Looking out my window, I see an overgrown pasture of green that once hosted a herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle...and after that, wooded foothills undulating with the North Alabama landscape. This particular view is new to me. I've only lived here two weeks now. Before this, my view was untidy yards in a 1960's era neighborhood in a nearby city. I grew up in the countryside--with the exception of two awful years of city life--but after living in a small city for twelve years (and four years before that in that same awful city of my childhood), I needed to get back to my roots. Something about city life--even in a small city--withered me, both as child and adult. Too many distractions kept me from being as creative or productive as I felt I could be. Noise on the street outside, dogs barking, and the lack of privacy stifled me. This morning, birds sing on the power line by the roadside. I watch them swoop down to pick off insects from the dewy grass below. Few cars drive b
Reflections on life in the South