Carrie on

Competition isn't in my nature. I don't know why. I just wasn't made that way. Still, I can appreciate a battle of wills or wits like the one I had today. I am opinionated, and I'm intensely passionate about certain things—like the welfare of my children, good food, and writing. I'm a country girl, and one thing I don't sit still and quiet about is the fact that I do NOT like living in town.  I don't dislike town, I just don't like living within its boundaries (especially because it means I'm double taxed twice a year.) I don't like having neighbors, and I don't like that my road becomes a superhighway every time there's a ball game. I don't care if that makes anyone else mad—they don't live here to experience it. I'm reminded of the chicken trucks that roared like banshees through the night around the curve, past my childhood home, down the hill, over my favorite cats and dog….Now, multitasking, overworked parents wit