I live in a rural area of New Jersey and most of the time, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. However there are some things about living the country life that I could do without. Most of these things deal with the animals that live around us, among us, and as pets.

We have pets – dog, cats, hamster, and fish. We had rabbits until the bear got them. Our neighbors have chickens, goats, ducks and rabbits. My daughter recently found one of the rabbits after a hawk got it.

This weekend one of our pet hamsters died. I  had to dig a hole in the ground and bury it. We had a complete ceremony. He’s buried next to a hermit crab.

Our dog – part lab part mutt – is a great dog but his hunter instincts are hard to ignore. He’s killed a groundhog in front of us, and today he found one of our neighbor’s chickens. Luckily for the chicken, we found it and brought it back to its pen.

Yes, I love the fact that we only have two close neighbors, that my children have the opportunity to experience farm animals, garden, see the stars at night, and more …but sometimes the idea of not having to deal with dead animals has me longing for sidewalks and bright lights ☺!

Do you ave any stories to share about the “joys” of living in the country or city? Share them here.

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by sduncan
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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Especially if you live in the Dakotas or go shopping. I think Santa is arriving in the malls around here very soon – what happened to Thanksgiving!?

While this holiday season may not be as joyful as others, November and Thanksgiving really are the best times to remind ourselves that there are many things we all should be thankful for.

As you get ready to celebrate the holidays this season, why not try a few things that may help you and your family keep an optimistic view on how good things really are.

Here are a few ideas on how to do this:

Start a Thankful Box
Decorate a shoe box and add a slit to its top. Every night or once a week, have everyone in the family write something he or she is thankful for on a small piece of paper. Then place the note in the special box and share what’s in the box on Thanksgiving.

Volunteer at a Food Shelter
This is especially good for children who sometimes forget how fortunate they are. Help serve or cook a meal or participate in a food drive. There are many ways we all can lend a hand without it costing us much more than time, and it may help keep things in perspective.

Thankful Journal
Start a journal of what you are thankful for each and every day. Add writing this thankful thought to your morning or evening routine and then read over them when you’re feeling a bit stressed about the day in and day out.

Articles and Quotes
When you see a quote or article that reminds you to be thankful, cut it out and hang it up where you can read it throughout the day.

Here are few quotes from the Farmers’ Almanac that may work well:

The best way to predict the future is to help create it.

A chicken doesn’t stop scratching just because worms are scarce.

Success is a journey, not a destination.

Every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.

Happy November.

Got any other suggestions? Share them here.

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by sduncan
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