Country Living

As I mentioned before, I am a city girl , well maybe more of a Burb girl.  I was born, raised and have always lived ‘in town’.  Neighborhoods, sidewalks, a backyard you could do with a push mower if need be, you could ride your bike to the store.  You can buy anything you need within a 2 mile radius of your home, you see your neighbors backyard and know their goings and comings… basic Burb living.
Recently, I was to have a brief stay in the North Carolina countryside with some friends of friends.  They had an RV spot on their land that I could store my rig for a  couple weeks while I made a trip to the Midwest.    We had planned a night stay either side of storing the rig.  That plan didn’t quite work out and I ended up in staying over a month and learning much about country living.
First, I now get ‘going to town’ is an event and not the 2 minute jot city folks take for granted.  I learned that you have to have a tractor … your own tractor.  My new friends had 3, one for each person, all different sizes for all different purposes.  When you have a tractor you have to have lots of things to pull behind your tractor AND you have to have a barn to park all of your tractor related items in.   Chain saws are similar to the tractors.  You don’t have just one, as they too come in different sizes for different purposes.  Three ‘working’ ones seem to be the norm with extra ones for parts.   In the Burbs, you are lucky if one guy on the block has a chainsaw.  We call the Tree guys to do our tree trimming.  I am now convinced the Tree guys all come from ‘the country’ and they laugh all the way home with the wad they make dropping trees for the Burbites.
I found the people in the country to be genuine, friendly and always willing to help someone in need.   I fed deer, learned about chickens, guineas and bees, watched the corn grow, picked strawberries, learned how to BBQ a chicken on a can and learned to sit back and relax, listen to the frogs in the pond and enjoy good company.   Dog learned to be a country dog and had the job of keeping the squirrels and foxes away from the bird feeders.   She went on patrol with our host everyday while he put corn out for the deer and fed the birds.  She even helped ‘rescue’ an escaped rooster.  My hosts didn’t know me from Eve and accepted me like family.  I guess they correctly deducted that I would not know how to hold an axe much less be an axe murderer, as we so often think of strangers in the city.  I am most grateful of their kindness.   I think that, I too, want to live in the country and have a tractor one day..