Because my husband and I spent the first 30 years of our lives on a farm, it was a bit of a culture shock when we moved to the city. For years, we were accustomed to burning our garbage in a back yard incinerator. Our neighbors in the city were shocked at how blatantly we disobeyed city ordinances by burning our trash in the back yard whenever we felt like it. Finally one of our neighbors who was the city attorney asked us if were aware of the city’s “no burn” ordinance. My husband asked him, “What do we do with our grass clippings, leaves, and cardboard boxes?” He suggested that we get a recycle bin or an extra garbage but Kyle wasn’t particularly fond of either of those ideas but finally consented to get an extra garbage.
We also used to shoot BB guns when we were on the farm whenever we wanted to. When we moved to the city, there was a dog that was sneakily pooping on our lawn. When Kyle finally caught the dog in the act, he stung its butt with a BB gun which didn’t go over too great in the neighborhood either. Consequently, the only time we shoot BB guns is when we go to visit grandma and grandpa on the farm.
And to top it all off, we had to change our potty habits. Growing up with nature and plenty of space, our boys never gave a second thought to peeing outdoors (it’s not like in the city where bathrooms are close by). So the city neighbors were more than shocked when our boys would pee outside as they were accustomed to doing in the country. One day, there was a knock on the door. It was our next door neighbor to tell us Ben, who was 6-years-old, was peeing in his yard. Kyle lightheartedly said, “Oh you’d prefer my son not fertilize your lawn. We’ll have to work on that”. We called a family meeting to explain the importance of ONLY going to the bathroom in the house. I am sure there were many whispered conversations about the country folks down on the corner, but since we put away the BB gun and have quit burning and peeing in the back yard, we have been accepted as a part of the community.
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haha Ben told me the story of him peeing in the neighbors yard. Too funny.
This is too funny!
And my dad, who has never lived in the country, is prone to shooting the neighborhood cats with a BB gun
It’s too bad your dad wasn’t our neighbor………….he probably would have understood us.