A little bit country...

So, my mom called us last week to see if we wanted to go pick cucumbers at my (Great) Aunt and Uncle's house. They live in Stayton (Ore), out in the country, away from the urban neighborhood we live in. Now, I used to live in the country (actually, we lived right behind my aunt & uncle) when I was Z's age, but it's been a long time. Z has lived in the city his entire life, and the closest he gets to 'nature' is “ewww, is that skunk??” or “ooh, look, a squirrel!” For him, Stayton is a world away and filled with all the wonders he misses out on by living within a mile from Wal-Mart, and McDonalds. Just the drive there is fun for him; “Ooh, look...Cows!” “Mommy, horses!” “Look at ALL the corn!” And, it gives me a renewed sense of wonder for those things that I've long forgotten (like the smell of the country, long windey roads and wild blackberries growing everywhere).
Once we got to their house, he was even more excited. Uncle Harold took him to see the bees making honey, then he got to pick some cucumbers. Once he spotted the horses though... He decided the horses needed to be fed hay, and that he needed to feed them...massive quantities of hay. Luckily, horses are okay (I think) with getting fed much more hay than they need, and I think wait for just the time when three year old boys show up, so they can over-indulge. Oh, Avalee, was loving the country life too. She adored the horses and was even brave enough to grab their ears.
After Z had enough of the horses (well, at least for a few minutes), he decided to check out the old tractor my Uncle souped up for the local parade (just like the tractor my little bro and I used to ride in the parades!). He climbed into the drivers seat, then had to check out the trailer in the back. He just couldn't get enough of it...but when he did, it was onto the swingset (made by my uncle). He gleefully called to the horses, “Look at me...I'm swingin!” The horses, of course, just kept on being horses (chewing grass, and swishing their tails).
We ended our visit by picking a bowl of blackberries on my aunt and uncle's property. Actually, I believe Z ate more than he actually contributed to the bowl, but the rest of us picked.
I was once again reminded of my life in the country, decades ago, riding horses and snapping peas in my aunt's kitchen for dinner. I'm happy the kids could experience a little of what I had growing up, and hope to take them back out more often.
Z was so spent on the way home, that he fell asleep; dreaming of horses, tractors and swings, I'm sure. :^)