Anyone who knows me knows I’m a city-girl at heart.

Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE our quaint home away-from home in the Sardinian countryside.  Just imagine, a traditional rustic country home surrounded by lush greenery, an abundant garden, basking in the heat of the golden sun.

But…there’s another side to the story!

Now, imagine: a small house with four people crammed into a basement apartment for two, surrounded by bugs, spiderwebs connecting the trees like connect-the-dots, tons of insects and mosquitoes swarming the garden, burning under the heat of the unforgiving sun, and last, but not least…NO air-conditioning!!!

Over the years, I’ve very slowly learned to sometimes appreciate many things about country-living but there are still so many factors that continue to frustrate the city-girl in me.  I’ve also learned first-hand that the grass is NOT always greener on the other side!

Here are some factors that influence my love/hate relationship with the country:

I LOVE that my clothes acquire that fresh “outside” smell from drying in the fresh warm breeze.

I HATE having to iron the “crunchiness” out of them!  (Normally, I find ironing quite relaxing but what can be relaxing about ironing when it’s 90+ degrees with NO air-conditioning?!)

I LOVE listening to the birds chirp, watching the butterflies flutter among the flowers…I even don’t mind strange looking creatures (pictured below) hanging out on our windowsill.

I HATE spiders! (This is coming from a self-professed arachnophobic!)

I HATE “outside” spiders!

I HATE “inside” spiders!

This one hitched a ride in the basket of oranges we brought into the house to make fresh orange juice!

Did I mention, I…HATE…SPIDERS?! Eewwww!

I LOVE that I can pick fresh, organic (pesticide-free) produce from the garden.

I HATE getting attacked by mosquitoes and swarmed by flies and bees, and not to mention spotting a spider or two, while venturing into the garden.

I LOVE hanging out and relaxing on the hammocks with the family.

I HATE the way mosquitoes still find a way to sting us…even with every preventative measure put in place (i.e., citronella candles, protective cream, etc.)

I LOVE that we have built-in compost “bins” all over the yard…

I HATE when I discover that the bowl in which I throw the fruit/veggies scraps overflows into the sink…and I have to scoop up mushy, moldy produce with my bare hands!

And there you have it…

Proof that the grass is not always greener on the other side!