There’s no denying that being a resident of the Ozarks means living a life that’s unique in numerous ways.
Here is another list of random examples of what it can be like.
If you’ve ever had service done to your vehicle’s engine because of damage done by a pack rat, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever lifted your vehicle’s hood and found a nest made by a pack rat (complete with insulation from your garage and pieces of a sock your dog stole and took outside) you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’re neighbor’s dog has ever caused problems with your chickens, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever eaten a gigantic bacon cheeseburger and a large order of fries from Hardee’s, and washed them down with a diet Coke, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever explained what a tick is to a relative from the West Coast, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever explained what gigging is to a relative from the West Coast, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever emailed a photo of your front yard covered in snow front yard to a relative from the West Coast and included a description of how the temperature was 80 degrees the day before, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever retrieved you donkey from a neighboring property, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you try not to miss “swap line” on the local radio station more than once a week, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever lost a piece of jewelry in a river, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you live on a dirt road and your mailbox has been vandalized two or more times, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you know the phone number of your favorite local barbecue joint by heart, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you consider some species of snakes to be “good snakes,” you might be from the Ozarks.
If you know the difference between the calls of a pileated woodpecker and a red-bellied woodpecker, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever taken time off from work to go hunting, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you own an ATV, UTV and a zero-turn mower, you might be from the Ozarks.
If your pickup truck has a sticker on it that in some way depicts deer antlers, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever used a box of ammunition to pay a friend for helping you split wood, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever said to yourself, “well, there’s no point in mopping the floor today,” you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever spent an hour plucking burrs out of your dog’s fur, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever spent any amount of time checking your dog for ticks, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you love telling that story about the time you saw the Oak Ridge Boys do a live show in Branson, you might be from the Ozarks.
If there’s more than one knife in your vehicle’s storage compartment, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever cooked steaks on your backyard grill when the temperature is below 20 degrees, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve never filed and waxed a pair of skis, but you have sighted-in a rifle, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’ve ever eaten venison jerky or venison chili, but have never eaten salmon, you might be from the Ozarks.
If you can quote lines from the movie, “Smokey and the Bandit,” but you’ve never seen “Schindler’s List” or “Casablanca,” you might be from the Ozarks.
If you’re thankful for the place where you live and you wouldn’t have it any other way, you might be from the Ozarks.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald. Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.