10 Things You Only Learn from Rural Life Experiences

Last night, I was returning home, driving on a road I've frequently traveled over the years.  I've taken it so many times that I know how long it takes me to get from one end to the other, how fast I should is too much for each curve, and even where I need to drive on the wrong side to keep my shocks from being compromised. As I drove, I thought about the things that you only really know by experiencing life in a rural area.

10 Things You Only Learn from Rural Life Experiences

1. How to drive on a road with no lights, few signs, no lines but stay on your side while also watching for deer.
2. And speaking of deer, it's only called venison when someone else prepares it. If cooked at home, it's deer meat/sausage/roast. ("Let me get some of that deer meat!")
3. Squirrel, opossum, turtle, raccoon, and rabbit are all meats that can end up on your dinner table. (Although these are things I'd NEVER think of eating.)
4. Make sure you have enough gas to go at least 30 miles before passing a service station, especially at night. There might be a service station in the next town, but there's no guarantee it's going to be open.
5. If you date someone who lives among a cluster of homes with no other homes around them for at least 300 yards, those aren't just neighbors; they're family, and you stand the chance of meeting them all the first time you visit.
6. A house with a tin roof on a rainy night provides THE BEST sleep.
7. When most people consider cars dirty, that's only a light dusting. DIRTY is when you've gone off-roading.
8. The only sport that comes close to the same popularity as college football is racing, NASCAR or drag!
9. Dirt is edible. Unless you have pica, most people wouldn't even think of eating dirt, but in the South, people can look at the dirt and tell you if it's "sour," or the kind most often eaten. (The 3-second rule might be obsolete here. I'm not really sure, but it SHOULD be.)
10. On a clear night, you can actually see the stars and constellations without use of a telescope, as all other light is limited.

I'm sure there are other things you can think of to add to the list. What are they?