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"If I want to piss off my back porch, I can do it without an audience!" The image strikes a pose that is certainly not akin to the idyllic Norman Rockwell theme of rural America. I must admit the action itself is not a priority of mine, but the implied liberties attributed to openly relieving oneself unconfined by watchful neighbors are a luxury few know. That is, of course, the male perspective of country living. In reality, regardless of gender or social stature, the sights, sounds, and experiences of rural life have more than the generic appeal of toileting. We all desire the unrestricted ease and demeanor assigned to Rockwell's portraiture.
A humble abode nestled behind the white picket fence is not practical in today's lifestyle. But a man possessing and independently laboring over land for sustenance and comfort is rewarding in itself. A weed-spattered garden shows no care or concern for the things that the soil produces; but the tender green reaffirms the soul of a farming man by its very presence. Perhaps it was Twain that said, "The most satisfying thing a man can grow on his land is his own shadow." Even the shadow finds its reward growing from twilight sparged across the evening sky, as a remnant of testimony that the day was not a total waste of time or effort.
Aside from the satisfaction of eating from the harvest of your own work and sweat, a rural home permits you the experience of interacting with nature around you. Share the leavings from an evening meal with the local momma bear at three a.m., along with the musical accompaniment of the garbage can lid clattering across the lawn. Wake to see deer have enjoyed consuming the tender branches on your newly planted Red Haven peach trees. Startle the bandit coons in your almost ready-to-harvest corn rows as you stroll in the half-moon night. Or inadvertently tramp on the tail of a black snake, disturbing his afternoon sunbath. Your rude intrusion unnerves your trek across the lawn as well.
But all is not lost in frustrations. Nature gives us little glimpses of gentler beings. Watch across the yard; see that mother hen scratching the dust with her fuzzy brood behind her?
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