Urban Living

So here's my home, in the apartment above this unused storefront. It is rather fun living an "urban" life in such a rural town. It feels comfortable to me since my grandparents lived above their small-town tavern for many years. It was in that apartment I first remember watching the Wizard of Oz on television, and I have distinct memories of hiding my head in a pile of blankets to escape the flying monkeys!

The back building (see my second floor window up there?) was a fraternal hall a hundred years ago, and in the thirties, the front building was added. Originally there were several storefronts in the building, but most locals remember "THE" department store that occupied the entire thing. It has been vacant for several years. A local woman and professionally trained chef, just bought the building and hopes to put the Sunflower Cafe in downstairs. A good restaurant downstairs would be very welcome.

Across the side street, there's the hardware store. On Saturday mornings, the street is lined with pickup trucks driven by ranchers shopping for supplies. Most of them have dogs in the back. From her perch in the window, Daisy enjoys watching them sun themselves. Across Broadway, is the Clark Hotel Museum and the Dollar Store. There is a comforting rhythm to life in a business district. My watch can be set by the opening of the hardware store each morning, and the pre-8 pm rush at the Dollar Store before it closes each night. I know I'll be late getting to the office after lunch if Robert at the Museum has already flipped the OPEN sign towards the window--signalling the start of his day at 1 pm. The hardware store offers me a personal weather forecast--I know it will be a cold day if their side door remains closed after 7 am. From my window I can see the mountains to the west, and in the morning they're often pink as the sun rises. And there are glorious sunsets. I mean GLORIOUS sunsets.

Even though no one else lives in the "neighborhood," I'm in the center of town. This summer's street dance took place right in front of the building, and tomorrow night's "Holiday Light Parade" will pass right by me. I'm looking forward to that.

The apartment has the idiosyncrasies of an older building, but the economic development corporation in Van Horn equipped it with a modern kitchen and bathroom, for which I'm very grateful. It also has a high tongue and groove ceiling, and hardwood floors worn (very) thin from years of foot traffic from shoppers and I suspect, a bit of unrestrained floor sanding. It is quiet in there, thanks to the adobe construction, and that helps with the rumbling of the trains near by. And safe. I feel very safe in my castle.