April 2, 2007
12:14 pm • Filed under: Uncategorized
So…I was a crazy mama treking her children all over Saturday and Sunday. I live in a “mountain community,” which translates to, “neighbors who live far far away.” My daughter had a birthday party to attend to so I drove her over to her friend’s house Saturday afternoon.
After driving for almost thirty (!!) minutes we finally got there. Man! Then I went grocery shopping, turned around and went back to get her. Talk about a drive.
Then Sunday I went down into Fresno to see my friend’s new house. Beautiful. Great neighborhood. Kids had a good time playing with her kids, though all four of them were whiny. Gotta love the two to four age group, huh?
Anyway, looking around her neighborhood, the proximity to everything made me wish for a moment that I lived in the city. In a nice neighborhood where it takes me five minutes to get to Starbucks, ten minutes to get to Target, etc. Where the kids could walk to school. Where they could walk to their friend’s house to play (versus a thirt minute drive!).
But then I saw the neighbor’s kid peeking through a hole in the fence spying on us, and the dog yapping in the other neighbor’s yard. How we had to talk quietly so no one could hear us if we were talking about said neighbor, and how we had to shush the kids when they got too loud.
At my house you can talk loudly about anyone you want, they’re not gonna hear you. And my kids can whoop and holler all day long, no one is going to get mad. Well, maybe except for me. Ha ha.
So I guess I’m not ready for city living. Yet.
Anna J. Evans says:
Yeah, 2 to 4 year olds. Blechk! My son is usually okay as long as he takes his nap, but my 8 year old seems to never have left the whiney stage behind so there’s not much of a rest for the whine-weary around our house. I envy your quiet! Ack…I’m about to set out across our crowded suburb and poison a few dogs who yap all night!
Anna
Stacy Dawn says:
LOL. I know EXACTLY what you mean!
Shelli Stevens says:
See I’m so jealous about where you live. I WISH I lived in the country or mountains. I’m such a suburb wench it sucks.
Emma Sinclair says:
Hmm, I actually judge a place to live by how long it takes me to get to Target.
I’m about 5 minutes away right now - would be less if it weren’t for stupid stop lights.
I’m a city girl (although I live in suburbia now). I couldn’t imagine driving 30 minutes to get ANYWHERE!
Julie S says:
LOL, you know me, the denser the better! Wide open spaces scare the crap out of me.
And proximity to Target and Starbucks are of great importance.
Samantha Lucas says:
That sounds perfect, Karen. Though, I gave up Los Angeles for a town of 1,500 people. lol
Robin L. Rotham says:
Hey, I have to drive 100 miles to get to an actual Starbucks! It takes us ten minutes to get to town, where we’ve got a Subway, a Pizza Hut, and a little family-owned Mexican restaurant. That’s it. Otherwise, Town, with Target and Wal-Mart, is 30 minutes away.
Sometimes I’d love to live in town, but then I remember that I’d have to close the blinds every night and keep the lawn manicured and worry about where the kids got off to. I’ll stay here, thanks.
Cora Zane says:
I miss city living. I grew up around Shreveport and everything was “right there”. We’d rifle through the paper - oh, hey, look what’s going on today; that looks like fun! It seems there was always something to do. However, the crime is a draw back. Neighborhoods tend to go down pretty quick. So for that, I don’t mind my small town living so much.
JENNA says:
My house is packed in tight between two others. Luckily, we have amazing naighbors. When they move, I think we will too…
…must say…they all knew when BigBoy had colic. He was that loud. One of the neighbors has 4 adult kids…her tracking me to the mailbox for a hug and reminder that it only lasts about a month really saved my sanity. So, sometimes it can be a good thing. But, only if there are no weird kids peeping!
Kelley says:
I like to have neighbors and stores close to my house. When I lived in Oregon at one time I lived far away from stores etc. It drove me crazy. Its is so much more beautiful and peacful though.
Tempest Knight says:
I live in a small town. It’s sometimes a bit overwhelming, but I like it.
Melissa Marsh says:
I grew up on a farm, and longed for the city. Now that I live in the city, I long for the quiet days on the farm - but I only need them every once in awhile. I thrive on the city’s energy.
Isabelle Santiago says:
ROFL. That was priceless.
I live in the city, in a townhouse/condo next to neighbors who fight all the time, who’s weed smoking habits are made evident from the fumes in the vents, and who’s two dogs are most certainly gay. Sometimes, I wish I lived in the country. But then I realize the silence might scare me to death.
Ericka Scott says:
I’d feel a little isolated living “way out there”. . .but then we go camping and I get it out of my system. I like visiting the quiet, just don’t know if I could live it!
April says:
I have neighbors who wash their car at 7AM on Saturdays and they feel the need to entertain themselves with music. Every time we consider a new house, it’s always one with LOTS of space between us and anyone else!
Although we probably won’t ever move completely out of the city, it would be nice to not wake up to Cool And The Gang at 7AM on Saturdays.
Lillian Feisty says:
I visited my old neighborhood last night and I felt positively claustrophobic. Choose space over Target, I say.
Isabella Snow says:
Being from Bklyn I always thought I felt more comfortable in tight spaces. Now I live in a suburbish part of a city (if that makes sense) and I’ve realized I am insane around lots of people.
I’m probably insane no matter what, but at least fewer people see it out here.