The daily challenges of two married California urbanites that think Tennessee is the place you odda be!
Once upon a time in a place called LaLa land, better known as Los Angeles, a couple fell in love and got married. When they met in 1997, Richard was in the process of getting through a divorce, lived in an 1,800 SF, one-story home on a 10,000 SF lot in Upland, CA. He dressed in business suits five days a week for his job as a VP and Planning Consultant for an engineering, planning and surveying firm in Ontario, CA. His three children, all in their early 20’s were living at home. Also living in the household were one Miniature Schnauzer and one cat. Richard’s hobbies were following the NASCAR races and enjoying his Corvette. He was very active in the community. He had just finished a term as President of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and was the current Lt. Gov. for Kiwanis Division 15.
Katrina lived in a similar home in Chino Hills, CA. She also dressed up in business suits five days a week. Her job was VP of a bank and a commercial underwriter. Katrina’s hobbies were occasionally showing her dogs and spending many hours in community activities especially as President of the Chino Hills Kiwanis Club. Katrina’s real love was her three dogs (Whippets) Perry, Fraser and Niles.
As all good stories go Richard and Katrina were married in 1999 and began there new life together in Upland on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Their lives were busy with work and play. They showed Katrina’s dogs, began collecting Corvettes and vintage Muscle Cars, they did all the typical Southern California things but soon realized something was missing. They both grew up with the opportunity to roam through open land and experience nature. They began to look for such a place in Southern CA.
You can’t be bored in Southern California. Disney Land, Rose Parade, Hollywood, Venice Beach, Malibu, the Pacific Ocean, Catalina, snow skiing in the San Bernardino mountains, riding ATV’s in the desert, movie stars, rock stars and the list goes on. There are realistically a half dozen activities you want to do every weekend and the weather is always perfect, well most of the time anyway.
It isn’t all sun, glamour and beauty. Southern California has fantastic weather, smog, mountains, forest fires, beaches, earth quakes, diversity, grid locked freeways, palm trees, dust storms, beautiful landscape, graffiti plus millions and millions of people. Trying to find open space in Southern California is like trying to find a snow ball on the Fourth of July on a California beach. You can get on the freeway near the beach in Santa Monica; head east and be in bumper to bumper traffic anytime of day and still not see real remote open space for hours. Southern California is an urban, car oriented megalopolis.
The happily married Fleeners then expanded their search nationwide. After two years of research and traveling, they settled on a 12 acre ranch in Middle Tennessee.
Here we have two urban dwellers neither of which has ever lived on a farm or ranch now taking up residence on one.
Today, Katrina still works at a Bank but now has to do chores before she leaves for work in the morning. Richard is still a planning consultant in California but now commutes once a month from Tennessee to California to meet with clients. The rest of the time he is in his blue jeans tending the livestock.
They still have dogs and collect muscle cars but now they also have an old tractor and more animals than you can count on your fingers and toes! In fact they now have a heard of nearly 30 miniature donkeys but more about that later.
This Blog; LA to Hee Haw, is about the daily experiences of this middle aged married couple who left the glamour and excitement of Southern California for the serenity, beauty and smell of animals in Tennessee.
What did our friends and relatives think? What did our business associates think? What do we experience on a daily basis? We will tell you.
We will also introduce each of our animals to you. Everyone of them has a very special personality and you will be entertained and astonished by their daily escapades.
If you want to visit the Fleener’s car site click here.