Skoal Rings and Billfolds

OMG. We just went to see Country Strong. While the critics might not like it so much, it was one of the most real and honest movies I have seen in a long time. Aside from the heartbreakingly beautiful story it told, all I can say is HOT DAMN, I miss the south. Everything about it. The way southern people are so wonderful, the way it's okay to wear head-to-toe denim and have Dolly Parton sized hair, the accents, the hospitality, how people go out of their way to hold the door, the Nashville skyline, the honky tonks, the way they love their country music, and most of all, the way you feel when you're there.

And, since we're being honest, the country boys with their worn out jeans and scruffy beards don't hurt the situation. Not one bit.

Finding Home

I think it's safe to say that I've lived a fairly mobile life. With growing up in the military, moving every so often, and then on to seven years of higher education that involved moving in and out of a new place every year (and moving to CGT for the interim summers), I have gotten quite used to remaining unattached to my places of residence. And so the time has come again, after one year of living in Maryland, to find a new dwelling.

Now let me first say that, once again, this is one of those "life" decisions that I would prefer someone else make on my behalf. I'm not sure why, but I find it incredibly difficult to make decisions in my own life. So that results in me putting them off until it's almost too late. Back in October I made the decision to not stay where I am for another year. There were a variety of reasons for my choice, but the final straw was that the apartment complex in which I was living in was going to start charging a monthly payment processing fee. So I decided to NOT start paying to pay my rent.

I looked for a while for a place that would hold all my stuff (and I do mean ALL), was in a reasonable driving distance to both of my offices, and where I would be happy. And now, a little over two weeks since I moved into the new place - affectionately referred to as "The Farm" - I can safely say that for the first time in a long time, it feels like home.

So many people find it hard to believe. I live literally in the middle of nowhere. So much in the middle of nowhere that the two local post offices are battling it out to decide who will be delivering my mail. I live half a mile down a dead end dirt road. My closest neighbors are the sheep in the back yard. And I live there all by myself.

Now, while I don't ever see myself being able to give anyone a definitive answer as to where I am "from"....I can at least say that for now, this is home.