Living in a small town.

I LOVE living in a small town. No, I can't just go to the mall, and I spend more time than I want to admit shopping on line because I HATE driving to the big city. It's the sense of community and caring that I find here. The Big City was so cold.

I am working this weekend, but call has been light so I was trying to get some yard work done. When I moved into my house 4 years ago, there was a big old tree near the corner of the property with a lot of broken limbs below it. Those limbs had brambles, etc. growing inside. Each year, I have told myself that I would try to tackle that ode to the wild-side, and each year, it got a little worse. Last year was my own personal year from...heck. I was basically a prisoner of the inside with allergies out of freekin' control. I started allergy shots, and now, armed with nasal saline washes, Singulair and Flonase, I can actually spend some time outside!

This weekend, I mowed the five acres and then decided to tack the Wild Side. The large tree in the center died last summer (a victim of the drought) and I need to get the Wild Side cleared so that I can have someone cut down the tree. While I am struggling to haul limbs (cut with my trusty twelve inch saw), out of the blue a man in a pick up truck stops, introduces himself and informs me that I need help. True. He hauls out a chain saw and goes to it. Part way through, he discovers that I have bees in the dead tree. Rut-row. Like most men with pick ups, he's resourceful. He tells me that he used to keep bees and will come back later to harvest. Finding that the wild side was little more wild than he thought it would be, he also tells me that he will come back in about 6 weeks when he moves his tractor to the tract of land that he owns near my house, and clear the wild side. He will also cut down my tree. I offer to pay him. He refuses. I know his name. I'll send him a thank you gift.

Would this have happened in the Big City? I don't think so.

OK....maybe my house is looking so bad that the neighbors are taking pity?

I am beginning to fall in love with men in pick up trucks. They are a very handy sort.

A picture from my front yard....I planted this last year and it didn't grow. This year, tons of flowers. I wish I remembered what type of plant it is.

The memory of towns....

I have lived in Smalltown America for about 4 years.

When I first moved here, I was impressed by how friendly everyone was; I was amazed by the acts of kindness that I saw on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong: there are bad apples in every bushel, but in general the apples are good and shiny here.

After a while, one gets used the the rhythm of Smalltown. We lie 90 minutes from the (evil) Big City. Close enough to get to, when one has some break with sanity, but far enough that getting there and back with anything of significance in between comin' and goin' is a day trip.

Living in a place like this, one begins to appreciate that the town is a type of living being. It has it's personality with good days and bad days. It has it's memories, both good and bad. Part of the goodness comes from a strength of having to take care of one's own. In a pinch, the Big City is there, but then again, in a BAD pinch, one might not make it to the Big City.

This evening, storms buffeted Smalltown. A couple of inches of rain came down in an hour. The skies were warm leading to tornadoes and funnel clouds. Twenty years ago, a tornado wiped out a 4 mile path in this town. Although the town has recovered in the intervening years, the memory of that day remains.

Tonight, at about 7:30 pm, there was a report of a funnel cloud. The tornado sirens began their scream. On a clear day, I can hear the siren in town, but usually, if the TV is on, I can't. The Smalltown with a memory knows that. When there is a tornado siren, the storm chasers come out. All the police and firemen hit the roads with sirens blazing. For me, it's a scary thing wondering if the whole town is about to burn. I also wonder if this is REALLY the best place for our police and fire -- out on the road without cover? Still, I somehow feel a sense of pride -- this town protects it's own whenever it can. If the tornado comes, people will be there as soon as is humanly possible.

Tonight, there was no tornado that dared to touch the ground. The town is safe. I love this town and the way it cares, the way it remembers.

Hug your hounds. Be safe.
Peace.