Toto we’re not in Fort Lauderdale anymore

When moving from a big metropolitan city to a rural area, it doesn’t take long to see that there is a real difference in lifestyles. Things like people dressed like cowboys even though there’s no rodeo in town, beef jerky-sushi joints, highway road kill every 300 or so feet, towns closing up at 5 pm and nothing open on Sundays, rebel flag clothes, Carhartts, Carhartts, Carhartts, and still more Carhartts.

Toto we’re not in Fort Lauderdale anymore:

I went to Wal-Mart to buy some food.  As I was walking down one of the aisles, a female employee bent down to pick up a box and as her shirt rode up a very large tattoo on her back was revealed.  Not the usual tribal work you see on most girls back home but it was a huge tattoo of a Peterbuilt 18 wheeler complete with floodlights and the trailer.

Another time, I was at our local supermarket and an older lady asked an employee where she could find a certain kind of spice and unaware to the customer it was right behind her.  And, I kid you not, she turned around and said, “Well I’ll be bit by a snake.”

Mayberry at its best:

Last week, we went to a parade in the downtown.  I was walking back to the car and I notice an older, mature looking lady parked in the middle of the road talking on her cell phone.  As I approached the car from the sidewalk side, a sheriff walked up to her on the driver’s side.  Well coming from South Florida, I figured he was going to taser her and have her car towed.  But, without skipping a beat, she said in a very stern voice, “Eric did you enjoy those peppers I send home to you?” His reply, “Yes ma’am.  I ate them in a day and a half” and he kept on walking down the street.

I bet that lady changed that man’s diapers.  You have to love these people; they’re so real, so middle America.

Big sale we couldn’t miss:

A couple of weeks ago we went to a “Midnight Blowout Sale” that was held between 9 and 10pm.  After all, farmers get up early … real early.

This past weekend I went to the local lumber yard and while I was at the counter, a man and his son walked in and asked for a bunch of two by fours.  The counter man asks, “How long?”  The man looked at his son and then back to the counterman, hesitated and said, “A long time … we’re building a house.”

Okay, I made the last story up but you could see how enjoyable it is for us anyway to live in a small town atmosphere.  The people are pleasant and sweet.  They are genuine and sincere.  This place is beautiful and full of adventure.  

And we’re happy to be part of it.