Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Country Gal

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept. 12, 2006
When I was a little girl, my mom read to me the story of the town mouse and the country mouse. I always thought that being the town mouse was really cool. I have always been happy being a country mouse but I could see the advantages of the city life. I thought that having neighbors living close to you would be ideal as you would never be lonely having someone so close that you could visit with often. How nice it would be to call your neighbor to come over for coffee and they could be there in a matter of a couple minutes. That thought just made me feel good. When I was five, I went to visit my Aunt Claudia in a suburb of Los Angeles. She had a neighbor who was very near to her home. Mom had brought farm eggs out from home and I thought it would be a good idea to share with her. Now this woman was somewhat cranky, I took that as a challenge and thought that she must be lonely and that was the reason for her moods. Actually, I found out later she was just cranky. I tried so hard to make her like me; I would go over to her home and visit nearly every day. I bet that was a long week for her. But now I know that sometimes when you live in a town, (and this happens in the country too) people have forgotten about what is important.
In the perfect world, which is where I would like to live it would be nice if everyone would just play nice.
Dad found a saying that sums all of this up. Live well- Love Much and Laugh Often.


Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept 19, 2006
By now, you probably know that I am out of the country. I have gone to cook for hunters in New Mexico. My first two camps will be on the Floyd Lee Ranch north of Grants, New Mexico. I think that this will be an interesting experience. I am a little worried about being bear food. I have gained enough weight that a bear could hibernate long into the summer if he had me for lunch. I am hoping that the bears will be sleeping by this time. Probably not- Since I am the cook I will be where the food is- I hope that I do not have to guard the food with my life. I was told by a friend that it is mostly small black bears that live around there and they do not eat all that much. So, why don’t I feel better? I think that if a bear is going to eat part of me he might as well finish me off.
The other place that I will be going is in the Gila Wilderness the closest town is Apache Creek. The altitude is around 10,000 feet so it will be a little cool. One of the best parts of the whole thing is that I get to see Dan and Linda Winter, Jerry Ferrin, my Aunt Hazel Barker, and several cousins that I have not seen in a few years. I will also get to visit Vickie and Randy along with her family. I always love going to see their families.
Vickie has a thrift store that she operates for their church. That is how they get money for their benevolence fund. People give all kinds of things to her store and she does quite well. She calls it-People Helping People. I love to shop there, I got a great deal on a copier that I use often and it was in new condition.
I hope to send you updates on my adventures but in the meantime, Mom will write a column or two. Well- wish me luck and I will see you when I get back.