Small Town Livin'

Maybe it is true that you can’t take the city out of a city girl, but I certainly have I had a ton of fun adjusting to small town life. Granted I still need a little traffic here and there, I still like the hustle and bustle of Portland or going home, and sometimes I still get frustrated when it takes FOREVER to get through a line because everyone here seems to know everyone and their grandma and always want to talk about them when I’m in a hurry. But the charm and friendliness of a small town is hard not to love. It grows on you almost instantly, makes you laugh, and makes it easy to appreciate the little things in life. So below I have a list of some of the small town things that have become part of my life here in Oregon. I’m sure the longer we stay the more I’ll be able to add- but this is a good start.

 Evidence of a Small Town:

*The first week we were here we were greeted by the neighborhood kid crew in our garage. They all wanted to introduce themselves and tell me which house they lived in. The best part was that their parents weren’t worried about them playing outside by themselves.

*Everyone you talk to knows about that one guy who works at Waremart who is ALWAYS so HAPPY!

*I dropped Michael’s car off to get an oil change, and when I came back to pick it up the mechanic was on lunch. The gas attendant told me he had left directions for me to go ahead and take my car and to “at some point before closing stop by the main office and pay my bill”.  They were not worried in the slightest that I might skip out on payment. (For the record I drove STRAIGHT to the main office- this just felt too weird to me!)

*Most places in town have a 20mph speed limit. Not just residential places either.

*The drycleaner downtown Monmouth has been working in that shop since 1950. THE SAME MAN! It takes a week to get a suit dry cleaned, but I think it is worth it to support the guy who has been at it for over 50 years.

*I had a girls get together here at our house and my friend Melissa brought a bottle of one of my favorite wines. Before she came over she went into our local wine bar and said “Give me one of whatever Jamee Feuling would drink.” Without even blinking the owner, Josh, had it handled. I love Crush a lot - but I only go there maybe 1-2 times a month MAX. He just remembers what I like. It’s awesome.

*Every year there is a huge 4^th of July celebration. After all it is INDEPENDENCE Oregon. You can look forward to a pancake feed at the fire station, a parade, a carnival at the river park, and a huge firework show. People start staking out their parade watching spots 2 days before and the streets are lined with chairs that people leave out until the big day arrives. It is quite the party around here.

*One street over from us someone has a pet potbelly pig. They tie him up on their front porch.

*I ordered coffee from a little stand the other day and then realized I left my wallet at home. She said “No worries. Just go grab it and come pay me later. My shift is over at 4:00” and gave me my coffee.

*We don’t have regular mail trucks with postmen to bring our mail. Instead I usually see a green Ford Explorer with a US Postal Service Magnet on the side, or a red car.

*Monmouth has 2 bars… Rookies Sports Bar and Mainstreet Pub. They are seriously each other’s rivals.

*In the fall from our back porch we can see the lights from the high school football field, hear the band, and hear the cheers from the stands. It is seriously like Friday Night Lights in our backyard.

*Every December on campus there is a huge parade and the famous tree lighting. Seriously the whole town comes out to welcome the holiday season, and the tree can be seen all the way on the outskirts of town when coming in from Salem.

*During the summer it is wise to add a few extra minutes onto your commute time. It isn’t uncommon to see big tractors and farm equipment using the regular roads and going only about 5mph.

*Taco Tuesday is the real deal here. 50cent tacos, $3 Margaritas, and $1.95 Coronas. You don’t see that every Tuesday in the big city.

*In 1 weeks time last fall I had a frog sneak into my living room, a snake in my garage and a baby skunk in my back yard. Ok- maybe this doesn’t show Small Town-ness, but Toto we certainly aren’t in Seattle anymore.

So that’s my list for the time being. We’ll see what I notice next. But for now, I’m enjoying our quiet little life down here. Well, as quiet as it can be with a busy schedule and a Doodle at home. J