Since I moved here I have:
Found a boar's head (complete with tusks) on my front doorstep, thanks to my dog's late night hunting trip.
Gotten stampeded and trampled by my neighbor's lama.
Traded my BMW for a SUV.
Helped birth 13 puppies (all survived) on Mother's day.
Found a live snake in a downstairs closet.
Planted a vineyard.
Broken my ankle in two places, walking on the mountain after dark.
Rescued 6 abused or abandoned dogs.
Painted a house.
Learned to use a grill for the first time ever.
Made Wall-Mart a weekly pilgrimage.
Made a trip to the emergency room with some sort of undetermined poisoning.
Bought a rhino (the 4-wheel drive vehicle, not the animal).
Assembled my own tool box.
Buried my mother.
Become addicted to CNN, my connection to the outside world.
Two very close friends who are 95 and 99 years old.
Things I have learned since moving here:
The heart and soul of every small town are its school and churches.
People besides criminals and gangsters drive around with loaded weapons in their vehicles.
My muck boots are more useful than my little black Italian sandals.
Always trust your dog's instincts....they are never wrong.
Bigotry and bias have very deep roots.
Things are never what they seem to be.
The security of having your doctor's pager number.
The Baby Boomers' time has come and gone.
We never recover from our childhoods...we just turn into adult versions.
You find the best friends in the most unlikely ways and places.
The value of solitude.
Random acts of kindness are the best.
Eating something you grew connects you to the earth.
Your heart is only as open or as closed as you allow it to be.
And so it goes........
