Hill Country Living

This couple of weeks is a time of anniversaries and firsts for me here in Water Valley. As of October, I’ve lived here in Water Valley for 10 years! My, how times flies…and, my, how time totally does not fly and seems to stand completely still and cease to exist at all. There were moments in Water Valley when I felt like things were really moving and shaking along and then there were times when the long, weird day just refused to end.
It’s been quite an interesting decade for me here but ultimately I’ve loved it through and through and am always thankful for the friends I’ve made and the opportunity this little town has afforded me.
“Afforded” being the key word. I hope Water Valley continues to be the type of place where someone with not much money can come in and try new things and has the freedom to take a risk. Sometimes all you need is just that little bitty teeny tiny chance. There are so many great ideas out there and so many great people that can see them through but there are also so many obstacles; money being the main one.     I want us to stay a place that leaves a little leg room for the big ideas from little people that have helped make this place unique and have kept our revitalization true, sincere, and organic. There’s no planning commission in the world that can pull off what we’ve done here. And that is due to the fact that people from across the board (different genders, ages, races, economic levels, etc..) have been able to take a chance. I was “chanced out” of Oxford and I’m truly happy for it because I wound up here.
And for the firsts, after living here for 10 years I finally made it to a Blue Devils football game! My kids were thrilled. The older one even painted the number of his favorite player on his face — some friend’s older cousin. Since we have no extended family here my kids have a hodgepodge of surrogate extended family members via everyone else in Water Valley. It’s nice to have my kid admire someone else’s older cousin because then he gets the benefit of having an older kid to look up to but I don’t have to deal with living in the same town as my own family. It’s a win/win.
The football game was fun. I saw everyone who was ever born, raised, lived and died in Water Valley. Y’all really turned out, didn’t ya? I also ate some barbecue nachos, cried when that player hurt his leg, and almost peed my pants when the cannon thing went off. Can we get a warning on that next time? Is heart attack and loss of bladder control really necessary every time the Blue Devils get a touchdown? Geez.
Lastly, I was pretty much given a 14-foot Alumacraft jon boat. So, for the first time, I own a boat. I love it so much and have thought maybe I would like to just live on it….set up a hammock and a battery powered hot plate and just live on the water out at Wildcat Brake. Seems like a fun place as evidenced by all the Natural Light cans and ketchup packets left on the banks. I like beer and ketchup. I think, though, that all the dust kicked up from the constant barrage of trucks flying down to the landings to practice their donuts would give me lung cancer. So, maybe I’ll just stay living on Dupuy Street where the last 10 years has suited me just fine and will surely suit me for at least 10 more.