5 Things I Hate about Living in the Country
by Jenni
Today I’m writing a different kind of post than usual. Yes, living on this 30-acres is a dream come true. But it isn’t always perfectly rosy. So in the interest of full disclosure, here are the top 5 Things I Hate about Living in the Country:
- 5. Encountering Death—Perhaps what inspired this post was my recent encounter with a decapitated bunny rabbit in the driveway. What sick beast would catch a little cotton tail and rip off it’s head and fluffy tail, only to leave it to rot? (Winston’s disinterest in the carcass pleads his innocence, but he could be trying to fool me.) Dead mice have become a normal part of my landscape now (outside the house only…so far). Gentle Winston has twice brought me a rabbit love offering–one survived, the other did not and I had to dispose of its body. (I walked it to the field across the street and then tripped and sprained my ankle. Double grr.) Then there’s the time I was the killer–the property owner and I decided we needed to take the clutch of eggs away from one of the turkey hens who’d turned broody. I felt so terrible snatching her seven eggs which might have been growing little baby turkeys inside! And she was right to cluck and bawk angrily at me for doing so. She and I are working on regaining trust, but it’s a long road.
This is what Turkey Hate looks like.
- 4. Frog Plagues—Frogs are kinda cute, when there’s just one or two of them hopping by. As a kid, I even liked to catch frogs and build them little kingdoms complete with doll furniture, lakes and rock islands. But when the frogs gather on your turf in hordes, they lose any resemblance to Prince Charming. About a dozen frogs live on the north side of our front porch. They like to take naps behind the pillows on my chairs. They like to stare up at me for minutes and then actually jump at me, like a cat wanting to get on my lap. What is up with that?! I had a minor meltdown a few weeks back when we were having breakfast on the porch and I was “attacked” by three slippery, slimey frogs in less than five minutes. Poor Seth was aghast at his wife’s shocking display of intolerance for the harmless creatures. Maybe it’s an archetypal response passed down through the generations from when Egypt was cursed with the plague of frogs. Whatever, they’re disgusting.
- 3. Rattlesnakes—Okay, so I haven’t actually seen any on our property yet, but I dread the day. There’s no denying, this is rattlesnake country. Whenever I’m out walking on our trail, stepping over a rock, or entering the woodshed, I can’t help but wonder if there’s a big nasty snake there, coiled and ready to strike me with its deadly venom.
Quaint structure or Rattlesnake lair?
- 2. Funny Smells—Let’s just say there’s a reason chicken s**t has a bad rap—it does not smell good! And turkey poop is even worse, in my opinion. But worst of all is that our darling Winston thinks that dried up turkey turds are a tasty snack, so his breath and gas reek like hell on wings—I know, grosser than gross!!! Sorry you even had to read that, but it’s not half as bad as smelling it in your living room at night when you’re trying to relax after dinner!
- 1. Separation—The gas mileage it takes to get into Madras and back–let alone to Sisters or Bend where my dear family and many friends (and stores) are located–adds up fast. One weekend we spent nearly $100 on gas just for “local” excursions. Ouch! Living further away from Mom & Dad, my sister’s family, and so many wonderful friends is definitely my least favorite thing. I miss being able to step out my door and run into people we know and love. Proximity plays a big role in how much time we spend together.
After typing out these five complaints, my fingers are itching to redeem every single “con” with a dozen lovely “pros.” That’s probably because as my sister pointed out on our old blog (www.FindtheFound.org), I am a “nearly pathological optimist” who looks for the silver lining in every cloud. But this blog is more or less dedicated to celebrating what I love about life, so today we’re just gonna let it be kinda dark and stormy. Afterall, Under the Apricot is about receiving the blessing of this moment in all its “sweet-tart” glory. Maybe acknowledging the tart in life helps us appreciate the sweetness even more. In any event, I hope you get a kick out of commiserating with me over my ick list for the day and that it didn’t leave you too depressed or grossed out. 
“Shall we receive good from God and shall we not receive evil also?” Job 2:10
Ha! I LOVE Complaining Jenni! You are so funny and cute. And you even almost cursed a little bit. You have blessed my day with your transparency. Though, to balance things out, I live in perhaps the most urban setting available in Central Oregon and instead of being plagued with frogs, we have a delightful abundance of spiders. So, could be worse.
Dear Jenni, I can relate to your dislikes of a farm, been there. Know you have many more things you love about farm life, so do your best to focus on those.
If we didn’t have rain we wouldn’t have rainbows.
Today is a miserable day in Kansas with very strong winds and I am wishing I were somewhere else.
