Filling Stations, Motels and Restaurants

Rain gauge measured 80 points at the Back Forty this morning. I checked our neighbor's gauge 4 miles down the road and it measured 85 points. All in all, a wonderful rain for our parched land.

In visiting with the gentleman who owns and operates the garage across the street from my workplace, he told me that "back in the day" there were 24 filling stations in full operation in Little Town. That was before Interstate was built and traffic is now routed around our community. Filling stations, motels and restaurants kept us on the map for years and years as a stopping point for weary travelers. Said gentleman is originally from Marfa and I found it interesting that he was up to speed on some of our local history. He told me a story about going to the local parts store on a Wednesday. He noticed the Weekly Wipe on the counter and made the comment about how he didn't get his paper delivered until Thursday. An elderly man consuming his morning cup of coffee behind the counter grumbled, "That's because you're not from around here."

Enough said. The natives will continue to circle the wagons around their own. Newcomers will always be labeled as "not from around here" even after 20 years of claiming Little Town as their residence. If we can't trace your family tree to the 1800's then you are most definitely going to be kept at arm's length until such time as we deem you have proven yourself worthy of being welcomed into our circle. This isn't a bad thing --- it's just the way we are. And that can be one helluva long wait.