The past few days I have been serenaded by George Strait, The Blues Brothers, Conway Twitty and Elvis.
I was even sung to by the old crooner, Frank Sinatra. I have also been in massive traffic; I have waited in line for up to an hour and a half just to eat a hamburger. I have said “excuse me,” “pardon me,” and “I’m sorry,” until I have worn out the excuses for bumping and running over people. 
Yes, I have enjoyed a short escape from the humdrum of everyday life. We braved a quick trip to a sizeble city that boasts a large popular family entertainment area. As we were driving to and from the attractions,at an unhurried pace, I completely decided without any doubts that my life is designed for small town living.
I have heard several folks say, “I hate it that everybody knows my business.” I understand some foks do not like that. However, I absolutely love going into a business and having the customers and the salespeople call me by name in greeting.
I love being able to call them by name. Sometimes we may be slowed down by traffic. We may have to wait in line to check out at the local grocery store, but we do have the blessing of visiting with a waiting friend also waiting. We can safely walk on the tracks at our parks without being rushed by a crowd of people.
The wait at McDonalds is never very lengthy. Our cost of living is less. We paid several dollars more for a hamburger meal on our trip than we do here in town. We have our quirky traditions such as on the first of the month, lots of people have a yard sale. We have a “turkey day” before Thanksgiving.
Our children trick or treat around our square. They play ball and ride bikes on the streets in our neighborhoods. We have a night of lighting our big tree before the holidays. One thing that is amazing about a small town; we pull together when there is difficulty for our neighbors and always provide food for those in need. Even though we have a weekly newspaper, it is certain that if there is news, we hear about it before the newspaper prints it.
So the next time we become discouraged because our neighbor knew we were shouting at our children or (heaven forbid a misunderstanding with our spouses), just stop and think about all the things we are lucky enough to enjoy here in a small town.
Weekly Recipe
I love using my slow cooker during this busy time of the year and my family loves this recipe.
I start off by placing the ham bone I had left from Thanksgiving. It’s still good without this but better if you have it. 8 pounds of diced potatoes, 1 chopped onion, ½ stick of butter, 6 cups of chicken broth, (bought is fine), 1 t. dried thyme, 2 cups milk, ½ cup of flour, Place ham bone in bottom of the slow cooker. Cover with potatoes, onions, and chicken broth and thyme. Salt and pepper. Cook on low 6 hours. A half hour before serving, remove ham bone and mix flour and milk until smooth and mix into soup. Cook for 30 more minutes. Goes great with crunchy corn bread.
