Good People
Funny how sometimes when you meet someone you just know she's a kindred spirit. I spent this morning at a pandemic flu workshop (more interesting than you'd think!), talking with some firefighters about tanning hides and hog hunting and fishing and the like. Then I drove way out down to Adrian, which is a little blip of a town down south of Nyssa, to meet the coordinator of one of the local watershed councils. We met at The Mirage, which is Adrian's restaurant/bar/water cooler. The kind of place so local that the waitress didn't even write us a check - we just went up to the register on the way out and told them what we'd gotten.
But anyway. Had a great conversation with this lady about the watershed council and life in rural Oregon and, oddly enough, Dartmouth, as she had a friend who went there years ago (she's married, probably late 20's in age). I couldn't really tell you the details but it was just really nice to talk to someone with whom I felt I could communicate easily and honestly. I love most of the folks I've met out here, but for the most part I'm putting on my Southern charm and wearing my lacers and dredging up various humorous redneck stories to, uh, keep it real out here.
(My lacers are kinda less fancy than these. But I looooove em.)
Same goes for Z. Talking to him after a day in the office makes me realize just what I miss out here in Ontario. More on this later, but hey - it's 5 o'clock and we don't stay late 'round here!