VIDALIA — Auva Hagan is a self-professed complainer.

The Vidalia resident said she doesn’t like the uncut grass next door, the loud children on her street, cold weather or worrying about her children in Chicago.

But she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I complain when stuff ain’t right, because there is a lot of stuff that isn’t right,” Hagan said. “Even though I do have some complaints, there is something nice about living in the country.”

When The Dart landed near the Vidalia Riverfront, it found Hagan and her cousin Sharon Long spending a sunny summer afternoon on their brother’s porch on Ester Street.

Born and reared in Vidalia, Hagan returned to the town Tuesday, moving in with her brother, after a stint in Chicago, where her children live. Hagan said she worries about her children’s well being because of the high rate of violence in the Windy City.

Though she had only been back in Vidalia for one day when The Dart found her, Hagan said she hoped her children would call soon.

Hagan worked as a housekeeper in Chicago but said she didn’t have any immediate plans to begin working again. Instead, Hagan is content to sit on her porch, share afternoon gossip with Long and enjoy a slow, lazy summer next to the Mississippi River.

“My birthday was yesterday,” Hagan said Wednesday. “You know what I did to celebrate? I sat right here on my porch.”

As she spoke, a small box fan blew cool air onto the porch from her house. She said it provided a break from the summer heat, which she also complained about.

But Hagan is more than complaints. She also enjoys cooking. Her favorite culinary style is country cuisine. Hagan said she cooks collard greens and corn bread, among other things.

“If you can consider it soul food or country food, I can cook it,” Hagan said. “I like being around family and friends and cooking for them, too.”