You can take the boy out of the country but..........

............you can't take the Country out of the boy.  My Brother Dave has a problem with boundaries.  To him, they don't exist.  And if they did, it would be imaginary lines made by people who really don't know anything anyway.  Brother should have been born in the wild west.  He lives within the city limits of a town, which shall remain anonymous for obvious reasons, but lives like there are no rules that govern him (not something new).  He has mellowed over the years but the rebel remains.  If you tell him that he can't do something, he will show you he can (it's in the DNA we all got from our gene pool. Becky and I got a full measure, too).  I'm telling you all this before I present the following pictures:

Two windmills and solar panels on top of his garage...
in town.  Only Brother.......

He built all that from scratch. It appears the electric company made him mad so he will make his own electric (makes you wonder what would have happened if the gas company made him mad).  The real heart of the operation is inside the garage (one of several big ones).  Batteries, wires and other scary looking stuff are scattered about in the back.  You can tell he's been simmering and thinking about this for years. Nephew Jimmy helped him put up the 30 foot  one.  Jimmy said "he's crazy".  I said "I can't believe it took you 50 years to figure that out!"   Power to the little people!
Just a side note: when he got his electric bill, it only went down $10.  There had been a rate increase. Yikes! 

And then there's the donkeys.  To see Brother Dave being so gentle and loving with the miniature donkeys is a sight to see.  He treats them like you would a small child.  I left their homestead with a feeling of pure joy!  He understands the principals of Simple Living. 

Vicky holding Mandy (one pampered pooch).

And then there's the long suffering city girl wife, Vicky.  Over the years she has learned to let him do his "thing" whatever that may be.  Their home is open 24/7.  You never know who you are going to run into when you stop by.  Vicky is the ultimate "hostess".  She's got manners.  One always feels welcome there. Their successful marriage confirms that opposites do attract.  A trip to visit them always makes me happy.  Needless to say, my big brother is my hero.  Always has been, always will be.  He has what they call "charisma". Love you Brother.  And thank you Vicky for being a perfect fit into our sometimes dysfunctional family.  Love you, too. 

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. 
Dr. Seuss