Lately I've been reflecting on my childhood.
I was thinking about how my childhood was filled with the Country music of the 90's, which is my very favorite kind of Counrty music. You know the type. Garth Brooks, Reba, Brooks and Dunn, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Collin Raye, etc. These were the tunes of my childhood and I love them with my whole heart and being. And, though most of their stuff was prior to the 90's we can't forget about Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I mean, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band pretty much is my childhood. We can also throw Foreigner in there, even though that has nothing to do with anything else I'm going to be talking about.
And all of this got me thinking about Country music. I mean, it was sort of on my mind anyway, since it's summertime and that's pretty much all I listen to when it's summertime, but I thought about that song by Tracy Byrd. You know the one. I'm From the Country. Every time I hear that song I think about my childhood, my family, my roots, my very essence. But, for the longest time I could not figure out why. I mean, you guys, I grew up in the suburbs.
But, last night I finally figured it out. I like to think that I grew up as country as I could have, while not actually growing up in the country.
Please observe my childhood:
My childhood friends and I never knocked on each other's doors. We just walked right in.
My dad loves to hunt and fish. Let's just say I didn't eat as much actual beef from the store as a regular child. Not that I minded, I mean I'd gladly take fish, pheasant, duck, or deer of beef any day of the week.
Also, my dad is a Taxidermist.
I kid you not, my mom seems to know everyone in town. You cannot go anywhere without her bumping into someone she knows.
I spent my summers out on the lake. Sometimes I'd fish, but mostly I read while others fished.
Summer was also filled with BBQ's galore, and they're still one of my favorite things about summer.
Camp fires. There was always so much sitting around the camp fire!
When I was born my family had three dogs. Three dogs and one child. That's how it always was, more dogs than kids.
Once we actually had chickens. I specifically remember using their eggs to color at Easter time one year.
Summer nights were almost always spent outside on the deck.
My Dad had a really spectacular garden one year. Garden veggies are the very very best.
People in the country work hard, I mean, we're talking working to the bone here. But, they also play hard. Working hard and playing hard describe my family to a T.
My parents actually used to wear cowboy hats and cowboy boots. Like, all of the time.
And, for crying out loud, there was a fair amount of line dancing in my life.
And you know what? I would never trade any of it. Not for a second. I love this life. I love my roots.
I guess the point is, I'm a country kind of person living in a suburb world. When I was younger I always dreamt about living in a big city. And then, one day I moved to Salt Lake City (not even downtown in the city, mind you) and it became very clear, very quickly that I wasn't a city girl like I had thought. This is probably why Cache Valley has always been so appealing to me and why I sometimes secretly daydreamed about living in Heber City. I have a country soul and that is that.
And, do you know what I'm realizing just now? Country life is at its finest in the Summertime. The fond memories I listed above primarily happened during the Summer.
Right now I'm wondering if it's as clear to you as it is to me that I don't know exactly what I'm getting at with this. Because, this started out about Country life and now it's going to be about Summer.
Do you know what song I love that I think describes the perfect Summer?
Mayberry, by Rascal Flats.
I miss Mayberry
Sitting on the porch drinking
Ice cold Cherry Coke
Where everything is black and white
Picking on a six string
Where people pass by and you call
Them by their first name
Watching the clouds roll by
Does that not paint a picture of the perfect Summer Tuesday night? And, this has all got me thinking that I really want my kids to have these kind of Summers. Slow, warm, friendly, sunny, hard working, hard playing Summers.
The Mayberry kind of Summers.
I was thinking about how my childhood was filled with the Country music of the 90's, which is my very favorite kind of Counrty music. You know the type. Garth Brooks, Reba, Brooks and Dunn, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Collin Raye, etc. These were the tunes of my childhood and I love them with my whole heart and being. And, though most of their stuff was prior to the 90's we can't forget about Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I mean, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band pretty much is my childhood. We can also throw Foreigner in there, even though that has nothing to do with anything else I'm going to be talking about.
And all of this got me thinking about Country music. I mean, it was sort of on my mind anyway, since it's summertime and that's pretty much all I listen to when it's summertime, but I thought about that song by Tracy Byrd. You know the one. I'm From the Country. Every time I hear that song I think about my childhood, my family, my roots, my very essence. But, for the longest time I could not figure out why. I mean, you guys, I grew up in the suburbs.
But, last night I finally figured it out. I like to think that I grew up as country as I could have, while not actually growing up in the country.
Please observe my childhood:
My childhood friends and I never knocked on each other's doors. We just walked right in.
My dad loves to hunt and fish. Let's just say I didn't eat as much actual beef from the store as a regular child. Not that I minded, I mean I'd gladly take fish, pheasant, duck, or deer of beef any day of the week.
Also, my dad is a Taxidermist.
I kid you not, my mom seems to know everyone in town. You cannot go anywhere without her bumping into someone she knows.
I spent my summers out on the lake. Sometimes I'd fish, but mostly I read while others fished.
Summer was also filled with BBQ's galore, and they're still one of my favorite things about summer.
Camp fires. There was always so much sitting around the camp fire!
When I was born my family had three dogs. Three dogs and one child. That's how it always was, more dogs than kids.
Once we actually had chickens. I specifically remember using their eggs to color at Easter time one year.
Summer nights were almost always spent outside on the deck.
My Dad had a really spectacular garden one year. Garden veggies are the very very best.
People in the country work hard, I mean, we're talking working to the bone here. But, they also play hard. Working hard and playing hard describe my family to a T.
My parents actually used to wear cowboy hats and cowboy boots. Like, all of the time.
And, for crying out loud, there was a fair amount of line dancing in my life.
And you know what? I would never trade any of it. Not for a second. I love this life. I love my roots.
I guess the point is, I'm a country kind of person living in a suburb world. When I was younger I always dreamt about living in a big city. And then, one day I moved to Salt Lake City (not even downtown in the city, mind you) and it became very clear, very quickly that I wasn't a city girl like I had thought. This is probably why Cache Valley has always been so appealing to me and why I sometimes secretly daydreamed about living in Heber City. I have a country soul and that is that.
And, do you know what I'm realizing just now? Country life is at its finest in the Summertime. The fond memories I listed above primarily happened during the Summer.
Right now I'm wondering if it's as clear to you as it is to me that I don't know exactly what I'm getting at with this. Because, this started out about Country life and now it's going to be about Summer.
Do you know what song I love that I think describes the perfect Summer?
Mayberry, by Rascal Flats.
I miss Mayberry
Sitting on the porch drinking
Ice cold Cherry Coke
Where everything is black and white
Picking on a six string
Where people pass by and you call
Them by their first name
Watching the clouds roll by
Does that not paint a picture of the perfect Summer Tuesday night? And, this has all got me thinking that I really want my kids to have these kind of Summers. Slow, warm, friendly, sunny, hard working, hard playing Summers.
The Mayberry kind of Summers.
1 comment:
Love that song. What a grt childhood!! I love the closeness of not even having to knock, and being able to leave your doors unlocked!! Some aspects of country living rare so appealing to me :)
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