Small Town Charm

  At The Hitchin' Post RV Park, Plainview, Texas...

As we travel around the country, we are encouraged in these trying times by the simple friendliness that abounds in small towns. Such was the case in Kress, a lonely burg on the high plains of west Texas. A stop at Jeff's restaurant was a step into another world, where we were greeted by Rhonda (Jeff's wife) with a, "Hi, y'all, sit anywhere; I've got a fresh pie comin' out of the oven."

We were treated as though we were friends from next door and the train wreck that is our country had been a bad dream. We sat near the buffet, fussed over by Jeff and his young grandson, who was obviously learning the ropes. As the excellent home-cooked offerings were gobbled up by customers, Jeff put his hand on the young man's shoulder, saying, "Come on, boy, let's cook up some more catfish."

After our meal, we bent the rules and shared a slice of Rhonda's coconut pie, a little piece of heaven that had somehow made its way to earth. As we left, Rhonda waved and said, "Y'all come back now," in a syrupy Texas drawl. For this brief stop, it was fifty years ago. Oh, if only time could stand still...

I posted the passage above in Facebook and received an unexpectedly large response, for reasons I don't quite understand. Perhaps it was because, considering these crazy times, a lot of people are reminiscing about the 'good old days.' In fact, it will be published in my hometown monthly newspaper, and the editor, a high school classmate, asked me to write a column to appear in each issue. Totally surprised, I accepted; We'll see how that goes. (Hint: Next topic--Covid.) We leave Plainview for Colorado tomorrow.

 Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; 

please forgive me if I fail to appreciate it each day as I should.

We don't stop playing because we get old; we get old because we stop playing. 

 ---George Bernard Shaw

"I get up every morning, and I just don't let the old man in." ---Clint Eastwood