My Country Boy

OK, so maybe he doesn't always look much like a country boy, but I assure you, his heart lies out in the fields of a small Kansas town.

And who knew that could be so much fun? It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I am thoroughly enjoying my introduction to country living. We're not there yet, but we've already got wagon wheel chandeliers picked out, and grand ideas for a community garden on our property. These will all be topics for future blogs, to be sure, but this one has more to do with the heart of my boy from the country.

It's no secret that I'm a high strung, messy basket of nerves most of the time. I can't help it! It's just how I'm hard wired. Dallas, though, is a whole other set of high energy. I think my anxiety comes from not wanting to fail. But I believe his comes from wanting to succeed. Does that make sense? Seems I worry about how to keep the bad away. He worries about bringing the good in.

And I'm learning my lessons bit by little bit. While I tend to focus on the big picture, as in "how will we EVER survive this year? Sell the house? Find a decent rental? Pay off the land? Move two more times? All while being pregnant/with a baby??" D is good to help me take it day by day. Focus on the task at hand, silly!

Yesterday we went up to his parents farm for a while. He's aware of my current obsession with super rustic furnishings, finding diamonds in the rough we can make our own for the house of our dreams. He's also aware of my very serious aversion to acquiring any more crap that won't fit into the current house or storage. His solution? Pilfering the McCarter barn and milk house!

It's doubly brilliant because 1) it's already being stored, and 2) it's free!

So he takes my hand and we wander out to the big red barn and navigate our way through the hay covered floors and find treasures beyond my wildest dreams! Yeah, that's overly dramatic, but there really is some cool stuff in there! Also, I didn't have my camera/phone on me, so no pics this go-round. BUT! We found some great old doors with the original porcelain knobs, a big cone shaped cow feeder dealie that I am convinced will look fantastic on our front porch with fresh flowers cut straight from our garden, AND a couple tables that I accidentally drooled on.

"Shhh", I whispered to him. "Let's not remind your parents they have this stuff." *wink*

But later, while we were eating our hamburgers under the shade of a giant tree in their front yard that - no lie - is sectioned off by a white picket fence and Sharon's gorgeous plants and flowers, she asked what we found and Dallas spilled the beans. She said she's actually been meaning to re-finish the butcher's block table I had my eye on, but that if I'd help her, we could have it for the new house! SCORE!

I'm suspicious Dallas was fully aware his mom would be so willing to share, but I'm so pleased nonetheless!

But then it was time to shoot guns, because that's what country boys do. And girls learning to be country girls also need to learn to shoot, or so I'm told. So we grab some cardboard off the burn pile and hop in the truck to drive down to the pasture. But before you can go into the pasture, you have to drive through this gate that keeps the cows in. And on that gate was the biggest, most monstrous, black and neon yellow spider I've ever seen in my life. "KILL IT" I screech, but Dallas informs me that he's doing his job of eating other bugs and we have to leave him be. Oh.

So we drive down to some old posts where Dallas spray-paints our victim on the cardboard and nails him to a post. He makes sure I've got my ear plugs in before he fires off the first couple of rounds. Then it's my turn! Now his gun is much louder and bigger with more kick than the first one I'd practiced with, so he shows me all about how it works before I step up to the proverbial plate. I was a little nervous about this one, so he stays behind me and keeps his hands on mine while I aim and pull the trigger. Turns out I am awesooooooooome at shooting! No, no... that was a lie. But someday I will be!

We took the long way home, enjoying the break in the heat, stopped by our land and chatted with our neighbors, and listened to the puppies play in the back seat. Bliss!

But the deal is, being out there with him, feeling calmer because of his presence alone, taking our time, enjoying the sights and smells, taking some time away from the house, from "reality", focusing on simpler things, did my soul such good.

But isn't it funny how worry creeps back in with night fall? When it's bedtime and your mind has nothing else to do but think? I whispered to Dallas that my stupid brain was at it again. And as always, he reassured me that "everything will work out". And would you believe I'm inclined to believe him? We always give this stuff up in prayer, but it's awful nice to have a hand to hold on to when you fall asleep.

Listen to me here, ladies. You can't have mine.. But don't you ever settle down until you find a country boy of your very own.