City Sister

This christmas season puts in mind of a conversation I had with my city sister several years ago. Her comment was that she could never live in my part of Texas, to her mind too rural and backwards. In truth I never plannned on living where I do but now that I am here you certainly could not get me to leave, at least not voluntarily.
Her comments started me thinking about why I live here and love it so much. She wonders how I live "without the conveniences" She labors under the impression the we here in the country are living in trying curcumstance without the benefit of technology, that we are all farmers or loggers. She thinks if a cow has horns, it is a bull. How little she knows.

Yes, she does have live theater and symphony,( so do we in the closest large town) 4 grocery stores in a 2 mile radius and a mall less than 10 minutes from her home. I will agree that she has a far superior selection of stores to shop in and yes, she does make quite a bit more money than I ever will here, but what I do have far exceeds any amenities she may care to list.

I know my neighbors and they know me. More than that, they know my dog and when I am gone he is welcome at their house.  The young married couple who live just south of me take care of our place when we are gone. This neighbor thinks taking care of the place means having it freshly mowed when we get home.
If I pull over to the side of the road to talk on the phone, no fewer than 3 people will slow down to make sure I am ok. One phone call will bring more help than I need; my neighbors know I am ready to help them whatever the time of day. Their trouble is my trouble. I have keys to their homes and they have keys to mine. If they need my tractor, they use it and bring it back, usually filled to the brim with fuel. It pleases me to know that we have that kind of relationship.
We have community blood drives and the Blood Bank knows they will have a full day here. We watch each other's stock, each other's homes and each other's children.
Our schools are important to us, not because we have nothing better to do, but because our children are our future.
The local feed store is family owned and family operated. they still say "Yes ma'am and No ma'am"
A phone call will get you what you need and if you can't get there by noon on Saturday, they will set it out on the loading dock for you and it will be there when you come for it.
I never feel taken advantage of when I go to my local garage. Scotty knows my name and my car's quirks. If he can't fix my car, he will send me to someone who can. 
I moved into a community where practically everyone is related to everyone else either by blood or marriage. Land here has been in the same family for generations, sometimes the original home place still stands but more often that not, only the remains of a homeplace hang on. I am not related to anyone but after several years of living here, you would not know it.
Our community is like grandmother's quilt, handed down, pieced together from various scraps and trimmings, colorful and sturdy.
Some of my neighbors are loggers and farmers. They follow a well-worn path of family tradition. They are intelligent and thoughtful men and women who also have college degrees and a strong sense of purpose. I count attorneys, paramendics& college professors as neighbors. I also count talented successful craftsmen who can weld the break of day or fashion a baby cradle from the old black walnut down in the back pasture.
We are community and we are blessed. City sister should have such riches.