Where I Come From...

I feel like I need banjo music playing in the background to properly explain to you all where I come from. To tell you that I'm from a "rural area" would never paint an accurate picture. I come from the sticks, the boondocks, a hicktown if you will. 

This picture just made me laugh. Never in a million years have I ever worn a dress that short with cowboy boots in the middle of a field on a haywagon. Just no. I have attended many a field party in my day though & those my friends, are a good time. 

A few facts about my hometown: 

• I was raised in Troupsburg, New York. The town used to be a railroad town, but as the railroad left so did most of the people. By the time I was born, we had one store, a post office, a school and two churches left. And a whole lot of cows. 

source

• I just googled the population & as of 2000 it was 1,126. Several families I know have since moved, so I'd venture to guess it's under 1,000 now. 
• I attended Jasper-Troupsburg Central Schools from K through 12. I graduated with 41 kids. My great aunts were the school secretaries at the elementary school & the high school. My grandma and Aunt Babs were the school nurses. If I got into trouble, the entire family knew about it. 

My elementary school, which I walked to every day from my grandparent's house, approximately 100 feet to the right.

• The nearest Wal-Mart to Troupsburg is 30 minutes away. Target is an hour. 
• My family owned the only store & restaurant in town for 15 years - so it was where all of our friends worked through school & our family knows just about everyone. 

Despite its size & the many drawbacks of being so far removed, I do love where I grew up. My parents no longer live there, but my Aunt Babs & Grandma Gigi do. We still own our childhood home there & spent a lot of time there each year. Ella calls it "the country house" which probably sounds really snobby to other people, but trust me it's not. We still love to spend time there, especially in the summer when we can relax on the deck by the pond. My dad is currently building Ella a clubhouse to play in & she loves to go up on our hill & take hikes. It's definitely the perfect place to take the kids for long weekends in the summer. As a teenager, the small town felt stifling, and while I would never move back there full time, I'm now able to recognize the many benefits of growing up there.