So cool livin' in the country...

[wjoerob]

Last night I went out on the front porch and heard 3 hoot owls talking to each other. My 15-yr.-old daughter sat out on the front swing to listen to them. Earlier I saw a beautiful red fox run across the yard into the woods. I told her, "Some city kids don't have any idea what an owl sounds like, or what a fox looks like." I am so glad we bought our 20 acres--a little woods, a little creek, a little pasture, a little rented field. Even in drought, it's a great place to be. I couldn't go back to living in town, I would suffocate. Don't know how we ever did it when we were first married. I married a lovely girl who also had great memories of going out to grandparents' farm. We are so abundantly blessed, beyond anything I deserve... Like the song says, "All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided/ Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me."

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Joe,
Very well said !!! I think you will find yourself in the majority here on TBN with those feelings !

 

[Blagadan]

Yep.

You read in other forums, people asking "What time do you have to stop making noise in your neighbourhood" or "what time can you start mowing in your area"... I'd hate to be restricted like that.
My nearest neighbour is a good distance away from me... If the wind is blowing right, you can just about hear noise from their place... same going the other way. I can Mow, grind, hammer.. chainsaw if I must into the wee small hours and no one can hear me...

I was in a friends house a few weeks ago. They're living in a big housing estate. maybe 300 semi detached houses, all the same, all painted yellow, same 10ft X 10ft patch of grass outside they call a lawn.....
Their neighbour was having a fight with her husband next door and we could hear it all through the wall... My wife and I could hardly wait to get back home!!!

Life in the country is good....

b

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Sometimes we take things for granted, especially if it's something that's ALWAYS been there for us. In my 60 years, with the exception of 3 years in the Army, I've lived in the country. Every single day, I develope a new and deeper appreciation for the world around me. Living in the "boonies" might not be some folks cup of tea. I couldn't imagine myself any place BUT here. I grew up in the country. My kids grew up in the country. Now my grandkids (and any day now, a GREAT grandchild!) are growing up in that very same environment. I wouldn't change things for any amount.

Life is good, ESPECIALLY in the country.

 

[ctpres]

Dillos make ankle twisting holes, ants bite, chiggers bite, spiders bite, flys bite, can't mow without getting spider webs in my face, Home Depot one hour plus round trip, nearest "C" store over thirty minutes, electric goes out about ones a week, weeds outnumber the grass, morning paper gets here before 7AM on a good day, neighbors come over to borrow something about once a year, copperhead and rattlers scare the crap out of me at least once a month (in season,) neighbors named after "lawn mower": Mr. Long, Mr. Holland, Big Bota, Little Bota, yard and porch lights attract more bugs than they are worth, I know its time to mow when I can't see the ant hills, trick or treat-whats that, how many "good deals" have I missed due to no door to dooor salesman, the kids quit asking to move back in, gas costs so much we shop for groceries only once a month and we love every minute of it!

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Last night I went out on the front porch and heard 3 hoot owls talking to each other. My 15-yr.-old daughter sat out on the front swing to listen to them. Earlier I saw a beautiful red fox run across the yard into the woods. I told her, "Some city kids don't have any idea what an owl sounds like, or what a fox looks like." I am so glad we bought our 20 acres--a little woods, a little creek, a little pasture, a little rented field. Even in drought, it's a great place to be. I couldn't go back to living in town, I would suffocate. Don't know how we ever did it when we were first married. I married a lovely girl who also had great memories of going out to grandparents' farm. We are so abundantly blessed, beyond anything I deserve... Like the song says, "All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided/ Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me."

You said it!!

You heard the saying...you can take the boy out of the country but you can never take the country out of the boy!

When my wife and I were married we lived in an apartment for one year before we moved to our current house which was about 3 miles from the farm. We are now building on the farm and I can't wait to be surrounded by woods and fields again.

Growing up I lived in the woods and only came in when I was hungry . We would climb saplings and hold to the tops and parachute to the ground. Climb trees and cut wild grape vines and swing like Tarzan...of course we did have this heavy-set kid we would us to test the grape vines with...some of the vines did brake . We would did clay out of the creek banks; dam the creek and pole vault over it. We used dirt clods as grenades when we played army...you did not want to be the ones pinned in the barn .

We have a friend who has a blueberry farm and when the schools come out with tthe kids to pick they have never seen blueberry's on the bush before. Some of the kids don't even know which color to pick .

Lots of times I just go to the top of a ridge on the farm and just sit. Its kinda like a spiritual conection with the land...nothing like it.

 

[jimg]

re grape vines and messing about in the woods

Sounds like we grew up in similar settings. I spent all of my spare time in the woods and fields around my home. In those days it was very rural and the only jobs for a boy was taking in hay/shifting manure or walking some distance to the 'neigborhood' to cut lawns/do yard work. Its all diff now...those woods and fields have been mostly replaced w/ houses on tiny lots. There are still some grape vines though and I can even swing pretty well on them. Its still fun too!

farmw/junk...well said!!

 

[Tig]

Fourteen years ago I could walk down the street to the post office and catch trout in the stream. Since then the city has expanded to include us. The local high school where I coach baseball is still dominated by country kids but that too will change soon as the developements spring up all around. Now that my kids have grown up and gone off to university we are getting ready to move to that place on the lake three hours from here. It'll take a while for the city to catch up with us there.

 

[Tororider]

This is a great thread. I am one of those stuck in the city, hopefully only for the time being. Thankfully for my kids there is a couple acre park across the street.

The plan is to build out on our 18 acres when my wife finishes her residency. If I can convince her to do it, she likes the idea of a subdivision for the kids. I counter with they can have any friends they want over, I will build a basketball/tennis court, add the forest and a pond, what else could kids want?

I can't spend enough time out there now as it is, I hope to be able to move there soon!

 

[mikim]

Living in the "boonies".....means I can walk out on the porch first thing in the a.m. in my jockeys, with coffee, and pee off the porch and not bother anybody. If I can't do that -- I'm not far enough out. (like right at the moment -- ugh) but not for long.