I've written before about the great state I live in, Kentucky. I think I've also mentioned I'm a transplant - city girl gone country. Of course, when some hear country they think of a quaint little place off the beaten path. Today I realized something. I realized what quaint really is and yes, I do live in quaint. Well, actually I live on the Ridge (Pond Ridge to be exact) but it is the epitome of quaint.
I live on farm. It's not what you would call a working farm but it's a farm nonetheless. We lease the fields out. Basically, someone pays us x amount of dollars to use our fields. One year it's for hay, the next for pastier, last year it was fro corn, and this year it's for soybeans. Who knows what next year will bring. I'm surrounded by lush green foliage of all variations, birds tweeting, the occasional flock of geese , wild turkey (the actual fowl not the drink), a deer or two, a family of raccoons that terrorize our poor lazy dog, and my neighbors are few and far between. My folks live on one side of the farm (or as I like to call it "The Ponderosa") with my grandparents just up the hill from them. Like I said, it's quaint but it's not really the full quaintness.
You see, I live in a community where I'm "Roy & Sue's girl". I'm the one living on the ol' Stonecypher place. In town, I'm the boys' mom - the one from the east coast who uses big words.(I just know in about 20 years I'll be known as the crazy cat lady who reads big book on her front porch drinking hot tea all year round). In town, my quaint town (which is either 18 miles north or 30 miles south) people smile at you. They make eye contact. When you ask someone where something in the store is, they don't just tell you where it is, they actually walk with you to show you. This is a big box store not just the little country store up the road.
Speaking of the little country store, we have one "up the road a piece, down through the holler". They know me there. They know my boys. They know my Momma & my Daddy. They even know my aunt who passed away 18 years ago. It never fails when I go in that I hear "How's your momma?" When I'm solo or minus a boy or two, Pete, who owns the country grocery (which by the way is there everyday including Sundays when they open at one) always asks "Where's that boy of yours?". They always ask how everyone is and always remember what's been going on. Heck! They still have charge accounts for the locals. Like I said, it's quaint.
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| Future Reading Garden |
I moved here thinking it was a temporary place to rest until moving on to bigger and better (aka more exciting) things. It was too quaint for my taste. Today, it's perfect. Sure. It's the Bible Belt but I've grown to know that's not such a bad thing. This county, and the ones east, south, and west of here, are dry...no, it's not a drought...that means no alcohol sales since I guess the prohibition days. Don't worry...go one county north and you can have your B, double e, double r, u, n (or wine if you prefer). Like I said, it's quaint.
Now I know what you're thinking. Do we have any modern pleasantries? I said quaint not ancient. We have running water, electricity, internet, and Dish. Heck! We even have WiFi at the local MickeyDs in town and paved roads too.
I work 30 miles from home in a growing town that's practically a grown up city these days. After a long day in my cinder block office and asphalt everywhere, my 30 to 40 minute drive I get to mental let go of it all so I can relax in my quaint little world. The world where the limestone spring water is sweeter than wine, the air's fresher than any expensive artificial air freshener, and the natural landscape is better than any manicured garden.
Yes, it's quaint. It's my quaint little heaven complete with a mighty acorn tree looking over the Ponderosa. You can have the concrete jungle if you prefer. I'll keep my quaint world if you don't mind.
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| The Mighty One |
Now for my "theme" of the A to Z Challenge:
Today's homophone...
quartz (noun) Common mineral, having many varieties that differ in color, luster, etc...a crystal
For example: The ornate pendant was absolutely glowing when the sunlight hit the stunning quarts center piece.
quarts (noun) a unit of measure for either liquid or dry material.
For example: The remaining vinegar mixture filled 4 quarts worth of plastic baggies.
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Happy Reading Everyone!
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