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Mike and I had an interesting conversation yesterday about retirement. I was talking about how strange, but wonderful it is living here in the southern Colorado foothills, when I said, “This was really your dream, but I love it!” So he turned to me and asked, “What was your dream?” I was totally stumped.
So I asked him when he started thinking about it. He said he began dreaming about it in childhood. That was when he first imagined having a tremendous view in a rural mountainous area. The man has always had so much more vision than myself.
The culture-shock continues at this end. I remember daily my surprise when we first moved here from busy, expensive Fort Collins last summer. Walsenburg is very small, quiet and poor. Back then, every time I went out to my car to go somewhere I would think, “Where the hell am I?” Ours was a move from one of the richest cities in Colorado to the absolute poorest. Yes, this was a challenge to the way I saw myself.
About once a month we would go eat breakfast at the local greasy spoon, that cafe that has been on Main Street for a hundred years. Phyllis, the owner, cook, and waitress would always ask, “Where are you from?” We would always answer, “Here.” It took her a few months to accept the fact that we would be coming back monthly.
Let us all have a moment of silence for those poor souls in California and Washington, who are suffering through their second season of devastating wildfires out west.
I know of what I speak here. We had a couple a few years ago, west of Fort Collins. I will never forget one morning there, when I woke up to smoke all over our suburban neighborhood. The smell was that of a campground outside.
Here in rural southern Colorado we are experiencing smoky skies over the mountains, and bright red sunrises as a result of the fires far west of here.
On a brighter note, Mike has completed the outside enclosure for Rasta, our micro-pup, so he can go outside without becoming lunch to the numerous wildlife around here… you should hear the coyotes at night!
This is the first time in my entire life that I have felt truly free, and why not with a view like this out of my picture window?
It admit, it has taken me longer than I ever expected to adjust to life in and then outside of small town USA, but now I cannot even imagine going back to suburbia with all of that noise, pollution, traffic and high anxiety.
That’s where the incredible beauty of this place comes in. Check out our sunset last night over the Spanish Peaks, a real attention-grabber!
Every time I look outside I am AMAZED at where I live.
Adventures of the NEW??? Old Farts 