Today, I am guest posting at A Slob Comes Clean.  Come and visit me there where you can read about 3 Simple Chicken Recipes for the Slow Cooker.

Living the country life

About 4 years ago, my husband and I (plus 4 children at the time) picked up from town and moved out to the country.  We’re only a short 2 miles from town, on a highway, so, we’re not out in the boonies by any means.  In fact, sometimes I think we may be a little spoiled when it comes to the distance we are from town.  There were many reasons why we chose to move here that we’re not currently fulfilling, but here are some of the reasons that we stay.

1. More elbow room

   While living in town, we always felt enclosed, like there were people sitting right next to us all the time!  I guess, they were.  The house we left was only a few feet away from the neighbor’s house.  We had great neighbors, but we still yearned for some solitude.

2. Less Regulation

   In the country, there are no rules about when you have to mow your lawn, where you can park your car or how many animals you can have.  You have the freedom to do these things when it works for you and however you want.  While we try not to have a largely overgrown yard, when it does happen, the only people we’re bothering is ourselves (and possibly our one, super nice neighbor).

3. Raising Livestock

   While some towns do allow a limited amount of livestock (like chickens, turkeys, etc.), we don’t have to worry about it.  We know we’re allowed.  We’ve only utilized this benefit for a short time since we moved here.  We had 3 chickens, but one day, they were attacked and eaten by dogs after we allowed them to free range for a while.   Since then,  I’ve not had the time or energy to think about any other animals yet…..but I’m sure we will again when life slows down a bit.  We’d love to keep a cow.

4. Building a Work Ethic in our Children

   When we first decided to move here, I remember some friends of ours being so excited for us because our son would finally be able to “run”.  I was so aggravated by that statement, as it assumes that my child is an animal that needs to run, like a dog.  I know that’s not really what they meant and can see that a little more clearly now after living here for a while.  Since we moved here, my children have experienced a different kind of work.  A work that builds their self confidence.  While the job is changing frequently, they are required to work hard.  They do things like hauling wood, mowing lawns, scrapping metal, changing oil, painting, remodeling proects,  etc.  These are things that we typically didn’t do while we lived in town.

5. Room for Projects

   I enjoy wood working.  My husband and I built our dining room table out in our shop.  We would not have been able to do this while living in town.  We wouldn’t have had a shop to do the work in.  I can think of a dozen other projects that I’d like to work on and I will.  Don’t worry, I’ll share them with you when/if I do them!

Are you a city mouse or a country mouse?  What keeps you where you’re at?