There was a time, dear friends, and not so long ago, when I'd have laughed at you for suggesting I'd end up in rural North Central Texas. "Ha, ha!" I'd exclaim, "Don't be stupid." Well the joke was on me and almost 18 years later here we are. Complaining? No, thanking God.
You see, here in the country the air's clear, the pace of life slower and more human, and, let's be honest, it's often more convenient. Say you want to go to the post office, DMV, police station, dry cleaners, supermarket or any of those things. Guess what, just a two minute drive or short walk away.
That in mind, the rig caught a nail in the front door passenger side wheel and was slowly losing air. In the metrosprawl? All kinds of hassle. Here? Call up Tom's Tire after Morning Prayer (1928 BCP, thank you very much) and ask, "Hey, can you fix my tire, it's got a nail." Sure, they reply, bring it over. And so I did, easy, country style. And then?
Walked back home along the leafy boulevards of Olde Texas, answered church emails and then, after a call from the shop, wandered back again to the land of tires and trucks. "That'll be 40 bucks, Mr LSP, here's the nail." I gazed at the offending nail, "Appreciate you, man," and that was that.
Easy. Everything would've been harder in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston. It might have been forbidden in Austin, San Francisco, London or Paris, but here in Hill County all was well. Did you know, punters, that Hill County Texas was, apparently, neutral ground for various warring tribes before we arrived in force?
All best for the great Feast of the Epiphany.
LSP
Roofing nails are the bane of my vehicles' tires' existences. Especially the ones that have that 1.5" x 1.5" square steel plate.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, small and slow is nice. Ever notice Hallmarkish style movies never have country folk going to the city to find peace and contentment, but the reverse?
Also, for the most part, because of not-city, a dollar goes farther in small town life.
"But cities have concert halls and concerts, live sports, museums and shows and fine dining!" they tell me.
My answer is, "When was the last time you went to a concert hall or concerts at a stadium, or live sports, or gone to a museum or play/musical show, gone to a five-star restaurant?" "And how much are you paying for your 1-bedroom efficiency apartment?"
Don't get me wrong, Beans, I love London, but wow, I'd have to be rich to live there and have the same standard of living. Texas has been kind.
DeleteRoofing nails are a right pest.
Tire stores , one of my favorite scents in the world , love that smell of new tires , I wish I could package it in an aeresol spray . That and a leather shop , not in a weird kinky way , although I am weird .
ReplyDeleteI totally get that, B, good call. A bit like armories, when you think on it.
DeleteAnd arrive in force in LSP's area of The Hill Country with a different kind of hammer and nail John Wesley Hardin certainly did:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/January-4/john-wesley-hardin-kills-over-a-card-game
Wild! Hardin was a right psycho, by anyone's standards. Apparently what he'd do would be be to play cards on the town square, with "whiskey," shoot some guy then high tail it to the Brazos and hide out. Posse's retreated and he'd join Mexican cattle drives etc.
DeleteRough stuff in Hillsboro TX in the 1870s!
PS. The hated Reconstructionistas out of Waco levied martial law here for a day or two. Huh. Let's see if that replays. Hope not.