5 Things I have learned from living in the country:

Before I start my list, you guys may not know that we're buying the house I grew up in! My dad moved next door (1/5 mi. up the road!) and we're buying this house from him- very exciting! I'm a born and bred country girl, but in my teens and a bit into my twenties, I was confused as to how I wanted to live,  to raise the kids (in the country, barefoot in the grass, living on land OR in the city, fabulously bohemian, finding sustainability in an urban environment), but with time and thought, my heart changed and what I wanted for my children really became clear. And positively, it became obvious that I wanted them to grow up how and where I did- outside in the sunshine, jumping in creeks, riding horses, healthy as oxen from good food and exercise... and the decision was made to transplant ourselves from the sidewalks to the pasture- getting back to our roots, since Tim is a born and bred country boy himself, except that he is from Missouri and I was born here in North Carolina!

And here is my list! (LOL)
What I have learned from being an adult moving to the country after living in the city for a decade:

1. Thanks to the bugs and critters, it is louder at night here than it ever was when I lived in city apartments!

A few minutes ago, I actually contemplated going on the back porch to yell at the frogs to shut up before I called the cops! Hey, it worked when I had rude human neighbors! ;)

2. I learned the name of my mail carrier. She is delightful and I am planning to leave some fresh eggs in the mailbox for her sometime next week!

Shoot, she brings me my Backyard Chicken subscription... she knows what I've got going on!

3. In the last two weeks, I've moved 3 turtles from the side of the road in an effort to keep them becoming roadkill. In the city, I used to avoid running over roadkill. From avoiding to preventing...

In doing this, I learned that my son is terrified of turtles and my daughter thinks we need more pets. Jackson is in luck, because I'm not going to clean out an aquarium so that Keelin can have a turtle. Keelin is in luck, because I'm working on convincing Tim that we're ready for a milk goat! ;)

4. This week, I learned that even in my small community full of people still living a farming lifestyle, jerks will  truck in wholesale produce and try to sell it on the sides of the road marketed as local produce. Kiwi doesn't grow here, nincompoops. If it did, I would grow it.

'Nuff said!

5. Last, but not least- there is nowhere else on the planet I would rather be. Counting the tiny tomatoes on the plants, being chased around the yard by bitties, not worrying about the kids getting snatched from the yard while I feed the animals, hanging my skivvies on the clothesline, letting my kids play in the water naked as jaybirds... Of course, the isolation is sometimes palpable. Especially when Tim is traveling, like now, I do feel a bit like we might be the only people left on Earth. There is no HOA to tell me what color to paint the house's trim, my rooster can crow to his little heart's content... and I have no complaints!