Always A Country Girl

As I write, I'm sitting in my hammock in my backyard. I used some rope from the garage to string it up safely between two trees, both of which I planted as tiny saplings when I was younger. I'm very happy to report that even as close as we are to the river (about a mile, I think) there are only a few bugs bothering me.

Having a bit of firsthand experience, I started thinking about the differences between the "country" and the larger cities.

I like Grand Valley State University, where I transferred to from a community college. It's an amazing school, with helpful and (usually) understanding staff, and a beautiful landscape, as well as a great curriculum. That said, I can't wait to finish school and get out again.

You see, I'm not a city girl. I can't live in a house where my neighbors' windows are less than ten feet away, and they can look in at me if I forget to close the blinds. I have to have room to breathe, a backyard for my future kids to play, ESPECIALLY to hang my dear hammock. (Which I'm taking to school next year and somehow making it hang in my dorm room so I can sleep in it instead of the bed.)

I always knew there was a difference between the smells of my hometown and the smell of my family's campground. But now I've found there is a different smell between home and Grand Rapids. The campground definitely smells the best, with all the trees and weeds and grass and flowers... I'll stop running on now. But the city smells so... dirty. Buses run around campus all day long, in 10 minute intervals (which is excessive if you ask me). There are a LOT of smokers on campus, so every time I walk between classes I'm inhaling secondhand smoke, which pisses me off to no end. Home smells so clean, even outside. Someone in the close neighborhood always has a freshly cut lawn, so you smell the grass. When the wind blows, I can smell my mother's flowers (when they're in bloom, anyways).

I want to find a house farther into the country in this little town. I really can't imagine living anywhere else, though I would if I had to. Demonstrated by my partial relocation to a city.

But I'll make the best of it. I don't hate the city, but I could never live there. There is a certain amount of space a girl like me needs to live, for dogs, maybe a garden, hopefully a few horses. Definitely some foster kids when I get financially set.

Love to all!

Kate