You Know You Live in the Country (Reno County, KS) when . . .
Living in the country isn’t for everybody. If dirt roads and lack of sidewalks bother you, and if you get scared when it’s actually dark at night, and you can hear natural sounds, the country’s not for you.
You know you live in the country when . . .
- you cut the grass growing in the middle of the road.
- your neighbors know that the “No Trespassing“ signs don’t apply to them. They’re welcome.
- the “Welcome Wagon” includes a father and son who resemble the Mountain Men from the movie Deliverance. Before long, you discover they’re the nicest people you’ve ever met.
- your spouse—taught by her Mississippi-born mother—meets people she doesn’t know at the door with a shotgun. That includes the unannounced, uninvited Reno County tax appraiser wandering around the property peering in windows.
- all your neighbors laugh when a newcomer to the area thinks his Reno County property tax assessment appeal will be considered fairly, without prejudice! Hahaha!
- your neighbors share dark humor about government assistance. The jokes all begin with: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” And the truisms all end with the bureaucrat taking, not giving; hurting, not helping.
- city folk visitors see a snake and swear it’s a rattler when obviously it’s a bull snake.
- the neighbor who lives across from the meth house has a daughter who wants to set up a lemonade stand (and sell munchies) whenever the road traffic gets backed up in the drug dealer’s driveway.
- you receive a postcard advertising fast Internet. When you call them, they tell you it doesn’t include your area.
- your neighbors all gather on the road whenever a lost semi-truck gets stuck trying to turn around in the sandy soil. It’s like a picnic without food: plenty of catching up between friends and useless advice for the driver.
- your directions to your house include, “Turn off the main road.”
- first-time visitors to your house think they can find it because they have GPS, then spend 45 minutes driving around the county—lost—before calling you for help.
- loud 4-wheelers, firecrackers, gunfire, and big dogs are never considered disturbing the peace.
- everyone drives a pickup truck and it’s for need, not looks.
- you wash your car and after one trip to town it’s all dusty again.
- the neighborhood hears that Reno County has scheduled a “controlled” burn; this causes your friends to place bets on whether they will be told to evacuate again once the fire jumps the nearby road.
- you lose electricity due to a weather crisis and you know you’re at the bottom of the priority list for repair.
- you live too far away from town to hear tornado sirens.
- you check on the weather by stepping outside instead of checking your phone.
- you hear heavy sounds on the roof and recognize it’s not Santa Clause or Rudolph; it’s a flock of turkeys passing through the area who just found a temporary roost.
- you walk down to the township road to pick up your daily newspaper, the Hutchinson News, but you get delayed by picking and eating ripe mulberries on the way.
- you observe birds, squirrels, turkeys, turtles, and deer also eating mulberries.
- flowering catalpa trees bloom in June and catalpa worms devour the leaves in July and August.
Photograph by Jim Potter, copyright 2018 - you can see and hear Canada geese fly over. You are also under the flyway for pelicans, snow geese, and monarch butterflies!
- you can see majestic cloud patterns in the open sky.
- you’re in the middle of thunder and lightning storms.
- you can hear the snap of tree limbs all around your property as a result of the most recent ice storm.
- you can hear the bullfrogs, owls, and coyotes at night.
- your privacy is respected so you can enjoy the beauty of nature.
Until next time, happy writing and reading!
Town: I can walk to the store in a snow disaster. Country: A lifetime of breathtaking sunsets/sunrises. Town: 911 help gets to me in 5 minutes or less (even on a bad day). Country: Visits from turkeys, deer and other critters in a natural environment. Town: Less than two minutes from work. Country: Work is a million miles away on weekends.
Ray, thanks for your comments! You get it! I’ll bet you could make a pretty good list of differences between bicycling and driving a car. Jim
I used to take inner-city kids to camp. Many freaked out with complete darkness and quiet. Enjoyed the contrasts!
Bill, thanks for your comments. When we do have visitors (they call ahead) from town, it’s amazing how many people are caught off guard by the silence out here. When you took the inner-city kids to camp, I’ll bet they were easy prey for a ghost story! Which reminds me of how many kids have been homesick at a three day overnight camp I directed for 20 years. Happy writing & selling, Jim
I would love country living, Tom
Tom, do you live in the city? Living in the country doesn’t mean there aren’t problems, it just means that there are less rules. I think in general people are more inclined to leave each other alone and let neighbors do their own thing. And neighbors might not talk much, but if someone needs help, then about everyone’s ready to help. Jim
Jim, I think I would most like listening to the owls, bullfrogs and crickets. I would especially like looking into the sky at night and seeing all of the stars in heaven. I would like having neighbors but not having them close and if they needed anything I would be there to help out if anything happened. If nothing was wrong I would leave them alone and they would leave me alone. Tom
That’s good Jim, and so so true. Linda
Linda, thanks for responding. I’m not sure which one of the examples you identified with the most. I didn’t mention that if there’s a big snow storm, we just plan on staying home for a few days. No big deal. Jim
Liked the latest blog, very evocative of the image I have of your home area.
Sean, thanks for your comments! Makes me wonder how much back country there is in England. At least you avoid our HOT summers (well, until this year). You are so fortunate to have the sea nearby. We miss the sea. It’s been about 350 million years ago. Jim
Thank you, Jim. Your words evoke years-old memories of growing up near a tiny town–almost like living in the country. It’s the night skies!
Marilyn, thank you for responding! My how our roots are a constant source of memories and stories. I grew up in the suburbs but travel and camping did allow a view of those amazing night skies! Thanks again, Jim
Sounds like heaven. I miss country living.
Tracy, thanks for your comment. A friend reminded me of how he enjoys looking into the night sky and watching the stars. Jim