We moved to Georgia a decade ago. Being from southern California, I had to adjust a little to the South. Folks say “Hey,” and “fixin to” and “I might could”. My children were born here and are Georgia natives. They have accents. As for me, after ten years in the state, I do say “y’all” and I like sweet tea.

Things got even more different for me in 2001, when we moved from a subdivision in the sprawl of metro Atlanta to the country. Now we live on over five acres of forest on a dirt road outside of a tiny town with no stoplight.

NASCAR is king out here.

Some locals have more guns than teeth.

Even our native Georgia friends will say it’s different out here. I think they really do expect to hear the “Deliverance” theme when they approach the house.

What I really love is the connection to God’s creation. There is no separation between our life and that of the animals around us. On our property, we regularly see deer, rabbits, possums, chipmunks, lizards, the occasional snake, and more squirrels than we can count. We see and hear birds all year, including a few hawks every day. And the trill of tree frogs is the soundtrack of our summer.

Being so close to “the wild” does have its drawbacks. The squirrels eat all the food out of the bird feeder and bury acorns in the flower garden. My daughter once almost stepped on a black snake (non-poisonous) on the welcome mat. We killed one copperhead (poisonous) next to the kids’ sandbox. And mice keep trying to invade the dog food bins in the garage.

Plus, Bob the dog has way too many opportunities to roll in dead things in the surrounding woods and pastures. He also brings home turtles from the river, and if we don’t take them away from him, he manages to consume all but the shell. Then he smells, oddly, of fish. Good times.

But it’s all worth it when I look out the window at dusk to see a doe with two spotted fawns on the edge of the meadow. As I sneak out the door, all three heads snap to attention. Even though I try to stand perfectly still, they won’t relax and graze again. The mommas with babies are so cautious. Slowly and silently they slip into the woods and then freeze, their silhouettes fading in the waning light. Eventually I turn around and go back in the house with a smile on my face.

I love it here.