Country Living

I'm going to revisit a place that has been a prominent part of my life: my Grandparents' hometown. Staying with my Grandparents always seems to change my perspective on  life. It isn't just because I'm staying with a couple of people who have lived long, successful, and wonderful lives. It's their house, the magical swing set, the haunted basement, and the old books. 

This small town. Adrian, Oregon: home to a whopping 140 people. You know, one of those towns you miss if you drive by too fast and blink. A town where everyone knows everyone else by the generation.

At my stay over Christmas break, I was fattened up by the mounds of treats delivered to their doorstep. Showered with handshakes at church. We even traveled around the outskirts of the "neighborhood" for 4 hours singing Christmas carols. And by neighborhood, I mean drove around the miles and miles of various farms and mini-mountains and valleys.

As we drove around this serene place just off the Snake River, calm overwhelmed me. The skies were clear and the land swayed in the wind.

These quaint farm houses sprout out of the fields all around the area. Even as the farmers work in the field, the days go by easily, and the quiet never seems to lift. 

The illustrious "A" announces the town and looks over the valley, somehow protecting its loyal residents.

However, beyond the quiet peace, Adrian is full of secrets and surprises. While taking a walk on windy winter day, I stumbled across this:

I was taken aback by the shock of seeing the remnants of a living creature and found myself pondering its past life, imagining what it had been and how it spent its days. I continued walking with a suddenly reflective state of mind. As I came up the other side of the street, chilled from the wind and eager to arrive at the warm house, I looked down and saw this:

A broken deer leg. The sight of it laid a filter of sadness over my thoughts as I mourned the loss not only of a life, but of a life unremembered. This deer was forgotten, left at the side of a country road. As I took a moment to remember the deer and began walking back up the street, I made it a point to remember this place--this small town that has come to mean so much to me--so it would never be forgotten.