Country Life vs. City Life

It is extremely different living in the country as opposed to living in the city (and I love living in the country.)  The first thing that usually comes to people's mind is the large open fields with the abundance of livestock, but that is only part of the picture. These are a few of the little things I noticed this past summer while traveling around that I have never seen in a city.

This is a stile gate which allows people to enter but stops livestock from passing through.  They are also called "kissing" gates; perhaps because you can kiss your fella' over it?  I don't know where the name came from but it does sound romantic.

A cattle guard keeps cows and horses in the pasture but lets people and vehicles pass.  It's metal pipes over a ditch - cows' hooves will fall through, tires can roll over and people are able to walk across.  It is convenient because you don't have to get out of the car to open and then close the gate everytime you pass through.  It is also safer because gates are sometimes accidentally left open.

These cows were eying me suspiciously but none would step on the cattle guard to get a closer view.  I was glad it was there because some of them were glaring at me diabolically.  Cows are really huge animals when you get close to them and they can run faster than I.

Never once in my travels to the big cities have I seen a cattle crossing sign - pedestrian signs are everywhere, but cattle, never seen it.  This sign was obviously made by the farmer, not the local government but it was there for a purpose.  I saw mud prints across the road so it was really a safety warning.

This road dips down into the creek and does not have a bridge.  There are many miles of backroads with numerous creeks crossing back and forth.  There will never be enough tax dollars collected from the few people who live in the area to support the building of enough bridges.  Bridges are expensive to build and costly to maintain their safety.  These fords are hazardous when flooded or frozen but usually the locals know when to avoid them.

Tree stands in backyards and fields are used so hunters can hide inside and not be seen.  The ladder leads to a second story room where the rectangle flaps on the sides can be raised for tactical viewing.  This one was on the edge of a cornfield and I am sure they had a horrible time with deer devouring the crops.  A few deer can eat thousands of dollars worth of corn quickly

Fields are sometimes burned to improve their health.  Driving down a road and seeing a black, charred pasture is a shock when everything around it is a lush green.

These hay bales were being burned.  I don't know why.  They may have been moldy and toxic to the animals.

Country people are willing to take chances since the risk of being caught and receiving a ticket from the police would be rare.  Why this man was driving down the middle of a highway, going around a dangerous curve on a lawnmower was beyond my imagination.  I smiled and waved when I saw him and he snarled back at me!  People never do that in the country.  Everyone is usually friendly but not him.  I always try to respect people's wishes and not post their faces without their approval.  Not this man - so here is a picture of an unnamed grumpy, crazy man.

These people deserved a ticket for letting their dog ride in the back of the pickup truck.  To their credit, they were going very slow and only traveled about a half of a mile, but it was still too dangerous.   I backed far away and used my telephoto lens because I didn't want them to feel the need to speed up.

Never, ever, ever have I seen a crop duster airplane in the city.  This pilot was not dusting but just practicing on this day.

I saved the best for last.  This was a fenced backyard full of children's toys which included a barn, two sheep and a donkey.  Obviously, they were tame and probably pets, but I am sure I have never seen livestock on a playground in the city before.  Life is a bit different here.