Living in a small town can be akin to
living on the edge. While urbanites
bemoan the stress in their lives - they
have more than enough options no
matter what happens. On the other
hand, living in a bucolic community
nestled in the middle of no where has
it's disadvantages. Hence one's stress
levels are often impacted by our lack
versus plethora of choices. And when
there's only one place to get a certain
good or service, one realizes that we
need them more than they need us.
Here in Lewistown almost every
household has a pooch. Thus this
town of six thousand can easily
support three local dog groomers.
Recently one of said trio fell ill
and had to temporarily close shop.
While she heals, it's tougher than
ever to book a canine clip joint
for a buzz. Said crisis has left many
cut out. Imagine the challenge of
deferring one's Pomeranian's wash
and rinse cycle for weeks! That
has to be a hair raising experience!
Fortunately we locals are resourceful.
The two remaining groomers shared
our pain given they were more than
overbooked. Post posting pleas for
emergency aid via the web, an army
of supplemental groomers are now
helping out over the weekends. That
means a temporary respite from our
dog days. Meaning that everyone is
now barking up a new tree. Like any
rescue effort - our clandestine cutters
even made the front page of our local
paper. Book your appointment now!
The fact is there is a delicate balance
between local have and have nots.
All of a sudden one can easily lose
something or somebody you rely on.
And when that happens, the result
is little to no choices. We once had
two appliance repair men. Ranchers
are by nature rather frugal therefore
said tinkers were quite busy keeping
things humming along. Suddenly, one
stopped returning calls. You see, he'd
had a stroke and hence has been out
of service. And so... we must wait.
You don't realize how much you need
someone till they're gone. Especially
when that means one must wait more
than a month to get your dishwasher
up and running again. Living in limbo
is not pleasant. Some assume that we
have some sort of backup plan to fill
said void. However if half of one's
resources goes missing - it's virtually
impossible to find a quick fix. When
you live in isolated circumstances you
often must do without. And pray that
somebody will rise to the occasion.
When it comes to fine dining we have
even more limited options. The Mint
has been dishing out great food and
service for almost twenty years. Over
that length of time it's been easy to
assume that some things will never
change. Late last year one of the two
partners had a horrific motorcycle
accident. Since then his noble equal
has been slinging the hash SOLO.
Given it's almost impossible to book
a table, he's been quite busy. Now all
of a sudden, dinner is off the menu.
Late yesterday I got a frantic call from
our neighbor "B". "The good news is
the burger is back on the bar menu at
The Mint." She then hit me in the gut
with "The bad news is tonight is the
last dinner service for six weeks." You
see, The Mint may never burn entrees
but after seven months of stewing solo -
the in better health half had burned out.
And so, he and the team are taking an
extended leave of absence from the
dinner table. Meaning that until their
return we must make do with bar fare.
Losing another of our rather tenuous
links to civilization has me more than
upset. While one hopes that another
establishment will fill said void - but
immediate redemption is doubtful at
best. And so, we'll wait as usual given
we've no choice but to do just that.
For a plethora of reasons, few seem
willing or able to meet the demands
of our local economy. Hence there's
business to be had. Yet few seem to
be ready, willing, or able to fulfill
our collective needs or... want ads.
All of the above means that we must
all do our part to fill the void. If you
have a favorite shop or eatery - make
sure they know that you couldn't live
without them. Put your money where
your mouth is but more important,
BE THANKFUL FOR ALL THAT
YOU'VE GOT! Make sure that every
business and service provider who
you frequent knows that because of
them, your life is better. And when a
new expert opens shop, SHARE THE
LOVE. Put a positive spin on it!!
