#ReasonsRuralRocks Top Ten Sept 18-24

I am pleased to present an absolutely stellar Top Ten list for the week of Sept. 18-24! The creativity of responses and genuine love for rural that is evident inspires me.

10. You can see the stars at night.  @Alpacamundo

9. Rural Alberta roadtrips! Always something new and exciting to see! @ACSRC

8. Big Backyard Weddings | Unlocked Doors | Morning Fog | Spectacular Sunsets | Neighbours with names | @thisLeeRose

7. After a snow your neighbor plows the driveway while u watch thru the window in your robe drinking coffee. @CircleBalpacas

6. I love listening to crickets and frogs instead of trucks, cars, and airplanes every night!  @johndilbeck

5. You have a backyard! Not only do you have a backyard, but you have a backyard that goes on for miles and miles!@KendraKerrigan

4. Random vegetables on my doorstep: cucumbers, carrots and potatoes. @jbatiuk

3. There's nothing better than a small town Friday night under the football lights. @katpinke

2. Everyone in the house cheers when the weatherman mentions your community on the TV weather report. @ 4gotten_alberta

1. The only time you have to lock your door is to keep the neighbor kid out of your cake you need for a meeting that night. @ MillerSoDak 

And a special mention goes out to @ MeganTannas who shared her 5 favourite #ReasonsRuralRocks:

"1. Being able to sing and yell as loud as you want 2. Cows and horses 3. Haying season 4.The smell 5. The stars at night" 

Thanks Megan! And thanks to everyone who participated for, yet again, reminding me that I am truly lucky to live where I live.

#ReasonsRuralRocks the A-Z List

Back in the early stages of the #ReasonsRuralRocks trend, I challenged myself to think of a different reason for each letter of the alphabet. Not only did this ensure that I would not end up repeating myself, it encouraged me to think creatively (and critically) about what it is that has made my experience of rural so wonderful. I came up with "A" back on July 27 and, with some assistance from a loyal #ReasonsRuralRocks follower, "Z" came about on Sept. 8.


Now it is my great pleasure to share the #ReasonsRuralRocks A-Z List:

A.  Apple pie made with fruit from your Baba's back yard. YUMMY! 

B.  "Running away from home" age 5, the whole neighbourhood looking for me until I was       found (asleep under my bed)

C.  My co-worker just shared fresh peas from her garden for lunch

D.  Riding in the combine with Dad and family suppers in the field at harvest time

E.  Every one who has grown up rural inherently knows many #ReasonsRuralRocks, sometimes they're hard to express in words 

F.  Freedom. Whether it's the freedom to let your kids explore without worry or to eat food right out of the soil. Freedom.

G.  Grasshoppers, frogs, birds- the sounds of summer

H.  Having a sense of connectedness to people and place

I.   Independence; you don't have to adhere to the condo board's regulations. If you want a holstein style fence, go for it!

J.  Just being; appreciating exactly where you are and living in the moment.

K.  Kingman, Alberta- Lutefisk capital of the province, alive and well at 102

L.  Llamas, alpacas, and huarizos- oh my! #ReasonsRuralRocks and a shout out to new   friends @Alpacamundo and @CircleBalpacas

M.  My family, proudly farming in Alberta since 1901.

N.  Noise, light, and air pollution are basically nonexistent

O.  Owning land and having the responsibility to ensure its sustainability

P.   PRAIRIES!

Q.  Quiet reflection under a sky that doesn't end

R.  Round Hill, Ab (my home town) pop. 100, ability to raise tens of thousands of dollars for community members in need

S.   Sunshine all week- summer's not over yet!

T.   Thinking about time out in the field when you're stuck in the office

U.   Up early, to bed late- worth every minute

V.   Vacations consisting of camping in the "back 40"

W.  You can drink the water right out of the tap. 

X.    Sharing at the town meeting that you learnt to play the xylophone

Y.    Young people who know know where they've come from and are proud of it

Z.    You save the trip to the Zoo, there's enough wildlife to meet on a stroll through 'town'

*X and Z are the brainchild of @DDD222111

Note that all of these (excluding the ones from @DDD222111) have been posted by me between the dates of July 27 and September 8, 2011. So there is nothing here that you probably haven't already seen. However, in case you missed any of them, or if you are new to the #ReasonsRuralRocks conversation, this list should get you all caught up. My challenge to you is to come up with your own creative #ReasonsRuralRocks list, much like "My 5+ Reasons Rural Rocks" by @GardenVariety or "3 Reasons Rural Rocks" by @Michael_Knutson. 


Let me know which are your favourite reasons on the A-Z List! 

#ReasonsRuralRocks Sept 11-17

#ReasonsRuralRocks, as a trend, seems to go in waves. After a great response the week before, there weren't quite enough to make a Top Ten for last week. However, many of the reasons I heard are worth sharing. Hopefully they will inspire many more responses for this week! 

