Tuesday, March 2, 2010

A few things I'd forgotten about living in the country.

As you all know, I've been living in the country since early September, in fact I'm living in the house I grew up in. Right now there are tenants in my house in the suburbs, so I can't have it back until November 1st. While I love the fact that I'm free of my mortgage payment right now, I'm *not* loving the fact that I am here in the wilderness once again. I've noticed that I'd forgotten a whole slew of facts about country life. After all, I'd been gone for 15 years! Here goes...

Everybody knows everybody either personally, via family, or they simply know "of" a person. And if you don't know someone in the community, you don't admit it. You smile and wave like you remember everything that could have potentially occurred between yourself and the actual stranger. Also, when riding down the road in your car, you throw up a hand and wave to everyone...no exceptions. **side note** Once I was in the mall in town 35 miles away, and a complete stranger walked up to me and named my father and pointedly asked if I was his daughter. Um, yes. I was shocked. Crazy but true.

Raking leaves. Lots and lots of leaves. Thousands of them, quite possibly millions of them. Rake them into a big pile, jump in them until you're exhausted and dirty, then burn them and risk setting fire to the entire county.

It's dark. There are no street lights. None. You can pay extra for the power company to install a big light on a pole in your yard, but the city provides nothing because there isn't a city! You're in the country, remember?

If you don't go to church one week, expect to get a phone call from the pastor asking WHY you were absent. Yes, this really happened to my dad.

Burning trash. Yup. Got trash? Get a big steel barrel and light a match. Done. Toxins in the air? Never heard of them. On any given night on my way home from the ER I can smell something burning when I get close to the house. Less likely to be caught burning without a "burn permit" in the dark.

Higher prices. Everything is more expensive way out in the country. But if we want to avoid higher prices, we have to drive way in to the city. Everything is at least a 15 minute drive. Unless you get behind a tractor along the way, then it takes longer.

High school sports. The last time I felt Raider Pride was when I was in high school. Now I drive down county roads and see all these little signs in yards professing their love for the local team. Kinda sweet!

Help when you need it. If your car craps out and you're stuck on the side of the road, someone will stop to help you. They really want to help you, and they probably know you or know someone in your family. If you talk long enough, you'll find that you're 6th cousins once removed, and now, who wouldn't help a family member?

Cicadas, tree frogs, bull frogs, cows mooing, roosters crowing, geese honking and dogs barking. These are the sounds of a night in the country. Kind of cool except for the dogs & roosters. Sometimes when I walk up the steps at 4 in the morning I can hear roosters crowing off in the distance. It's still dark at 4 AM!

Oh I almost forgot septic tanks! What you ask? It a big tank in the ground where all your poop goes. I have no idea how it works, but I have seen the big "honey wagons" riding around. Apparently they need to be pumped out every now and then. Gross!

I'm sure there is more...I'll add as I think of it, but you're welcome to add here too!

No comments: