Brown's General

Pictures from the "Antique Tractors" 2011 Calendar

Before I moved to the farm I wasn't ignorant in the ways of country living, but I certainly wasn't an expert. I guess you could say the past eight months have been Country Education 101. I'm still learning the various social graces of this part of the world, but I think i'm making steady progress. Exhibit A: In the past week I have been "gifted" three 2011 calendars from two separate businesses, the G&S Gas Company and the Hill Farm Feed Store. I consider these calendars to be badges of my growing ability to navigate and feel comfortable in this part of the world. I think to understand why I'm proud of such an accomplishment you have to understand Hancock County and it's occupants.

The poorest county in Georgia, the population of Sparta and it's surrounding towns have been slowly diminishing over the past few decades. As jobs dried up here, the majority of financial opportunities went with it, and the people that live here seem to be committed to sticking it out because it's home, wish they could go somewhere else and can't, or wish they could go somewhere else and won't. What this means is that there are very few, as in no, girls below the age of twenty-five that show up in feed stores wearing muck boots that clearly "aren't from around here". If the moon pies and pork rinds behind the cash register at Hill Farm Store don't tell you, the picture of a toddler sitting on a dead deer with a caption below it that says, "Santa, if I don't get everything on my Christmas list Prancer and Dancer are next!" will. I believe I am somewhat of an anomaly in this town. To be clear, I don't at all confuse this with superiority, on the contrary, there's a lot I could learn from people around here, but every time I start to patronize a new business here I can almost predict how the initial interaction will go down; confusion, suspicion, reservation, and finally acceptance or ambivalence. I'd probably go through the same mental process if I were in their shoes, and it probably doesn't help that the Prius is the designated car for feed pick-up, but the phrase "Can I help you?" really seems to mean "Please explain" when it's coming in my direction.

In small towns, newcomers are an adjustment for everyone, but in time a newcomer becomes a neighbor. Take that Leave it to Beaver. In the meantime, i'm three calendars richer.