All I ever wanted was a place in the country

Not really, but I love(d) AdamAnt.

Being a Florida girl at heart, I actually always imagined living on a tropical island so imagine my surprise to find myself here, on a “farmlet” in the country. As you can imagine, but just like anywhere else you choose to live in the world, there are pros…and cons.

TRAFFIC – None! Yes, I have to drive a ways to get anywhere, but my 20 minute drive is actually a 20 minute drive, not a 5 minute drive that takes 20 minutes.

LAND, LOTS OF LAND – Lots of room to do stuff, but lots of upkeep. Although our 7 acres is quite enough for anything we want or need to do, and way more space than we’ve ever had, ironically, we crave more.

NO CITY REGS – We live outside the city (oh, how I hesitate to use that word for our little one street town) and therefore bonfires, target practice, building something ridiculous and painting it clashing colors (haven’t really felt the need to do that due to my own personal aesthetics), and general loudness & mayhem are all fair game. Woohoo!

BEAUTIFUL STARRY SKIES – Few lights and no building-blocking views mean an ocean of stars most nights. Oh, and the moon when it’s big and full! Oooh! Aaaah!

PEACE & QUIET – I always thought the immense silence would get to me, but now it’s actually the other way around. The nights are sooo quiet except for the wind in the trees, the chirping of frogs & cicadas, an occasional here a moo/there a hee-haw/everywhere a bark bark. The days are a bit noisier with Jett running around yelling like a banshee and tractors in the fields. But I so notice the noise now when I go to south Florida to visit: It’s 24/7 revving, honking, radios blaring, constant activity. Part of that is exciting, as it seems like there’s always something going on, but i kind of gives me a headache until I adjust back to that mode.

NEIGHBORLINESS – In south Florida, we had friends and family, but knew hardly any of our neighbors. Here, I’ve met all my neighbors on the 2 miles stretch of street. And not just met, but interacted with them. Had actual conversations with them that didn’t involve “your cat pooped in my landscaping” or “you’re being too loud”. I can have a beer with the family down the road or ask my neighbor to watch my animals while we’re away. The family with the long, cool paved driveway doesn’t hesitate to allow Jett to scooter on their property. And our other neighbor doesn’t complain (at least not to my face), when the dogs use his pond as a swimming hole. Now we’re not all best friends or anything, but at least we’re neighborly.

Overall, I like living this life. I definitely like having the best of both worlds: living here, but being able to visit craziness, beaches, family & friends, and good food when a fix is needed. Oh, I miss thai food…and greek…and sushi…and…