The true test on whether or not life here in the mountains is, indeed, more relaxing comes later this month when the contract expires on my Blackberry.

I’ve carried a Blackberry, a wireless email device, since 2000 and while working out of Washington and spending a lot of time on the road, came to depend on its ability to deliver and send email in real time. During the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Blackberries were the only communications devices working in Washington. All the land lines and cell phone cicrcuits were overloaded.

But, with the slower pace of life here in the hills, a Blackberry is less a communications tool and more a nuisance. Most of the email that comes through on it now is junk mail and the need for instant email access seems less and less important.

When the contract with Verizon expires at the end of July I will drop the service and toss the Blackberry into a desk drawer. The next test will come in October when the contract expires on my wireless phone/PDA/Pocket PC.