Winterpast is one of the most quiet places on the planet. I don’t appreciate it until I venture out into city life. After so many months of ordering online or just making due with my little town’s restaurants, a trip to the state capital is exciting. Don’t get me wrong. The capital of Nevada is the most boring and unexciting place there is, but, it is a city compared to my little town. It’s the oddest mixture of strip malls, gas stations, old casinos, and box stores. End of subject on Nevada’s capital.
Talking to an old neighbor yesterday, she shared thoughts of moving out of Virginia City and next to me. After two years here, I would tell someone considering my town to think long and hard about their choice. For me, it was the best choice of all. FOR NOW. In my 7th decade, I’ll need to reevaluate circumstances and needs. My friend and her husband find themselves in the middle of their 7th decade.
In my town, there are six casinos. No hospital. Four Mexican restaurants. A Subway. Three casino coffee shops. Two real restaurants. Suishi. Two Chinese restaurants. A 76 Service station deli. 27 churches. A bowling alley. City Hall. A Senior Center. One Walmart. A terrible Lowe’s. Two walk in medical clinics. Two grocery stores. Three truck stops. A dried up golf course. An old folk’s home. And me.
Even though you wouldn’t think entertainment abounds here, there are so many things to keep me busy in my little town, somedays I forget to stop and just listen to the beautiful silence. I once told someone that snowfall sounds so beautiful. Confused, they didn’t believe snowfall has a sound. Indeed, it depends on the snowflakes and how intently you are listening. Here in the desert, the flakes hit surfaces with the tiniest of sounds. City sounds are muffled after a beautiful snowfall like we’ve had the last two mornings. Snow can be such a beautiful part of life but especially if it melts by evening.
Oliver must have partied hard at his Puppy Camp Extravaganza, as he really hasn’t woken up since coming home yesterday. He loved the surprise snow in the back yard and had fun making tracks while showing off his best zoomies. Then, it was off to puppy dream land. Such a funny little guy, I’m glad he’s home.
With a full fridge, I plan to enjoy the confines of Winterpast until the weekend. Plenty of snowy day tasks await. One of the more troublesome involves calculating my annual taxes. Not that it takes a rocket scientist to do it. It just takes patience and doing. We should all be grateful that something so unpleasant only comes once a year. Even more grateful am I that Nevada has no State Income Tax. FOR NOW.
On the more interesting side of life, I’m committed to reading the Bible this year. Right now, in the middle of Leviticus, I’m fascinated at the understanding people had about infectious diseases and other ailments. It’s as if I was reading about the Covid quarantine when reading about instructions for people with ailments in the Old Testament. Even though nothing was known about bacteria or viruses, it was still known that separation during illness was necessary. Reading a specified number of chapters each day will bring me to the end of the book by December 31st. Some of the best reading I’ve done in a very long time.
Quiet peace on the range. No deer, antelope, or mustang are playing around here these days. At 25 degrees, I won’t frolic outside, either. While practicing lazy with Oliver, ideas for tomorrows blog will come. Until then, have a wonderful Tuesday.