It takes skill to live in the country

There are so many Flagsrus banners, flags, mailbox covers, and doormats that depict beautiful country scenes. Living out in the country is  great, and there’s no doubt about that, but it does take a lot of ingenuity and creativity to live in the country.

For one thing, there are a lot of things that need to be maintained and repaired when you live away from town. That is both a reality and a source of pride for country dwellers. Farmers are notorious for being able to keep things working; country dwellers are cast in that same mold.

Most country places have several machines that make living out of town possible. You may have a snow blower for example, a riding mower, a wood splitter, roto tiller, and other tools that you rely on.  If you live 10 or 20 miles from a hardware store or repair shop, you tend to learn how to fix things on your own or make do until you get into town.

I had an experience with that recently. My second hand riding mower was in danger of becoming a yard ornament. It kept throwing the belt off that drove the mower deck, rendering it useless. I wound up mowing my large yard with a push mower. After replacing the belt on the rider several times (I was getting pretty good at it), I decided to investigate. I dropped the mower deck off and could see right away that a bracket meant to keep the belt snugly in a pulley was bent way out of shape and thus not doing its job at all.

I ordered the part I needed, put the belt on, and solved the problem. Boy, that felt good. The satisfaction that comes from being self-reliant is one of the best things about living in the country. No one knows it all, but people who live in the country are constantly problem solving and learning more of what it takes to be more independent.

So when I see the great decorations that Flagrus has about country living, I think of all the work that’s involved in keeping a place up, and I also eagerly look forward to learning more country skills. I'm pretty sure I'm going to need them.