Things you learn when you move to the country

Things you learn when you move to the country

 

 

One evening over dinner we started talking about how hard it would be to move back to the city if we would ever need to.

The peace and quiet, the stunning view from just about anywhere and anytime on the property and being able to eat outside (lunch and dinner) on the deck most days in the summer with that peace and quiet and that stunning view.

But at the same time we had to laugh about all the things we didn’t expect or didn’t know when we first moved here.  Here is a list  of the things we had to learn that might help anyone who plans to move to the country anytime soon.

  •  No, your neighbor doesn’t have a new kennel business, those are the coyotes 
  •  There are a LOT of people who like to shoot guns
  •  Almost no one shares your political views
  •  Freshly killed venison is delicious!
  •  You don’t have to get your own chickens because all your neighbors have more eggs than they know what to do with (and you can let THEM deal with the predators)
  •  How to kill a rattlesnake with a shovel
  •  What poison oak looks like
  •  How lucky you are to be living in such a stunning place
  •  That there is such a thing as Jeepers Jamboree
  •  Bobcats do not like it when you sneak up on them in your electric city car that they cannot hear
  •  No, those squirrels aren’t suicidal – they zig zag across the road in front of cars because that’s how they avoid getting eaten by birds of prey (your car is just one big bird of prey)
  •  Some people in California, like us, have a lot of water just pouring out of the ground
  •  There are a lot of places where your cellphone doesn’t work AT ALL
  •  Internet is a luxury in many parts of the USA; good download speeds are a rarity
  •  The 80s are not retro here – they never left
  •  You NEED a truck
  •  Cutting and splitting wood is something we all do in the summer because we only have a wood stove for the winter
  •  You look at scat all the time (with interest)
  •  Clogs are a novelty even out in the country
  •  You can see the Milky Way

And maybe some things that have taken a little bit longer to learn:

  •  I really don’t need to plant 5 different varieties of summer squash
  •  I don’t really like jam that much, so maybe I need to stop making it

Now we know why we make kids watch “Bob the builder” and “Dora the explorer”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “Things you learn when you move to the country”

  1. I grew up in the country and now that I am old, I live in the country again. I love it. Most of your list I can relate to. Especially the coyotes, guns shooting, venison, snakes, poison oak, squirrels, cell phones that don’t get a signal, miss my truck, I quit cutting wood and started using pellets, always see the Milky Way and many other wonderful things in the sky at night, keep making jam and use it for Christmas or birthday gifts to friends, neighbors, the mailman, or whoever.
    I have no idea what jeepers jamboree is, maybe I know but we call it something else!! Likewise scat.
    I am very fortunate to live in the country. I count my blessings every day because it is so peaceful and quiet and I can enjoy all of nature at my leisure. God is good.

  2. Thanks for your wonderful comments Margaret! Jeepers Jamboree is a big jeep event around here that we had never heard of until we moved. People come from all over the world to do a grueling back-country jeep trip on the Rubicon Trail.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

a couple of influencers hugging each other in the hut tub in the middle of the woods

Influencers

“I just found this pool in the middle of the woods.” – Vivian V, Instagram Influencer with 500,000 followers. We could not have imagined, when

Read More

It is final

    Well it has happened.  And it was a nail biter.  I guess I shouldn’t expect anything less on this roller coaster we’ve got

Read More

Sign Up For Our Newsletter