awesome thread!

in about a week, i turn 55, so in comparison i'm sort of the young guy here! now i grew up mainly in and around Houston since that iw where Dad was working at during my younger years, but spent most of the majority of the summers here in East Texas. i loved the small town life, and everything about it. many of the things others here have mentioned, are the way i remember them being back then as well.
when my grandfather got cancer and got sick, we moved up from Houston to be here near my grandparents and to help out. Dad had planned on when Papa got well, and was doing better, that we'd move back to Houston. well Dec. 1974 he passed away, and Dad inherited the farm where we ended up moving to, and then i spent my jr. and sr, high years going to a small town school. but the time i was close to graduation, i couldn't wait to get away from the farm, and farming and farm animals. spent many years afterwards roaming over a lot of Texas working, and never really putting any roots down. now many years later, i'm back down here living on the farm, or part it, and enjoy my lifestyle, and the things i was running away from, are now the things that i want back and want to be a part of my life.
life can still be very good in small town.