Living the Country Life

Our beautiful tree covered road. I love this view!
My husband, Jason, grew into his teen years, living in Los Angeles, California. He was a city boy, that managed to escape the violent street life of flying bullets. Life in big cities, filled with violence, can be a scary place. Life changed, when his folks packed up and moved cross country to small town USA.

These days, he lives a quiet peaceful life out in the country.

But that all changed yesterday!

Mid morning, he is out working along in the garden and I'm busy cleaning our bathroom. I just happen to look up and out the window at the same time I hear a gunshot.

Wow, that sounded really close, I thought. My husband squats looking around for the shooter, knowing that it was very close. He spots our neighbor, in his front field, running straight toward his house. The older man runs into his house and back out again. Jumps into his truck and took off down his driveway.

Jason came into the house. "Brandi" he says, "I don't know how to take this." "I think Mr. Johnson just shot a gun toward our house." "I heard it hit a tree not far from me."

He gets in his truck and drives over to Mr. Johnson's house. No one is home but the front door was left wide open with the TV on with the volume turned up so loud he could hear it from the front door. Very strange!! On his way back around to our house, he stops to speak with another neighbor about what just happened. Mr. Johnson didn't return until late in the day, and Jason had already left for work.

Here's the thing! I have children that play outside all day. I have always felt very safe letting my children play outside. We live on ten acres, surrounded by trees, and other good neighbors that live on large parcels of land. My children ride bikes in the field, play hunting in the trees, and nature walk all over our land. It is safe and very beautiful where we live.

Something has changed for me now. I worry that someones foolishness has taken away, what I considered a safe place for my children.

What if it was an accident, or bad judgement while trying to shoot a snake or something? But what if this older gentleman is slipping. What if his mind is leaving him (he's in his 70's). If we were to confront him, I'm sure he would deny doing anything. But.....my husband knows what he saw. These are good Christian folks (Mr. Johnson and his wife). We are not angry. I just want to know my children are safe to play on their own land.

When I was a girl, this happened to us. My sister and I came home from school one day to find bullet holes riddled through our bunk bed. The outside of our house had been shot seven times. We lived deep into a national forest. Only a handful of neighbors, but many hunters passed by daily. The police detective said it looked as though the bullets had came from our neighbor across the street because his house was up on stilts. The trajectory of the bullets and all. That guy was an alcoholic that stayed home and drank all day. He denied shooting my childhood home but for many years later, he was constantly doing nice things for our family. I think he was making a mends.

I'm gonna have to pray over this situation.

As for us, we are getting out of town for a fun weekend getaway.

Blessings from this homestead to yours! :)