On a walk around Walsenburg recently, I noticed how my attitude towards this small town has softened in the past year.

We came here last May to find a rental while we built our new home in the foothills west of here. I thought then that I only wanted to live in La Veta over the winter months. It has lots of boomers, a hip attitude, and is quite a stunner in natural beauty. Walsenburg is on the edge of the foothills, and sadly a little worse for wear.

But, as luck would have it, the ONLY decent rental available at that time was a one hundred-year-old home in west Walsenburg. After living in our own home in suburbia for the past few decades, this house and the town in general felt like quite a letdown to me.

We are still sometimes frustrated with all the things that don’t work properly in our rental house, but very pleased with our landlord Bob. He has been a good friend to us.

Then there is Walsenburg. As we have gotten to know a few of the hardworking citizens of this town, I have gained a new appreciation for the term ‘working class.’

I cannot think of one occasion when anyone here has been mean or unfriendly to us. We have made a few friends in our neighborhood, we help them and they help us. In contrast I have made no friends in La Veta besides Pat and Doug at Two Fox Cabins.

Yes, there are quite a few people here who live on very little money, but they are good, generous people just trying to get by like everybody else.