Have a great day and know I love you and your in my thoughts and prayers every day. grama
“If we didn’t have rain we wouldn’t have rainbows.”
Indeed!
Jenni
I love reading your Blogs… today especially hit home as you know I am a country girl myself. I have encountered the frogs when opening our screen doors they plop right on my head. Now I always open the door and let the frog plop on the ground. And yes I HAVE encountered rattlesnakes.. We lived in our house 10 years without really seeing one but this summer was different. We definitely had a wake up call which was good. Unfortunately I know all about them now! Everyone in our neighborhood has said it is a rattlesnake year….. Thank you so much for the delicious peach and rasp jam. I went on a hike a few weeks ago and my pb and j was delicious because of you!
Love u!
Thanks Cathy, I am sure you can relate! We learn to adapt, don’t we? Now every time before I sit in a porch chair, I check behind the pillow for froggies first.
Love you, too, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the jam.
Oh Jenni…You make me laugh! I can only imagine the hardships of farm life but know that they will make great stories to laugh about over dinner and campfires
I am love your transparency and think this is one of your most beautiful characteristics!
Love you,
C
ps…Stealth is a great rattlesnake hunter…pretty soon he’ll have that barn decorated with lots of snake skins
or maybe he’ll make you a pair of cool snakeskin cowboy boots 
Definitely some good stories in the making, Chris.
And you’re right about Seth’s rattle snake hunting skills. We were hiking in a nearby canyon recently & came across a baby rattler on the path, which we cruelly decided to not allow to grow big and bite someone next time. So he did away with it quite tidily. Not so sure I want reminders of them around the place, though (snakeskins)! haha
Haha, the part about the bad dog gas made me laugh! Sounds pretty bad, I admit, I would also HATE frogs attacking me! Good to remember that life isn’t perfect for anyone, but we make the best of what we have!
I don’t think I will ever be able to look at Winston the same. Turkey poop snacks. That can be an appitizer at his pooch wedding, should there ever be one.
Oh Jenni this made me laugh so hard. The turkey photo was hillarious as you could really see the anger in her expression. Your friendly frogs fascinate me but I have had them in much smaller doses than you. I loved your transparency and cant wait for the next one.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes to all five. Just yesterday as we were digging up sweet potatoes, we opened up a nest of baby mice, scampering toward their mother who had long left them. Soon after, farm dog and farm kitty enjoyed snacks. And I almost teared up over mice! My husband just kept saying, look away… concentrate on the sweet potatoes. He knows me too well.
Ugh, I can so relate to that! It’s one of those bizarre situations that only happens in the country!
Hi Jenni,
What a wonderful post…and I can relate (even out here on the east coast) to 4 out of the 5! Growning up my whole life in DC, I was so not prepared for rural southwest Virginia! Forget the culture shock, there’s not enough words for that. But having a huge (6 ft) black snake sitting out on our back deck almost gave me a heart attack! (Craig says “it won’t hurt you!”) Ummm, I don’t think so, get rid of the snake.
We now take Darcy (our lab) out on a leash, otherwise deer droppings are the “poop de jour.” The name of our road is Deer Crossing Trail and since all of the other “neighbors” hunt the deer on their property, somehow the word is out that our land is hunt-free. So “poop de jour” abounds.
And I know it was inevitable, but I hit my first deer a week ago. I’ve been traumatized ever since. He wasn’t dead, but he couldn’t get up. I had no idea what to do. I wanted to go sit with him and rub his head (as I’m bawling my eyes out). But that just made him try to get up and I determined deer don’t want our pity. I finally called our local sheriff’s office (all two of them) and they said they would come out and take care of it. I think they thought I was crazy when I said I was waiting here with the deer because I didn’t want anyone to hit him again. A guy on a tractor comes by and stops (it’s 6:00 pm, dark as can be and I’m thinking, what’s he doing on a tractor now?) But he stopped and wanted to know if I was all right, which I appreciated, until he mentioned that the deer was a “youngun’” and he would be very tender…yes more tears. Two more men come walking out of nowhere, they heard the bang (I didn’t realize it made noise) and wanted to come see what happened. They asked if I was Ok, which I appreciated, until I asked if a vet could set a deer’s leg and watched them all have a good laugh. I cry harder. So I wait until the officer’s come, they make sure the car is driveable and tell me to “go on now, we’ll take care of this.” It finally hit me what that meant AND that the three gentleman were probably waiting for the meat. I cried all the way to church and sat in the parking lot crying until the service was over. Farm livin’ ain’t the life for me!!!
After 10 years, I’m starting to find the good things about country life, but I’m with you, there IS a downside!