I love my neighborhood! It’s not the same type of neighborhood I grew up in many, many, many… well, you get the idea… moons ago. It’s not the neighborhood where we ran and played flashlight-tag or kick-the-can with every available child who was allowed out after dark. It’s different because it’s country living and a far-cry from the city neighborhood where I grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
I’ve decided that country living becomes me. The quiet. The tranquility. I thrive in these surroundings. I am a better me because I get to live where I do.
I’ve gained a certain appreciation for the world around me that I never had before. For instance, I really love to stop and take a gander at the sky on a clear, starry night. It’s a pleasant reminder of all that our Creator has blessed us with.
I love my neighborhood because I can have crazy critters for pets like our three donkeys, two white ones named Luna and Lulu, and Lulu’s son, Curious George. They definitely add a little spice to our life with their loud eeee-awww’s each and every morning, like clockwork. And who can resist those goofy faces and velvety soft noses? They love to get a snack of apple slices and carrots from time to time.
In addition to donkeys, we have dogs, rabbits, chickens, and a goldfish pond that add some additional flavor to our days. Our chicken coop contains sixteen chickens in a motley crew of various breeds. Barred Rocks, a Wellsummer, Black Australop, White Leghorn, and Aracauna’s to name a few. We get a variety of egg colors from white to brown to greenish blue. We haven’t had to buy eggs in years!
I only have a handful of neighbors in my neighborhood. And even though I don’t know all of them personally, I know without a doubt that I could pick up the phone and call any one of them if I needed help and they would come. Oh, wait! I’ve actually done that!
I called a neighbor because I had a nasty rat snake get in my house and I was scared to get off the kitchen chair. And I’m grateful for the neighbor who stopped to shoot the rattlesnake curled up in my yard. I sure can’t forget the neighbor who came to knock on our door and tell us our dog had been hit by a car… and then proceeded to take care of her for me so I didn’t have to while my husband was at work. Surely, it’s important to remember the neighbor I had to call to borrow cooking oil from when I ran out while in the middle of huge baking project. The list goes on of good endeavors done by those who live on our country road. I myself, have returned the favor a time or two. Or three.
There is a uniqueness about our 
neighborhood that is unlike many you will ever see and nothing like any I’ve lived in before. We live on the other side of a dry creek bed. Well, it’s dry most of the time. When it isn’t dry, that means the road is flooded. And when the road floods, the adventure begins. Why you ask? Well, because we have a walking bridge that we use to get to the other side when the road is flooded. We always watch the weather closely and attempt to move at least one vehicle to the other side of the creek when we think the road will flood. And when we aren’t able to do that, we enjoy a day or two “stranded” in our own home.
