sense of calmness her rural setting invokes. She says, "I just like to sit and contemplate the countryside, to look at things, to enjoy the pastoral view. "She has more time to think about her writing and her work, to spend with family and friends, and to absorb the peaceful surroundings. "With this place, I am trying to strike a balance between the lawn and keeping it natural, "Sari says, smiling at Dean and anticipating his response.

Dean's eyes twinkle and he becomes animated, saying, "I love running the push mower. It's great exercise! It's aerobic. I sweat and it builds up my muscles, and I save money by not needing a gym membership!" However, even at 40-something, Dean doesn't have enough time and energy to cut several acres of grass by hand.

With a grin, Dean says, "I did buy the Kubota tractor. I guess it's a guy thing. I like to drive it around and cut the grass. With my headset on to muffle the sound, I'm at one with the machine, oblivious to distractions. Even Sari can't always get my attention."

Riding the tractor, fixing the outbuildings, tending the sheep, clearing paths through the woods, and just walking around the property have given Dean quiet time to think. Recently, while walking his property, Dean says he had "one of those ah ha! moments." Until he had actually lived in the country, he hadn't realized the difference in the rhythms between urban living and country life. Dean was happily surprised how easily he has adjusted and how much he has been inspired by this move to the country.

Besides working as president of a senior housing development company, Dean is an accomplished jazz musician and composer. He says the country life has become his muse. To him, all of the rural elements are like a jazz album, combining swing, samba, and improvisational tracks in endless combination and variety. He has converted one of the smaller outbuildings closest to the house into a music studio. There he plays the piano and composes, while the countryside provides the harmony.

Dasha, a busy teen, has maintained a city connection by commuting to school in Ann Arbor. She loves horses and is learning to ride at a nearby stable, where she has also been working with disabled children, assisting with riding lessons.

Since all three members of the Solden family are involved in some form of caregiving, they fantasize about starting a retirement community for old horses and other aging domestic animals on the property. This year, they experimented with the idea when a family friend moved her older horse and goat to Soldens Country. Dean has been thinking about developing rural retirement communities in farmlike settings for people, too.