• People are faster to "friendly". I've had more passing conversations with strangers in small towns than in cities. @UrbanEscapee
• Because the sunsets are always beautiful. @Brian_Nelson93
•  Harvest supper on the tailgate - with fresh pie! @onepercentyello
• You can't be rude on the road, you'll see that person in 5 minutes at the post office.  @eastsideSBC
• You can live in rural Illinois and still keep in touch with your peeps in rural Alberta, CA, rural East TX, rural .......  @CircleBalpacas
• Although you're in the middle of nowhere, you know you're somewhere, and being lost only lasts so long.@KSherbi
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  - Have a great week! 

Inspiring Support

You can't start a trend with only one person- this goes without saying. In the case of the #ReasonsRuralRocks trend I am so grateful for all of those people who have shared their love of rural and helped create a conversation about the positive features of rural life.

One person who has been particularly inspiring in his support is Michael Knutson of the ReImagine Rural blog and Rural Learning Centre. I am very honoured to be featured in the ReImagine Rural post for Sept 14th. It is because of support like this that I am encouraged to continue spreading the #ReasonsRuralRocks trend.

The whole experience has been very therapeutic for me and has reminded me not to take for granted the many wonderful things about my own rural community. #ReasonsRuralRocks puts a smile on my face everyday and for this I thank all of you.

Let's keep the conversation going; send your #ReasonsRuralRocks to me (@sherbani) on Twitter or share them on this blog.

#ReasonsRuralRocks Top Ten Sept 5-10

Last week was another great week for the #ReasonsRuralRocks trend. Here's the Top Ten:

10. Got to drive the tractor today! @CircleBalpacas  

9. Blood pressure returning to normal after a weekend in the city. @onepercentyello

8. The light outside your window at 3am is the moon, not a flashy billboard. @KendraKerrigan

7. Endless country road trips for me and my Harley-Davidson! @SandraSchwab

6. u know skinny dipping at the lake is not a big deal because u know nobody is going to see u. @Boxofsunshine77

5. Efficient, elitist, educated, essential, elegant, and emergent (from My 5+ Reason Rural Rocks) @GardenVariety

4. Make your own free parking - anywhere you want. @tomjordinson

3. Zero chance of encountering people who are in a hurry - haste has no place here. @monicambailey

2. My child calls half the community Aunty or Uncle. It takes a village to raise a child. @jbatiuk

1. Spent 20 mins. helping a stranger get unstuck and 45 mins. leaning on a tailgate talking like we have been best friends. @greggjack

I'd love to hear some feedback; which reason resonates with you? Thanks to everyone who shared #ReasonsRuralRocks last week. If you'd like to join in the conversation, share your reasons here or get on Twitter, use the hashtag, and let me @sherbani know why you love rural. 

5+ Reasons Rural Rocks

Strawberry Creek Gardens, based in Thorsby, Alberta, is not your garden variety farm (follow @GardenVariety). This week they kindly contributed their 5+ #ReasonsRuralRock. What makes their blog entry so great is how it discusses rural from a variety of perspectives- from international, to farm dweller to city resident. The author has had the opportunity to experience rural around the world. In my own limited international experience, I've enjoyed feeling "at home" in another country, where I couldn't speak the language and didn't always understand the customs, because ruralness translates across linguistic and cultural barriers.

Another thing that I found interesting about Strawberry Creek Gardens blog entry is how it used words like "efficient" and "elitist", which are generally associated with urban and oftentimes have a negative connotation, to describe the advantages of rural. Overall, their 5+ Reasons Rural Rocks is a remarkable list...but don't just take my word for it; read it yourself!

Thanks so much Strawberry Creek Gardens for this wonderful contribution to the #ReasonsRuralRocks trend. Readers, hopefully this post will tide you over until the Top Ten for Aug 5-9 comes out next week. Keep sending your #ReasonsRuralRocks to me (@sherbani) so that we can make it a great Top Ten!

#ReasonsRuralRocks Aug 29-Sept 2

Sorry for the delay on getting this post ready. I spent the long weekend in rural Manitoba where access to internet was a tad limited and made blogging challenging. Now back in my home province, I see that there were not quite enough #ReasonsRuralRocks last week to make a Top Ten. While that is a bit disappointing, there were some great ones. Here are my favourites:

• I hate getting up early…but the sunrise certainly makes it worth it.  @rainbow832 
• This year my family’s 100 years on the original homestead! @dizzyraerae 
• You can have as many dogs as you want, the ones that bark all night are assigned to guard the back pastures. @CircleBalpacas 
• You can't go for a walk on the road without someone asking if you need a ride. @abruralgirl 
• Neighbour falls out of tree and the whole town is booking time on his land to get the crop off. Galahad!” @onepercentyello 
• Everywhere I go, fresh produce! We love rural, yes we DO, we love rural, how 'bout you?  @return2rural 
• It's a wildlife safari from my kitchen window: moose, lynx, deer, bears, migratory birds. @jbatiuk      

As always, I encourage you to consider following these lovers of rural and to add your own voice to the conversation. I hope the first week of September has been full of moments when you are reminded of your own #ReasonsRuralRocks.