Fifty reasons how I know we live in the country:

1. we have to check our shoes for "creatures" before we put them on
2. "creatures" is a commonly used word in our home – it is used to describe bugs, insects, amphibians, reptiles, etc.
3. the creatures here are more plentiful and more diverse than anywhere I have ever seen
4. we have to do a thorough creature check of our bed and bed linens before we get in
5. … because there has been a creature there before
6. … it was a scorpion
7. my dear husband has to wear snake boots when weed whacking
8. … Because we have rattlesnakes outside
9. … And we’ve seen them
10. … And killed them with a shovel
11. we grocery shop once a month
12. …. And have a freezer in the garage
13. …. Because the nearest grocery store is at least a LONG 25 minutes away
14. our town has no stoplights
15. no sidewalks
16. no chain stores
17. no fast food
18. it does have gas station
19. … it has run out of gas before
20. we break a sweat and get short of breath walking to the mail box
21. we have farm insurance
22. we don’t have cable
23. … we get 2 channels
24. three words: no cellphone reception
25. to feed our pet king snake my dear husband rounds up a lizard who got into the garage
26. we have a well, that was dug for us
27. we have a septic tank, that was put in for us
28. we had to request the electric company to put up a power pole so that we could get electricity to our house
29. our stove uses propane
30. our driveway has turns
31. we have acres
32. we have wildflowers growing on our property
33. … and poison oak and all sorts of other things
34. all the neighbors home school, for several reasons, but one being our town doesn’t have a school
35. we light controlled fires to protect against dangerous fires
36. you have to take your shoes and clothes off when you get inside, because they are dirty!
37. we have a mud room, and it usually has at least a bit of mud in it
38. we have breathtaking views
39. we can watch sunrise and sunset from our dining room table
40. it gets dark at night – real dark
41. it gets quiet at night – real quiet (except for some toads and crickets and other "creatures")
42. we built an electric fence
43. sometimes our pig gets loose (yes, our pig)
44. we’re closer to a national park than to an airport or a mall
45. people here wear cowboy boots and hats, and not because they are dressing up for the fair
46. my dear husband likes to sit out on our front porch
47. … with a beer
48. … and his shotgun
49. … and shoot ground squirrels
50. we love it