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June 2007 That Reminds Me
Country living
 Emily Schilling
Editor
If you would have asked me four months ago what I liked about living in the country, I’d have been hard pressed to answer. During a big snowstorm when plows don’t clear your road, living amidst nature’s beauty has limited appeal. Traipsing through huge snow drifts in sub-zero temperature reminded me of those tales of going to school in the “old days.” Never had to do it then; didn’t want to now.
Now that summer is almost here and the snow is long gone, being surrounded by trees and wildlife is serene. It’s nice to have Snow White’s animal friends frolicking in your front yard without having to operatically call for them.
You tend to focus on the outdoors when talking about the country. But in my case, some of my most memorable encounters with nature occur indoors.
The first year we lived in our rural home, I freaked out whenever I saw wasps in the bedroom. I hid under the covers — a lot. Now, though I still don’t like them, I’ve grown accustomed to their buzz. We have two tennis racket-like devices that, at the press of a button, electrocute wasps (and other insects). These bug-killing rackets are essential when you live in the woods. Of course, over the years, we’ve still been stung by our share of those sneaky little pests (they tend to sting you when you least expect it), and, I must say, meat tenderizer mixed with water really does help immensely.
Also, though we don’t see them as often, we’ve had some birds fly into the house.
I’ll never forget our first avian visitor. My daughter, who was 5 years old at the time, came downstairs to tell me there was a bird walking around in the master bedroom. Bopping her head up and down like she was doing the Tennessee Bird Walk, she demonstrated the bird’s strut. I followed her to the bedroom to check it out.
Together, we looked under the bed and furniture. No bird. I was about to give up the search, when I lifted a floor length tablecloth up and there it was, bopping its head up and down. It scared me to death. We high tailed it out of there, slammed the door and screamed for my husband. With some clever coaxing, he managed to get our visitor to fly out the window.
Though our lives are nothing compared to sitcom adventures in “Green Acres,” living in the country can be interesting. If nothing else, it gives me a few stories to share.
Written By: eceditor
Date Posted: 5/31/2007
Number of Views: 422
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