FINDING & MOVING TO MAYBERRY

In the past two months I have changed my address twice. No I did not stutter or make a mistake I did say twice. The first time was when we moved from a place that is better known as, “HELL” to a place filled with quiet while we took care of our friends pets while they were away. It gave both my fiancé and I time we needed to recompose ourselves into human beings whom do not snap at one another and find God again in our lives.

When I was young I watched, “The Andy Griffith Show” which took place in a small town called, “Mayberry RFD”. I never thought much about it when I was young other than Opie’s life was much like any other child’s life in America. He went to school, did chores, did his homework, went fishing, had friends, rode a bike, and on occasion got into trouble. His dad was the very first single dad on television, a very rare thing in the 1960’s.

As I grew up, I loved living in the suburbs of a mid-sized city, grocery stores, the mall, a bus line, within a few blocks or a few minutes ride in a car. It was when I got married, moved to rural NC, that I found myself wanting more country and less city. While the city is great for some, for me it is a place to visit from time to time, to have a nice supper or to go to “Trader Joe’s”, “Bed, Bath & Beyond”, or “Macy’s”, for me it is too busy, too congested, and just too much for this city raised country girl to handle.

After two moves, and a few complaints from my family whom live about a 30-minute drive from us in the city, we found our “Mayberry” in a small town in Mid-Ohio. According to the “Best Cities to Live in America” it ranks about #126 or so. We leave our doors open all day long, from morning until night, most nights it is way after midnight when we finally close them. It is GREAT to feel the breeze moving through the house, granted it brings in a little dust but the fresh air is wonderful! The noisiest thing we hear daily is the train, when I say noisy, I mean turn up the volume on the television, stop your conversation, LOUD. But then again, if this is the loudest it is here, I will take it. If you read my prior blog post you will find out what we had to do to get here, it was all worth it and more!!!

Small towns can be found everywhere in America. The way of life here is different, it is slower, more laid back, and definitely friendlier as we have found out. By the way ladies, no one minds if you go out of your house with no makeup, your sweats, or your flip-flops. Ken & I keep reminding ourselves, “We’re NOT in Kansas anymore” jokingly when people stop to ask how our day is going, or if we need help getting our groceries in the car, even the local Wal-Mart has a laid back, friendly, attitude unlike many of the Wal-Marts in larger markets. Here if you are out driving on Saturday or Sunday you will find roadside stands selling everything from fresh honey, homegrown veggies, homemade jams, jellies, knitted/crocheted blankets, & quilts. Another thing, farming is a way of life here, many times you will be sharing the road with John Deere’s as they move from one field to another. We haven’t made it to the local diner yet, however we will one of these days, if not for breakfast, just for coffee.

I do realize that “small town” life is not for everyone. I know this because I have friends whom will NEVER move out of Manhattan, until they trade it for a condo on the beach in Miami. While big cities may be great for some, for me it has to be “Mayberry”, where hometown parades, fireworks, county fairs, high school football games (I live in OHIO, where like Texas & Oklahoma football is a religion, so is golf for that matter!) are the norm. Where your neighbors are your friends, and you depend upon when times are bad or the weather is nasty.

As this “city girl” found out, she loves the small town life. With the birds chirping, an occasional siren or two, the daily trains, & the quiet of life. May you all find your “Mayberry” no matter where you live. God bless & have a great day!   

Moving & Finding Peace

First of all a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE, thank you goes out to wonderful friends K & E. Both K & E live their faith daily, and God sure did bless us with such great friends. As we took care of Chuck, their absolutely beautiful & loveable chocolate lab, and their sometimes temperamental kitty Miss Betty B. as they went on a much needed vacation to Colorado & other territories west. Their allowing us to move into their home gave us time to reflect upon all of the strife living in the city brought to my fiancé Ken and I. Our relationship was not going well, our faith somehow got lost, and are arguments got more heated & more often than we would have liked. Living in the peace of the country gave us time to mend our relationship with God, with each other, and figure out what we wanted and needed in a new home.

With K’s urging, we sought out the local “Penny Saver” type newspaper and found an advertisement for a three bedroom, one bath apartment, which is actually half a house. First thing both of us did was drive by the place. I was a bit taken with the “overgrown” nature of the home next door, however Ken said to give it a chance and call the ad to see if we could look at it. It took a few days but the property manager & her husband met with us, allowed us to take a look around, to open doors, cabinets, etc. We both left feeling buoyed and prayed upon it. We called the next day and agreed to meet to sign a lease. After meeting with us, both the manager and her husband prayed we would take the apartment, God lead us to other Godly people. God is great! We spent Friday looking for appliances we could afford, and moved all day Saturday & Sunday. By Sunday evening, both Ken & I were spent, both physically & mentally (making two moves one month apart will do that to anyone!). But that night, as we lie in bed in our new home we found comfort in the old but quiet neighborhood.

For a week, both Ken and I have worked hard to make this apartment ours. We’ve hung up art, put away clothes, swept, mopped, vacuumed, put in window screens, laughed at each other, and thanked God openly in pointing us in the “right direction”. All week we have enjoyed our front porch, watching the neighborhood children ride bikes, scooters, play tag, and just enjoy the atmosphere of a small town neighborhood. In regards, to the overgrown home next door, come to find out our neighbor, Mr. Ned is a good Christian man whom loves giving the neighborhood children lessons in all of the plants, trees, and flowers on his property. He is a wonderful man, whom we talk with daily and I learn from every day.

Sunday marked “one week” in our new home. We spent most of the morning on the porch sipping coffee, and watching the birds eat from our feeder and bathing in the bird bath. My love for taking pictures is back with a vengeance. I found the ebb & flow of creativity with every photo I took. I am sharing some with you here, and as I keep taking them I will keep sharing.

To all of you, my family & my friends whom prayed for us, we THANK YOU, as our prayers were answered in so very many ways. To K & E we can never repay you for what you have done for us, we will be in your debt forever.