By Elisha Smith, former staff member
I don’t usually reflect much on the abundant amenities of where I live. Generally I take the wide open spaces, fresh air, breathtaking sunsets and a myriad of other things for granted.
But a recent Rural Housewives article reminded me of the many benefits that small town and rural living provide that are easy to overlook. There are the obvious things like beautiful landscapes, bright stars at night, friendly people, knowing your neighbors and so on.
Then there's the less obvious...little things that are unique to small towns that our urban counterparts probably can’t imagine.
Little things like tabs, charge accounts and accepting checks. Most stores and cafes in small towns still honor these. And the act of bartering is another viable payment option…
Speaking of bartering, just the other day I traded home raised ground beef (raised in my backyard) for farm fresh eggs. And I can’t count the times my husband has baled someone's hay, gathered cattle for others, fixed a neighbor's fence or lent out equipment in exchange for another service or critter.
Recently after baling hay for a neighbor, we received a pony as payment! Now I can’t say for sure, beings I don’t reside in a city, but I highly doubt that an animal qualifies as an acceptable form of payment there...
So during this month of thanks instead of focusing on what our small towns may lack, why not be thankful for all the wonderful small things that only a small town can provide?
