My town is quirky in a really wonderful way. Never knowing who you will run into, or what they may do, it is always fun to explore. In recent explorations, I’ve found some very interesting people indeed. Adding to the services in town, they also qualify as seasoned characters in a great novel. I’m taking notes and sharing a small bit with you today.
I’ll start with the ice cream man. Burt. He is the owner of Burt’s Butter Pecan. All the ice cream in his shop is handmade. He is very proud of this, as he should be. The town folk show up at his counter every evening after the dinner dishes are put away. He stays open until 9 PM, making sure that everyone who wants a scoop gets one.
Last year, the day VST and I put in the offer on Winterpast, VST wanted some ice cream, so we stopped. That day, the shop was empty except for Burt, who was happy to fill us in on the great points and short falls of our town. Burt came to our town more than a decade ago, and settled in this wide spot in the road. He sees all and knows all. His ice cream is the best I’ve ever tasted. Every scoop comes with a sweet memory of an old couple celebrating the purchase of their last home, Winterpast. With Burt’s New York City accent and blunt way of speaking, you just know your visit with him will be interesting.
Then, there is Movin’Dirt Douglas. He runs an excavation business, helping people move rocks here and there. In the high desert, you need someone with a tractor to move decorative rocks. Sand. Rocks. More sand. More rocks. One good thing is that there’s no shortage of landscaping material. Douglas also owns Dirty Douglas Pawn Shop. If you need to find a firearm or old saddle, his shop has these treasures and more. Douglas can show you whatever you may need, while replacing watch batteries, while telling you about the town. After all, he graduated from high school here and knows everyone.
Which is how Douglas became a City Councilman, helping to make major decisions for the town. Everyone wears many hats in a small place. Some just happen to be covered with blowing dust and desert skin tanned like leather.
My newest friend, I met last week when T and K were here to celebrate VST’s Heaven-er-sary. We had decided that to honor VST, we would buy a gun. But, they’re in short supply these days. The high desert is a good place to have them. You never know when you might be stranded and need a little self protection. To call this the Wild West is correct. One should never forget that people who want to disappear do so in the high desert. Protection is smart and necessary, as a policeman could be 30 minutes away. That is the fact when living somewhere remote.
There are plenty of fun places to target shoot safely, and target shooting is really fun. If you own a gun, you must know how to shoot it safely. A responsible gun owner has attended gun safety classes and obeys the rules. You also need to know how to care for it. If you’ve never been shooting, don’t judge. It is one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. Nothing dies. The only thing ending up with holes is paper targets.
As I was purchasing some ammunition at the hardware store, a gentleman told me of a new gun store in our little town. Make a right in front of CVS, go down to the bend in the road, turn right at the gravel road, go 1.2 miles past the growling dog and the “Eggs For Sale” sign, and on the left there would be a sign identifying the house. We did just that and met Craig, the Gun Guy.
Shy, reserved, and seasoned, Craig knows everything there is to know about every type of gun there is. His selection was wonderful, cleaned, and displayed on gun racks. There, he had two brand new target shooting guns. There is now an empty space where they sat. As Craig filled out the Federal background check and bill, we continued visiting.
It turns out Craig is the Baptist Minister for the little church next to the hardware store. I have passed the church many times always thinking I would like to visit this little country church. Now that I know the minister, I’ll do just that. Being a man of God, he gave us best wishes and prayers for a meaningful day of remembrance of our sweet guy.
As we were leaving, he reminded us that we were always welcome to come for fellowship. Yes, my town has the most fun type of people. Not stuck in one stereotype, people here are fluid types, because they need to be. In the desert, you need to have survival skills while being a bit of a Bad Ass. But, most of all, you need to be ready to meet and embrace new friends. Now, what will I wear next Sunday?