We first laid eyes on our Arkansas home seven years ago yesterday and our offer to purchase was accepted the next day, Sept. 30, 2007.
The house was two years old when we took possession, so everything in it was relatively new. Compared with our 1903 house in Indiana where something always needed fixing, this house has been maintenance free. About the only thing I’ve had to do is replace light bulbs and furnace filters and replace the spring on the garage door opener.
Lawn mowing was the biggest chore. I really hated mowing our 1.23 acre lot with a walk-behind mower, especially after I learned I am much more likely to encounter snakes here than in Indiana. Consequently, we bought a John Deere LA125 riding mower the following May and now I mow and murder snakes with wild abandon.
I miss friends and family in Indiana, but I truly love our home here in the woods. We have a better rapport with our neighbors here than we did in Indiana and really enjoy visiting with them.
There is an abundance of wildlife, especially in the woods that flank our house on the west. We hear or see deer, rabbits, coyotes, raccoons, armadillos, squirrels, owls, turkeys, and a huge assortment of smaller birds that come to our back yard bird feeder.
The fenced portion of the back yard has proven perfect for our dogs. Ruthie and Pete, who came with us from Indiana, have moved on to the Rainbow Bridge where they await us. They’ve been replaced by Jack and Dora who are also a source of endless entertainment and joy.
The financial opportunity that brought us to Arkansas turned out to be a cruel joke, but we’re survivors and have faith in the future.
Arkansas autumn is long and winter is mercifully short and usually mild and I have no desire to ever endure another Indiana winter.
I never would have picked this place to live these years of my life, but now that we’re here, I like it.
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