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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

City Girl

My little village is in the middle of the country. But we're only 15-20 minutes away from bigger city life, such as drive-thru fast food and Wal-Mart. :) We aren't so far removed that we don't keep up with the rest of the world, ha-ha, but I am most certainly surrounded by country living and farm life. Although I've lived here since a college freshman in 1979, I'm constantly reminded that I'm still a city girl!
A girlfriend chatted recently about being interested in some layers and was calling around and shopping for some. "Hmm", I thought. Is she getting her hair cut in a new style? I finally had to ask what 'layers' she was talking about. Well, it turns out that 'layers' are chickens...hens...that lay eggs! haha. I would have never guessed that on my own! Layers in my mind are haircuts, tall cakes, snuggly warm beds, or an extra sweater when I'm cold!
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Another friend was chatting about gathering the kids and how difficult it was unless she had a pocket full of treats. Well, I could relate to that...when my boys were younger I didn't go anywhere without Tootsie Pops in my purse. Of course she wasn't talking about her children at all...only her ever growing barn full of baby goats!

Last week when I worked at an auction, I asked my friend if she was going to bid on anything. She said there were some nesting boxes that she had her eye on. "Great!", I thought..."they are so pretty, useful, and I love the ones in my closet that are stacked on the shelves!" LOL! Turns out, they are for her chickens! Yes, the wooden crate kind that hens make nests in.

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I've always loved the acres of soybeans, beautiful red barns, country roads with little traffic and hearing cows mooing from my back yard! But after 30 years, I still don't know the difference between straw and hay or if goats gather in herds or flocks! I still get wide-eyed when a red fox trots through our back yard or when a friend pulls me onto the floor to square dance in the middle of a barn party!

No, I guess I'll always really be a city girl living in the country!

16 comments:

  1. I couldn't have said it better. 30 years in Chicago, now 20 years in Wisconsin...I'm not sure what I am, a city girl in the country or a country girl from the city. Whatever, I do think I have had the best of both worlds! And I would love a few layers myself!

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  2. Some very nice wordplay here. City girl, country girl... You're still a doll.

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  3. OH Betsy, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our little world here and I am not so "schooled" on the farm terms but I am LEARNING since moving to Killeny Glen and having so many farmer neighbors!

    Laughed out loud at WalmartS! And recently heard people refer to it as "Wally-World." Hmmmmmmm. Truly...in MANY cases ignorance is bliss.

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  4. Ah ~ the charm of country living. If you want to know how precious that is, just visit NYC for 4 days!

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  5. Corners ~ oh, I've done that...big cities have a charm all their own. I love it, too!

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  6. Oh my goodness this is great! I hadn't heard of 'layers' before, guess I too have a lot to learn!

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  7. Oh, you're so lucky to be near such beautiful scenery! Thanks for sharing the country terminology!

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  8. What a wonderful post, Betsy! I wish I could trade places with you; I love country life!

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  9. Hi Betsy! How wonderful to live in the country! I need to at least live near sone cows so I can see them every day!! lol Love your nesting boxes story! I hope you are having a good week!...hugs...Debbie

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  10. i am laughing about the "layers". too funny :-)

    i have got to get me some chickens..i really do.

    happy to see you today, my friend
    always nice to visit with you

    sending love from kary and teddy to you and nugget....

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  11. You can take the girl from the city, but not the city from the girl. (I thought the layers for her hair as well)

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  12. Jensamom ~ ah, see..city girls think alike! LOL!

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  13. Love this post--very interesting.

    Yes, i think where one is raised in one's formulative years plays a huge part in forming one's identity that never leaves. thus my London raised Great Aunt, although born in Burma and then living something like 45 years in India always remained so very English, even after retiring to Wales for the last two decades. It was just in her blood. no amount of outback took the London out of her.

    I have to say that is true for me in part too. I have lived far more of my life stateside but even so i don;t colorado will ever feel truly like home like London does adn even so i still consider myself a city person. In fact I am a moderate town sized person now, a semi native for certain,but I still find my town soooo incredibly boring. I actually get rather ticked when locals try to sell me the paper. I go so far as to tell them that as nothing of any significance happens here I really don;t care to read it! sorry. It's almost all fluff.

    Anyway, I did love your reference to the nesting boxes. made me laugh and love the photos too.

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  14. It's so funny how the same words can mean entirely different things to different people. Great post....right up your alley with all the word play!

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  15. Oh Betsy. I am right there with you. I live in the suburbs and always have, but there is so much farm country in the central valley of California. I have more than once look like a city girl. My husband still mocks me about something I said about jumping-fish.

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  16. This one made me smile. I think deep inside I am actually a country girl. We are also 15-20 minutes from a "bigger" town, the one where I grew up. Funny because it was once the farming community. The city just keeps spreading.

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