Hillbilly Hangout

I proudly consider myself a misplaced Hillbilly.  I was born in North Carolina and my folks were living in Boone, up in the hills on a farm my mom called Froggy Hollow.  At some point in my young childhood we relocated to Maryland and after a few years ended up in a town called Owings Mills, which is a suburb of Baltimore.  Where most neighborhoods were developed & full of tract homes we lived in an unspoiled region on the outskirts of town.  We had a couple acres and my mom turned it into a small farm.  We had all kinds of critters, rabbits, ducks, chickens goats and an endless lineage of cats.  I grew up barefoot and in the trees.  It was amazing.  I once overheard someone call our family The Owings Mills Hillbillies and well, I guess they were right.  It was plenty embarrassing at the time but I look back on it now with total fondness. 

After Maryland, my mom bought a "real" farm and moved us kids out to very rural part of rural Ohio.  (My dad went a separate way and came to CA).  My mom still lives on the Ohio farm and has chickens and cats but not many other varmints.  She does have a killer garden every year though. She works very hard to maintain it all by herself these days.

My Mom's Farmhouse in Peebles, OH

We did have all manner of animals when I lived there.  Some horses, a cow or two, turkeys, and the most amazing of all, FAINTING GOATS!  Click here to watch an educational video about them!

I moved from the Ohio farm right after high school and straight to California.....I've been here ever since. 
There was a big culture shock from near-urban Baltimore suburb to super-rural backwoods Ohio.  To put it frankly, the amount of racism among the all-white residents was startling to me.  I was glad to end up in California, "The land of fruits and nuts!" as my Dad puts it.  I guess I fit right in hrere but like the old adage says, You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl!   Now here I am, livin it up at the beach, hillbilly style.

Here are some pics of my Hillbilly Hangout, or "Outdoor Living Space" to you city-folk.

Here is a sneaky-peeky of my lil' trailer and the adorable cement block wall and pile of leaves that constitutes my front yard!

This is my American Dream, a white picket fence....segment!  The planter stand is vintage, I've had it ever since I lived in Ohio.  I dragged it all the way across the county along with a few other "jems".

 

 I got this at an estate sale and had to wheel and deal with the people on the price.  I think I got the chair, a leather die punch kit and a vintage sweater for $15.00 Not too 

shabby--the price I mean, the chair is fabulously shabby!

This a  handmade wooden birdhouse shaped like a vintage camper I got it at a "dealer's" yard sale and over paid for it ($8.00! lol) John and I made a prototype to mass produce out own but have 

not quite gotten around to it, you know how that goes.  

 Now this chair, was a steal!  I didn't actually steal it, but I didn't pay for it either.  I got it last weekend from the dumpster in front of a yard sale!  They shoulda put it in the yard sale, 

I woulda gladly paid $5 bucks for it! 

This little planter was also free, it came from Freecycle!  The lady advertised it as a Mid-Century planter with hairpin legs.  I was so thrilled when I picked it up.  I wanna wire brush the legs and repaint it a flashy color.  

Here is my most Hillbilly possession--the Fire Bucket!  But wait, this is the new and improved fire bucket!  How you ask? Well just last week I found that metal base in a trash can on my way to work.  

It is an amazing upgrade from the cinder blocks it was previously resting on! WOW!

SO...

Who wants to come over for a Hillbilly party?  I'll bring the veggie possum burgers, 

you bring the Moonshine and it'll be a real hootenanny!