My First Year as a Country Girl

On December 26, 2012 I packed up my Toyota rental car with my belongings. Droo, my Cocker Spaniel, rode shotgun buckled in with his Sherpa-lined winter harness. Buddy, my Chihuahua, rode in the backseat tucked into his bed and blankets all nice and cozy and we set out on our journey across the country. We left SUNNY Southern California to start a new life in the Midwest. I planned to drive straight through to Illinois with only quick stops along the way to take potty breaks and little naps. I love to drive and my "boys" love to ride in the car so it was not all that crazy for me to do. Just me and my dogs on an adventure across the country. But 3 days in the car did get to be a little too much and Droo got a "time-out" in the front seat for bad behavior. I was in Kansas and still several hours away from my destination on the 3rd night feeling very tired so I found a hotel that allowed dogs in the room and we spent the night. Buddy did not want to get back in the car the next morning so we had a little drama but I finally convinced him that getting his collar and leash back on was going to happen one way or another and we WERE getting back in the car. Once he was back in his cozy bed he was happy again and settled in for the last leg of the trip. Droo hates time-outs so he was on his best behavior. We arrived in Quincy, Illinois on December 29, 2012. I left a decade of overwhelming (and honestly quite unbelievable) traumas, losses and tragedies behind.

December 30, 2013... My first year in the Midwest. I have a very good sense of humor. My "brother" (well, we have adopted each other as siblings though we were not born into the same family) says I had to grow into my funny. Over the years I learned to make a joke out of everything that happened and see the humor in all things... I'm grateful for that. I laugh at myself all the time and that makes everyone around me laugh. That is a good thing because life in the Midwest is so completely different from Southern California living and I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. It's not just "country living" that is different, oh no, it is a whole different way of thinking and feeling and doing and saying and EATING! I used to be considered a good cook. In fact, I was somewhat of a gourmet cook. In the Midwest that doesn't fly. I learned quickly that "gourmet" here means "not edible". The "meat and potatoes" diet is for real! I used to make mashed potatoes once a year, on Thanksgiving. I am now the Mashed Potatoes Queen! I didn't eat a lot of red meat in California and a good steak was a rare treat. Red meat makes up more than 50% of my diet now. I'm not complaining just stating facts. I have gained 10 lbs on this "meat and potatoes" diet! (Fortunately my guy likes my "curves"). I make a killer meatloaf now and this summer I made spaghetti sauce from our homegrown tomatoes!

We joke about my naivete of country living in the Midwest constantly. Every single day I learn something new and we call it my Midwest Country Lesson of the day. Yesterday I learned about decoys. A flock of geese in the cornfield... all decoys... to bring in the geese flying over so they will come in to eat. In California if you heard a gunshot you took cover and called the police. Here gunshots are such a normal sound no one even notices them, except me of course. You see, hunting here is not a seasonal thing... it is a way of life. You are either a hunter or you're not and a hunter is always thinking about it... I mean it is just part of your life and thinking about the way the wind is blowing, where the deer are or the turkeys or the geese, the ducks, the doves, the pheasant... thinking about it is as natural as breathing.

The other day I learned about "Sale Barns" and I was in hysterics... sleep deprivation did play a small part in that. Now if you say "sale" to a California Beach Girl she thinks racks and shelves of items with neon colored signs showing slashed prices... CLEARANCE 60-75% off. Now just imagine the vision I had of going to the "Sale Barn" to purchase calves on sale. And not just calves, there are all kinds of animals... pigs, cows, goats, llamas, horses, sheep, possibly a giraffe or a camel... Oh my! I was in hysterical tears. And my boyfriend, his mother and his brother were laughing at me! But, seriously... can't you just imagine a Clearance Sale on animals in a barn?

I should have kept a daily journal this year of all my Midwest Country Lessons. I really did learn at least one new thing every single day! And it made my new family laugh at me all the time :) ... I provide the entertainment just by being a silly girl from California. I learned about Hayrack Rides... I didn't even know what a Hayrack was! I learned about farming and farm equipment. I learned about weather patterns and when Midwesterners say it is going to get cold they mean single digits, oh and that means with the wind chill factor it "feels like" below zero. It's a different language. I learned about tornadoes and green skies and winds out of the North or South, or East or West. I learned that produce is not a natural commodity in abundance here like it is in So Cal. That was a hard lesson for me. I could not get it into my head that fresh produce is not always available here. What do you mean you don't know what shallots are? What do you mean apples are not in season? What the heck is going on here? I can't get fresh lettuce? LOL! Yep... I am that silly California girl!

But the sunsets are more beautiful than I could imagine. I thought I would miss my Cali sunsets but I do not! The sunsets here are gorgeous! And I LOVE the country! I can't imagine a more beautiful and serene place to live with a lake out the front door and a farm out the back door. I saw a skunk crossing the road the other night and I squealed with delight. I see deer almost every time we drive into town. Last winter there were Bald Eagles on the lake. Last week there were Swans on the lake! I love the snow and I was absolutely blown away by the fall colors! Rabbits live in our yard. The lake is full of turtles. There was a Great Blue Heron here all summer. There are 3 different kinds of geese but I can't identify them yet.

I am learning to cook in a whole new way. I feel like I am 18 again and starting all over with no experience. I let him do the frying because I am just not comfortable with hot oil but it's fun to be cooking together. We found The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) on Food Network and now I have her latest cookbook. We try her recipes and follow her ways of cooking. She is an "accidental country girl" like me so I feel a kinship with her.

The "boys" are adjusting to life here. They love exploring the big backyard and chasing rabbits and squirrels. It's been a challenge to get them to understand boundaries. In California there are strict rules about leashes and the only time my dogs were free was at a dog park or certain beaches. Here there are no fences but they needed to learn to not be going off into the neighbors' yards They do not like the cold. Especially Buddy! He hates the snow and refuses to wear a jacket. Droo is getting used to it as long as he has a jacket on. Roxy, the sweet black lab that welcomed us into her life, loves the snow and the cold. She tolerates these silly California boys.

So it's been a year... of lessons learned and new experiences. Most of all it has been about love. I learned that being with the right person makes all the difference. There were traumas and losses but I am not going to write about any of that here. In life there are always going to be events that sadden us and challenge us to make us stronger and focus on what is important.

My photography is taking on a new life. I have set up a Gallery on Facebook... Patty Hagedorn Photography. Please Like the page and share this life with me. It makes me happy to share beauty and joy with others.


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patty-Hagedorn-Photography/629150070438274?ref=hl

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL