Country Mouse

Jared likes to say he married a country girl but when he says that I have to gently remind him that while I grew up in a rural area surrounded by country, I myself am not what you might term a country girl.  Small town girl, yes. Country girl, no. Growing up my family always lived in a neighborhood with a sidewalk and participated in no activities one might associate with country living: farm animals (we had house cats), hunting, gardening, horseback riding. I don't know, name anything that might be associated with the country and I most likely had never experienced it.  The closest I ever came to farm animals was an annual visit to the county fair.  Jared on the other hand grew up in a rural area and lived in the country surrounding it. He grew up in an old farmhouse on five acres and raised animals: rabbits, goats, pigs, chickens and who knows what else. He hunts, he gardens, he has bailed hay, driven a pick-up truck and likes Hank Williams Jr. In other words, he is a country boy and embraces it. So here we are, somewhere in the middle. Living on two acres, in a neighborhood, with bee hives, a dog and a small flock of chickens. Call it the best of both worlds, if you will.  It actually took me a few months to feel comfortable touching the chickens with my bare hands but I can honestly say I rather enjoy them now. Also, watching our kids take care of those chickens is pretty much the cutest thing ever. (Caroline squeals and chases them all around the yard and Spencer and Mitchell treat them like little babies.) So, while I still wouldn't consider myself a full fledged country girl, if Jared has anything to do with it, I'll be milking my own cow and cleaning out horse stalls sooner rather than later. :) What about you? What things do you associate with country living? Are you a city mouse or a country mouse?