We moved to the country about 10 days ago. It’s beautiful and quiet here, except for the sounds of frogs and coyotes at night. Deer often graze in our back field, and there’s a bobcat that was hanging around for a while when we first moved in. I thought she had left, but yesterday afternoon, while Penelope and I were about to enjoy some quiet time on the porch swing, she spotted the bobcat running from our little pond, through our front field and into a thicket in the neighbor’s field. I hear there have been a pair of twin bobcat cubs roaming around the ‘hood too. Cute, I guess. That is life in the country!
Despite being in the sticks, we actually do have neighbors that I can see from our house. There are 4 houses behind ours, each house has a sizable amount of acreage. One neighbor and her grandson brought us chocolate chip cookies a few days ago! I met another very nice neighbor down by the mailboxes. Apparently all the neighbors have lived here for the past 20+ years and can tell us all we need to know about the Soap Creek Valley. The couple directly behind us lives in a house built partially underground. I’m dying to get a peek of it. It reminds me of the Laura Ingalls Wilder book we are currently reading: On the Banks of Plum Creek. Did you know that Laura, Mary, Carrie, Ma and Pa lived in a dugout during the first half of that book? That’s what I think of when I think of our neighbors behind us in their underground house, though I’m sure their roof isn’t made of sod with worms crawling in and out of it. Underground homes can be quite sophisticated these days.
Yesterday, the girls and I took a walk across the street and through the field to explore Soap Creek. We followed some tire tracks through the field.
“Mommy,” said Cecilia. “This is like On the Banks of Plum Creek! Penelope and I are Mary and Laura, and we are following Pa’s wagon tracks to go to town and go to school!”
They pretended to be Mary and Laura the entire way there and back. Ah, life in the country!
Modern day prairie girls following the tracks…
A Slice of Wife 
Sooooo very cool. Congrats to you and your family, Maggie Ingalls Wilder.