I had to shrug. Like Mel, it saddens me a bit to see things change, to see land amassed by some hardworking settlers for the purpose of raising cattle, and precious bottom land perfect for farming, being sold off in little chunks. It's for a reason. But you got to have enough of it intact to do some good. You also got to have enough of it to keep your sanity.
People are like animals.
They do better when they ain't hemmed in. Mel began lamenting over the fact that he can no longer look out across miles and miles of unpopulated land in our neck of the woods. Green an' never see a soul. These days, I'm lucky to git out the front gate without causin' a traffic jam, or runnin' over a jogger. You nary see a cow 'round here anymore ner a tractor, 'less it's got a 'For Sale' sign on it.