If it is illegal then it is illegal. Just because I know about it doesn't make me the guilty one, does it?

Killing a state bird. That's our dilemma. The Texas state bird is the mockingbird. No problem there. They have these neat long tails that have grey circles on the ends. No problem there either.

The problems lies in their big mouth. They don't have a whistle or even one kind of call. Hence the name. They can go on and on without seeming to take a breath for hours.

The problem lies in the lonely mockingbird in the hackberry tree in our backyard. Every morning at about 5:30 he begins his mating calls. Loudly.

This morning Mike burst in the house complaining that the bird was so loud he couldn't hear anything else.

He hasn't used the BB gun on him yet but I know that it is coming. That poor bird needs to find his mate and move on with his life.

I don't mind his singing. I can tune him out when I want to. I can even mock his whistles and he will change his tune.

Why can't Mike see his uniqueness too? I'm afraid Mike's going to shed some feathers over this thing. I hope they are his and not the bird's!!

Weddings in a small town.

You just can't beat 'em. Last Saturday night we attended a wedding whose bride and groom wouldn't have known us from Cooter Brown. We had met the groom once back last summer but had never met the bride.

And that's okay in a small town because we weren't wedding crashers. We know the groom's parents and brother. My parents know the groom's grandparents. And we also knew a lot of people at the reception. A good time was had by all.

When we lived in the big city, we could have pulled a wedding crasher at a big wedding and no one would have picked up on it.

Going to a small town wedding, you know most everyone there so you don't have to stand against the wall and hold it up. We socialized and drank from the open bar.

We also hugged and thanked the groom's parents. We have to show face again next weekend at other parties so we have to be appreciative and complimentary on their hard work.

We're not dorks all the time!!

One of the best perks about living in a small town is getting to stay in the bar way after closing hours.

The bar hours for our bar is only 10 pm (it's also a restaurant) but still, after the Mavericks game Saturday night, the bartender let us stay there for another drink or two. Those of us remaining all know each other so it wasn't like there were any strangers. We had a grand time celebrating for the Mavericks.

Often times we do have visitors from out of town or state because they are contracting work with a company in town. This is always a hoot to hear them complain about "only 3 bars in the whole town?"

Another great small town perk is free drinks. When there are about 5 or 6 of us at the bar, there will usually be a round of buying shots for everyone. I'll usually keep to wine but every once in a while I'll splurge for a buttery nipple.

Thursday night will be another great night of basketball and drinks all around!

Imagine this. You leave your place of work in a large metro area. Let's say Dallas, Texas. You begin the drive in rush hour traffic. Lots of stop and go. Lots of people cutting in front of you. You inch along until finally, your speed is gaining toward 50 but the cars still surround you.

As the miles grow, the cars begin to thin out. About 45 minutes into your drive, you finally have space between you and the other autos.

Then you exit your farm-to-market two-lane road off of the highway. Your first deep exhale feels good. The hardest part is literally behind you.

You then drive the 12 miles on the two-lane road. Your speed is still highway range but your stress level is coming down. You check out the cows, sheep, goats and horses grazing in the different pastures as you travel along. Their contentment almost puts a smile on your face.

You now turn onto the graveled farm road to your house. You roll down the window, take off the seat belt, turn off the radio chatter and travel at about 25 - 30 miles per hour. As the dust flies behind your car, you can literally feel your stress and the days worries flying out of your head with it.

By the time you pull into your driveway, the big city is gone and your mind is ready for the quiet atmosphere that only country living can give you.

Now doesn't that sound grand. In about 10 minutes, I will begin that journey just as described above. Woo Hoo!!