The country mouse ate the city mouse....

We are living here at Apple Hill in Camino California. It's like the woods for the city folk. You know, we got trees n stuff. There are a couple resident bears and some deer.

But as for us Idahoans, it's still city. There is a Walmart 10 minutes away. That says it all. In Riggins we are 3 hrs from one of those shopping zoos.

I like it for a change though. It's nice to go downtown Placerville and walk main street and check out all the cool shops. (Mostly from the windows when Tenesee is feeling spry.) There are also wineries with vineyards rolling along the hills, old mines, museums, supermarkets with unwilted lettuce and RED meat, and of course more apple ranches up here on Apple Hill.

When I was working the front register at the family restaurant the other day, I had an interesting insight into the mind of a city-fied lady. There was a line of folks wanting bbq pork sandwiches, about 30 people deep, and I was running this ladies credit card. The phone line was busy so it was taking extra time . I smiled at her and made some comment on the weather. She said, "That machine must take a LONG time, huh...since we're out here in the middle of nowhere?! You all must be SO glad to get out of here after you graduate! I mean WHAT do you DO up here?"

Okay now let's think about this, shall we. THIS, for starters, IS the city for me. I'm from towns of 500 and less, ALL my life!

So I say, "Actually, I'm from Idaho. (Look of fear crosses her face!) I'm from a really small town. Cell phones work sometimes and we just got indoor plumbing. My graduating class had like 15 people in it! But I do understand culture shock. I mean, I went to Las Vegas to visit family and I bout had a heart attack with all of those people running around. (The look of fear has turned to shock and amazement.) I had a panic attack and literally had to sit down on the gum covered bench so I wouldn't pass out! OKAY, your card went through, and here's your receipt....enjoy those sandwiches..."

Truly and honestly she has no clue. In Alaska we had 300 in our little town and no roads out. Kinda inconvenient, but I wear it like a badge now. There was really no use for a car or truck up there unless you were hauling trash or your boat to the dock. And so when someone calls Camino the country I have to smile. It's all about where you're from. When you leave San Francisco and head up here, you are wondering how you'll get out alive, I'm sure. But when you are from a one horse town with no stop light, then you have to remind yourself to get that truck up to speed so you don't get run over in the fast lane...by the cop that's going 75!

The difference between the "what do you do?", in the city and the sticks, is simply about money and dirt. There's more dirt in the mountains and it's virtually free. There are stores in the city and "recreational parks" and they cost money. It's all got it's place. But I've NEVER thought of the country as BORING!! How can you be bored hiking up the trail, setting up camp, hunting and fishing, and sitting around the campfire with friends. There is a simple beauty in the quiet and the trees. There is a blood pumping excitement in the freeways, loud stereos, and thick masses of people.

I am prejudiced. I LOVE a small town. I love that my kids are so familiar with their river and their freinds and family. I love that it takes me two minutes to get to a trail and that I really won't see many if any other folks on it. I love the quiet nights and firelight. I love laying on the sandy beaches in the sun drinking cheap beer. I love that I can walk everywhere. I love that I know everyone I see in the store.

Sometimes I can't stand a small town. I get frustrated that the produce section looks like dumpster. I get mad knowing that all of my business is everyone elses business. I wish sometimes that I didn't know all about that guy's disease and that gal's boyfriend on the side....ugh! Sometimes it's all TOO familiar. But I wouldn't trade it for all the strangers listening to rave music on their way to work....too busy to care about my problems.

There is a sweet balance in life. And we all seem to fluctuate to it. Wether you are living in the city or the country, we all need breaks from what breaks us. Understanding keeps us loving each other. When we are hating the other side, we just don't know enough about it to understand it. We are all the same. We all need food, shelter, love and time. We are all just making it through that work day, or that load of dishes, or that second piece of cake....just to get to the end of the day and light that campfire or turn on that TV, kick up those feet and sigh, "AHHHH, aint it grand!?"