Day Sixteen: My Town

No time to write yesterday.  I spent the day with the dermatologist - no fun.  Very fair skin + years of living on the lake =  biopsies.  Fortunately, I've been wearing sunscreen year-round since my twenties, so not too much damage.  Ladies, wear sunscreen EVERY DAY!

Today I am thankful for small town living.  How many of you live in a small town?  I live in a town with a population of about 3,550.  It's a river town in East Central MN, about an hour's drive from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro. area.  My husband and I moved here about 16 years ago because we wanted our children to have access to the metro area for cultural events, a large choice of colleges, etc, while still enjoying the safety of living in a small rural community.  It has been a good fit for us.  I love that I know all of the teachers at the school, go to church with some of them, know many of the shop owners, and know the parents of most of the kids my daughter hangs out with.

Here's an example of life in a small town.  We had teacher conferences last night and it was dark when we came out of the school.  My car was parked a fair distance away from the school.  My daughter and I had to walk alone along a block with an overgrown hedge along the sidewalk.  There are no streetlights.  As we walked, I thought about how I would feel if I were in a city - nervous!  But not here.  Granted, there is some petty crime here - it's everywhere.  But I am thankful for our sleepy little town where, for the time being anyway, life is still slow, quiet, and safe.

Maybe we won't always have the luxury of living here.  In today's economy, you never know where life will take you.  But for now, as long as I have a choice, I'll stay here.

Today I thought I would share some pics of my yard.

I love this oak tree, it has such an interesting shape and it really stands out when the colors change.

Oliver.  

One of my morning at the bus stop photos.

Isn't this a fabulous swing set?  The boards that support the swing at the top have grown into the oak trees, they've been there so long.  I like to think about how many little ones have been swinging on these swings over the years :)

The country road we live on.  Love country roads...you never know what you will see.

This is a typical morning, waiting for the bus!  The 'girls' are always hoping for a handout.

Teddy

Well, all that's left is the dogs in their kennel, but that's like trying to photograph a whirlwind!  Some day I'll get pics of them to post.  Have a great day!