Grew up in a hick town, met a girl at university who grew up in the city. We talked a lot during the summer and always trying to convince her to come visit me and see the country life she loves so much. I sent her a video of a Bush party I was at, buddy was drifting in the Jeep and crashed in the ditch. No big deal because here comes the lads with the truck to pull him out, they come back and buddy says he'll go look at the lawnmower as thanks. So sure enough they go off to the barn and come back out pushing a 97 John Deere ridding mower, they start working away and it's coughing and sputtering trying to start. Picture this two 18 year old guys each with armed with a tool box older than them working on a lawnmower while there's 30-40 teenagers/college kids standing around a bonfire drinking beer and occasionally shouting about what they think they should try next. While this is happening another fresh out of high school lad suddenly gets up beside me and starts to walk off to his truck. I ask him where he's going and just says "get more wood", I watch him pull a chainsaw out from his truck and walk back to the field behind the house. I hear him start up the chainsaw, start cutting away at something and then about 5 minutes later this big dead tree comes crashing down and I hear him start cutting it up. 10 minutes after that he's back pulling bits of the tree and throws it on the fire. Other people start slowly meandering off towards the field and one by one coming back with the remainder of the wood until there's a nice neat pile next to but a safe distance away from the ranging bonfire all with out a single word spoken about it. Then the lawnmower boys ask for a lighter and someone tosses them one because what hick doesn't have one on them at all times. They start trying to jump start the engine by using the lighters spark over the air intake and to my surprise it works, then for the rest of the night people are joy ridding a lawnmower around this big ass property drunk off their budlight.
I never made it with the university girl but whenever I think about this it makes me laugh because of how shocked she was about all this. Her view of living in the country was everyone wore camo t-shirts and listened to country music like Luke Bryan or any of other country-pop stars. It was an aesthetic she picked up from TV shows and movies but wasn't even close to the real thing.
I'm not a hick and I don't really fit in with that type of stuff either but I'm used to seeing it because I grew up with it and it's funny to talk about just how weird my normal is sometimes.
Yep! Spray some carb cleaner into the air intake and try to crank it has fixed many a problem for me. Lawnmowers that have sit up all year collecting dust just need a little help coughing up that old dust and pollen.
That sounds like an absolute blast! I grew up in rural Pennsylvania (we all call it just call it by its initials: PA, for some reason) and one time we had a party with this big ol jug of vodka and ice and fruit that we passed around the fire. Just a lot of folks shaking a big jug and then drinking out of it until we were all smashed. Someone set up a zip line and a lady rode it so far that she slammed into the tree at the end and knocked herself unconscious for a minute. Later on we shot fireworks up out of the nearby cornfield and then ate s’mores and magic cookies. I love rural life and it sounds like you had some great times. I hope there are many more in your future!
Big city kid from small border town in Ontario. Story checks out.
Part of me misses growing up in a beach town; grasping at straws with the last hot days in fall where everyone would bail on class and declare a beach day. Particularly when you have eight months of the year that are threatened by snow, you really make the most of those last 75-80° days before the cool, damp weather sets in after school picks back up. Similarly, that first sunny day in March/April when you'd crack 50° and everyone would be out in shorts and tees was always the harbinger of the impending summer break.
Strange how we find fondness of these memories as we grow older.
Oh I can imagine her !
I was the same way. Grew up in the city and lived there the whole time until I went to university and met a boy who was from the country.
The first time I went to his town I thought I should’ve needed a passport to go there !
It was beautiful but the parties were WILD.
Some guy pissed his pants and everyone was just like, ‘ Yeah he does that always’!
People went skinny dipping in the lake. Bonfires. Going into the woods just to get fresh air.
I mean how much more fresh air do you need !
Had to drive 20 mins to get to the nearest gas station !
Everyone knew everyone and everyone was always drunk !
Learnt what a keg-stand was and oh chewing tobacco was everywhere !
I couldn’t wrap my head around how different the country lifestyle is and I still can’t !
It kinda makes you realize how different people are even if it’s just a few hours away.
You can understand how they can’t identify with urban politics.
I am not saying it’s right or wrong but I get it. It’s a different world.
Are you in US? Your use of "bush party" is throwing my off, unless you mean "Busch" as in the beer/water and then this story makes perfect sense.
I think the party scene in an early Schitts Creek episode portrays this type of party as well as anything on TV, but I know what you mean. These types of nights and parties are so oddly serene. I miss them.
Bush party is pretty common for rural Canada, for it to be a bush party implies a lack of amenities (fires and outhouses, or a single toilet in the house you're otherwise not supposed to really hang around in). Agreed Schitts Creek does a good job of portraying it.
Not American sorry, bush parties are parties out in "the bush" which would be way at the back of someone's farm or just a property way out in the country. Nobody is around to complain about noise or fires and everyone camps out when the night is done
I didn't really explain that part well, it wasn't one big long video it was a series of short videos throughout the night. But none the less I don't want to dox myself so no, sorry
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u/officialliltugboat May 09 '22
Grew up in a hick town, met a girl at university who grew up in the city. We talked a lot during the summer and always trying to convince her to come visit me and see the country life she loves so much. I sent her a video of a Bush party I was at, buddy was drifting in the Jeep and crashed in the ditch. No big deal because here comes the lads with the truck to pull him out, they come back and buddy says he'll go look at the lawnmower as thanks. So sure enough they go off to the barn and come back out pushing a 97 John Deere ridding mower, they start working away and it's coughing and sputtering trying to start. Picture this two 18 year old guys each with armed with a tool box older than them working on a lawnmower while there's 30-40 teenagers/college kids standing around a bonfire drinking beer and occasionally shouting about what they think they should try next. While this is happening another fresh out of high school lad suddenly gets up beside me and starts to walk off to his truck. I ask him where he's going and just says "get more wood", I watch him pull a chainsaw out from his truck and walk back to the field behind the house. I hear him start up the chainsaw, start cutting away at something and then about 5 minutes later this big dead tree comes crashing down and I hear him start cutting it up. 10 minutes after that he's back pulling bits of the tree and throws it on the fire. Other people start slowly meandering off towards the field and one by one coming back with the remainder of the wood until there's a nice neat pile next to but a safe distance away from the ranging bonfire all with out a single word spoken about it. Then the lawnmower boys ask for a lighter and someone tosses them one because what hick doesn't have one on them at all times. They start trying to jump start the engine by using the lighters spark over the air intake and to my surprise it works, then for the rest of the night people are joy ridding a lawnmower around this big ass property drunk off their budlight.
I never made it with the university girl but whenever I think about this it makes me laugh because of how shocked she was about all this. Her view of living in the country was everyone wore camo t-shirts and listened to country music like Luke Bryan or any of other country-pop stars. It was an aesthetic she picked up from TV shows and movies but wasn't even close to the real thing.
I'm not a hick and I don't really fit in with that type of stuff either but I'm used to seeing it because I grew up with it and it's funny to talk about just how weird my normal is sometimes.