Loving where you live

We absolutely love where we live. I don't know why this suddenly seemed so important to me. I guess I've been hearing a lot of people complaining about their neighborhoods or their commute or their whatever and how they don't like where they live.

We are so blessedly happy here at our little part of paradise. But not everyone here on the mountain feels that way. A handful of people don't like the isolation. It has caused more than one divorce.

I can understand why someone used to hustle and bustle of California and having a gas station closer than 11 miles away could feel that way. Street lights? Hahahahaha. As if. 
Here's the the neighborhood:

Yeah, I get the isolated thing. Because we ARE isolated.

Take a look at the folks we live with:

 Every year a bear comes into the backyard and plops down to eat apples. One day I hope to get a photo!

My neighbors have seen the big cats lurking around but I haven't. I'd LOVE to see one! From the safety of my car. Or house. Preferably car, which would mean I'm AWAY from my house.

Beautiful animal. Make sure you build a good chicken 

house, though.

Cutest little thing you ever saw but see chicken house comment above. Goes double for this guy.

Everyone around here has a skunk story. My personal best was walking into the kitchen only to find a skunk happily eating out of the dog's dish. He'd come through the cat door and thankfully he calmly exited that way. We no longer have a cat door.

One of the most heart-stopping moments EVER was when I was mowing the field and heard this horrible screaming. I looked behind and saw the spots through the grass. OMG!! I raced to get Mr. Bad (because I'm a wimp about death) and he discovered the fawn to be safe. I had run over him but he was so hunkered down that the blades didn't touch him. However, both that fawn and I lost a few years off our lives from the scare. Mr. Bad Rabbit took over the mowing and found a second fawn. He carefully mowed around it. The next morning they were gone. Guess the doe thought we were a dangerous neighborhood.

So, where are we?

Yup, 'isolated.' And, yeah, you have to be of a certain mind-set to love it out here. Pizza delivery is out of the question. Run out for Chinese? More like drive 18 miles for Chinese.

Notice the trees around our house? That is the beginning of the National Forest. There is nothing behind us but forest for hundreds of miles. Which explains why we have so many critters living here with us.

 I've posted this shot before, I call it Morning Has Broken. It shows the loveliness we wake up to every morning.
It's a beautiful life!