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Having no particular use for noisy, inconsiderate and intrusive neighbors, street lights shining in my window at night, the sound of screaming sirens, and teenager's boom boxes rattling my windows at all hours, I would have to say that my definite preference is to live in the country.

Being a practical person, however, I would also have to say that my ideal rural sanctuary would be no more than ten to twenty miles from at least a descent sized town; I do, after all, appreciate the convenience of a Wal-Mart Super Center. And, as a person who has to re-read the instructions every time I pick up a screw-driver (not the drink), reasonable access to repair persons.

Four pieces of advice I would give to anyone contemplating moving to the country are: 1) buy a big freezer and at least one extra refrigerator, 2) get organized it's really not practical to pull into your driveway and realize you forgot something at the store, 3) learn to do as many basic home repairs as possible, and 4) get used to very large insects, scorpions, and rattlesnakes. This last piece of advice might, admittedly, be specific to my particular geographic region. All, however, are based on personal experience and were learned the hard way.

Upon moving back to Texas following a short stint in Casper, Wyoming, my wife and I bought a small house on 2 acres of land in a very isolated rural area. Our closest neighbor was just over a mile away, and while the closest town population 999 was only a ten minute drive, the closest Super Center, along with those wonderful men and women blessed with the ability to fix things, was another forty mile jaunt down the highway.

There is nothing, in my opinion, like the peace and tranquility of living in the country; to lie in bed on a late Spring night with the windows open to a cool breeze and hear nothing but the sound of trees rustling; to sit on your porch early in the morning with a cup of coffee and watch the sun come up; or to look up at the sky at night and be able to see more stars than you ever knew existed are some of my fondest memories of that time. On the flip side, stepping out on my porch early one morning and hearing the buzz of a rattlesnake not one of my favorite memories.

Another great memory for us, and a huge advantage of living in the country, was all of the summer weekends our friends came and stayed with us; there were usually no less than three other couples, and sometimes more. They were able to strip off immediately

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