Where I am from, the median income is around 22,000. There are few jobs to be had and depression both financially and emotionally runs deeper than the veins of coal in the mountains.

We do have a hella lotta heart here though and as much as things never change, they never stay the same either.

We just returned home a bit ago from a meeting with the boys guidance teachers and his classroom teachers. As some of you know, he has been in a "special" school for the past five or so years, with his teachers there saying he would never be able to be mainstreamed.

When we enrolled him, we were very straightforward about who we are as a couple and as his very involved and active parents. We have been nothing but welcomes graciously by his teachers and all of the staff at the school we have encountered.

The schools in our little county, while working with a shoestring budget ( as most are across the country) have been winners of National awards for teaching excellence. From what I have seen, they deserve it!

Our boy is making A's and B's mainstreamed with very few allowances made for his different ability. He is excelling in his classes and making friends and being outgoing. I simply could not be more proud! ( Well,maybe if he would bathe and clean his room.. LOL )

I agree with Bard and Bit, that sometimes going away and coming "home" makes a huge difference in how we view what is really important. For me, it's my family. Even if home is tucked away under a foothill of an old mountain covered in red clay.

this is what I'm talkin about!!
 

....it is illegal to delay or detain a homing pigeon!

I was born in Daytona Beach, Florida. I loved my grandparents who were from Alabama. I miss the old ways!

Zimmeh

Where I'm from.....

I grew up in the southern part of The Gem state, where we had four distinct seasons: Chilly springs, incredibly warm summers, an amazing autumn, and breath taking winters. On cold clear nights, you could see a hint of the Northern lights or see Orion, Ursa, the Little and Big Dipper or any number of shooting stars. Or you could even see the cross on Table Rock,, lit up in blue lights, even though our farm was just a few miles from the Snake River canyons, where Bald eagles soared majestically. On a hot summer's day, big diamond-back rattle snakes would make themselves warm, coiled up on the hot concrete back roads.

Dad drove over 32 miles to work, mom drove nearly the same distance in the opposite direction. We took care of the farm by tending to our cattle and horses, pigs, bunnies, and chickens. We even tended to gardening big rows of crops, which we wpuld can in the fall. Or, we picked apples and pears and Italian prunes from our small orchard of fruit trees.

On Sunday, we traveled to our grandparents hometown for church. Week days we attended a small school that served our farming community. We would pass fields of golden grain or hay or mint.... the air was pungent with beauty of seasonal crops.

Two mountain ranges could be seen from either side of our property. Trains often lumbered across our property, at a distance, mostly at night.

Favorite memories include visiting my favorite aunt and uncle and our cousins who lived upstate near Bear Valley.... we would often spend a week at their house, during the winter holidays. Sometimes our families would go hunting for elk, up in the Clearwater forest.

Truly good memories from days long ago.

:stillheart:

I am a native of Louisville, Kentucky, where I was born. Though I was raised in Southern Indiana in the small town of Sellersburg. Went to school in New Albany, Indiana, then later on in life moved to Louisville, had a brief time in Lexington, Kentucky, before moving back to Louisville.

Where I'm from..... has earthquakes. They had a 5.6 yesterday morning. Also tornado alley. But they have the OKC bombing memorial as well.

Where I'm From.....
 

The skies at night are so dark that you can see stars for miles and miles. During the summer, it's very hot and late at night you can hear all the crickets and grasshoppers buzzing in the fields. The mountains are very high, and Ponderosa is fragrant. Mint fields and fields of corn and wheat, go on and on for miles. The nearest tiny town I grew up near, has only one gas station, one post office, a couple of mom and pop stores, and a teeny tiny cemetery. And about four different churches..... three schools .....and one pool hall.

The best part of where I grew up was that we had very few neighbor's, but our neighbor's were all good people. Really good folks.

Where I'm From........
 

Is a nice little touristy town on the shores of Lake Superior. There are waterfalls, warm in-land lakes for swimming, and trails for hiking! If you're an outdoorsy type you'll love this place!

The town itself has a population of about 2 and a half thousand, and as with any small town people seem to know everyone else's business! The downtown has numerous taverns, shops, and eating establishments!

It is a place you should probably only visit in Summer or Autumn! It gets tons and ton of lake effect snow starting as early as November and continues until April.

Where I am from is a place some would call hell, I am surrounded with fainted yellow grass that's dried out from drought, tree's with little leaves left to grow in a town with little population & miles from the locals....

We have our share of creepy critters that roam & wild animals that hunt....

But what I see is all the beauty that surrounds some of the ugly....

Wide open spaces, a night sky you can take in for miles without the interference of city lights, able to make as much sound or noise as you like, swim in nature, walk in nature, ride a horse, milk a cow for fresh milk, raid a hens pen for fresh eggs, pitch a tent for camping fun or just a place where fur babies can run free without all the common restrictions of city living & you can relax....

If you drive 30 minutes into town you will come across our local stores, to fill up on life's wants & needs & if you drive an hour or 2 you will reach several cities & beaches for the shop till you drop desires we sometimes have (well at least I do), & ocean shores for a change in scenery when required.....

At the moment I live in the country, I grew up in the country so for me country isn't hell, it's a lifestyle....

Where i’m from, everyone in town raised you and would call to tell your momma you were bad. I rode my bicycle all over town, and never worried about theft or weird folks bothering me. The man (George) who ran the liquor department at the grocery store, would call our mom to ask if she knew we were buying candy, and drove me home one time when I cut my foot.

We had a main shopping street, and when I got older we would cruise up and down in our cars with our friends...and at Christmas you could go there for a hayride with hot chocolate.

Where I came from my entire family lived within 20 miles, and we had many bbq’s and parties in my Grandparents (1 acre) backyard, hiding in the bunkhouse and climbing the fruit trees.

I went to school with all of the same people from kindergarten through high school, and have many great memories of a time lived without fences or fear.

Fourth of July parades, swimming at the park pool...happy happy times.

I totally misread this quote and thought Cranky was from a place where it is illegal to detain a horny pigeon. lol