"Green acres is the place for me. Farm livin' is the life for me. Land spreadin' out far and wide. Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside." Those are some of the lyrics from the sitcom Green Acres of many years ago. We are sure many of you may recall the show, which showed the comical journey of Oliver and Lisa moving from New York to the country, Hooterville. We realize not everyone can live on a farm, but Kershaw County is still a rural area. Because of that, one does have the wonderful opportunities to experience county living. All one has do is to stop, look, and listen in order to see and feel the beauty of our rural area. Turn off all the electronic gadgets and go outside where you can find 'country' even in a subdivision. Go for a walk and look at all the beauty in nature around you. You may never know what you might encounter. Recently on an early morning outing, a rabbit crossed my path. I have been privileged to see deer running in the woods, a flock of wild turkeys and even a baby snake, hoping that mama snake was not anywhere around, because I really did not want to share the joy. I enjoy seeing all the animal tracks, trying to imagine what left them behind. Even the trail of ants marching across the dirt road is a amazing thing to watch. Just think I would have missed these opportunities if I had been watching The Today Show.

Ok, so walking is not your forte, just sit on your porch and look and listen to see what is going on in your surroundings. In our front yard, there is a pond ,so, that provides us with a unique view. We love to watch the birds dive down into the water and quench their thirst. A bird bath is a great opportunity to watch our feathered friends express themselves. Or hang a hummingbird feeder or bird feeder in your yard. Place it near a window that you can sit it and the birds will provide you with hours of entertainment.

What one person enjoys looking at, can be totally different for another. We often find "beauty" in many unexpected locations or ways. We think our garden is beautiful. We find beauty in seeing all the vegetables in perfectly mulched rows with not a weed in sight. We know this "beauty" will translate into healthy , delicious food for our family. The perfectly mulched rows means we water less and it is easier to harvest without all the weeds. Seeing our children enjoy the garden too is a sense of joy for us. It is fun for them to run, jump and even make dirt angels when we had plowed the garden spot. Yes, they got dirty, but in our eyes they were beautiful. Looking for the first ripe tomato, pepper or cucumber is another treasure or even walking out to the garden just for fun, picking and instantly eating the treat of your choice.

Watching our children play and work is beautiful to us. In working, we know we are instilling values in them that will last a lifetime and help them to become productive members of society. Playing, ahhhh, experiencing the carefree days of summertime living. The joys of swimming in a pond, not the cement kind. There is nothing that beats a dip on a hot day floating and splashing around, and jumping off the dock. You just have to remember to keep moving and be on the lookout -- you are sharing this time with the turtles and fish, after all. Our children are experiencing country living and are able to have lots of fun. They are making memories that hopefully one day they will pass onto their kids

The smells of country living are a unique entity unto themselves. Some can be positive and some well, you would rather not experience that often. We love the clean fresh smell of a cut hay field. The smell of a recently mowed lawn is refreshing too. Who can forget the smell after a summer shower. There is nothing like it. It cleanses the air and can refresh us too.

The sounds of country living are everywhere: the birds, crows, crickets and the laughter of our children playing outside. You just have to stop long enough to listen for them. Go where the sounds are, close your eyes and listen. You can experience beauty and contentment if your are listening and looking for it.

We attended a conference one time where the speaker stated that air condition and television was and is the down fall of America. How did that occur? From his reasoning, he stated that a/c had driven everyone off their front porches and inside their comfortable homes. They no longer visited with their neighbor or enjoyed being outdoors. Now instead of being entertained by our neighbors and watching our children play we sit on our couch and watch TV in a mindless stupor. We guess that in a sense he was right. What we really wanted was for this column to remind everyone, including ourselves, to experience the beauty and joy of simple country living that is all around us. It is everywhere and in unique places that we may not think of that often. We only have to be willing to stop, go outside and view it as such. Then you can truly enjoy the sights and sounds of country living.