Love Where You're At

A thought has been running through my head of late - how much I "think" I hate living where I do. It's small, ugly, cactus growing, barren, hick place of a town. . . So we start thinking of selling, moving to somewhere that the cactus don't grow so proflific, somewhere that we have at least a store (we do have a post office although no postal delivery), a place that is green with grass and flowers and more than a thousand people.


So we looked, we looked in Florence where we lived for so many years. I realized you really can't see the sky from there, and how I love my view! I have become really good friends with Pikes Peak, she shimmers in the morning sun, I know what time of year she is at her most beautiful from my vantage point. I know how she can glow bright pink during the winter sunsets! Right at this very moment, she is snow capped (a lot of snow too!) and the sun is shining brightly on her top, and shadows are crossing over her from some large clouds that are forming. There are dark clouds behind her that just accents her beautiful brilliant white top!


Then there are the foggy mornings, when the "river valley" is socked in with fog, there was a

morning this last week like that. Fog so thick and we could see the tops of the fog, and the sun was shining brightly here! What a beautiful sight! Or the fog laying over the Federal Prison - with the lights just poking out of the fog which gives the prison a look of floating. Not that a prison is a pretty sight anytime, but watching it float on a cloud is a unique sight!

And January 1 - midnight - watching the fireworks out my kitchen window or on my front porch. Sit up the spotting scope - what a treat! And if the currents are right, we can even hear the booms from the fireworks. I suppose the 4th of July would be good also - but we head to the mountains to beat the heat!


How about the days when the deer are feeding right out the door, or the coyote that walks by - not at all bothered by a human taking pictures of him.




My daughter comes out and marvels at the peace and quiet and the views. The grandkids come out and go 4-wheeling, all on our property. (I encourage them to take the path that will knock down the smaller cactus!) And I think to myself - this really is not so bad!








So there is much to be said for living where we do - and the choice to not leave this, is a good choice. For us.

I will always miss a larger city - I love the size of Pueblo, and would live there (I think??) but could I leave the peace, the quiet, the views and most of all, could I leave America's Mountain? I was raised in the San Luis Valley where we were surrounded by mountains, the Sangre's on the east or East Range as we called them. Like Pikes Peak, always different, always beautiful.

So no matter where I live, I have loved it for one thing or another, (well that might be stretching it when I remember the Philippine Islands!) but for the most part, every part of the world we have called home has been delightful in some way. Home truly is where the heart is.

Until then. . .