Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Small Town Service with a Smile

We needed to get an oil change last week but instead of taking it to the service station as we'd done before, we decided to get to know the mechanic in town so that if and when we have car problems, he'll be familiar with our vehicle. So I called to make an appointment and when I told him that I could drop it off and my wife could pick it up after she was done at the library, he said, "Oh, just leave it at the library with the keys and I'll pick it up and drop it off." Let me remind you that we have never met the mechanic. And the thought of leaving my car unattended with the keys in it was a bit scary. But everything went smoothly. This is just another example of something that is common in small town life that you would never dream of doing in urban areas.

On Saturday we left our puppy at home by himself for the longest period of time to date while we drove down to Bismarck for Starbucks, some shopping at Target and to attend the 2009 Capital A'Fair. Over 100 arts and crafts vendors descended on the Bismarck capital grounds for this two day summer event. It was a beautiful day and we had fun walking around the fair, eating roasted nuts and looking for unique gifts for friends and family members. And, in case you're wondering, Lewis was a bite hungry but just fine when we returned at 1:00pm.

We've had a very mild summer so far. It hardly reached 90 at all in July and we've yet to have anything near triple-digits. Today was a beautiful day, mid-70s with little wind, so nice in fact that I decided to get in some golf. I don't have a membership to our local course this year because, as much as I enjoy golfing, I just don't get out enough for it to be economical. And as a result, I've been out even less this summer because now I have to pay each time I play. Anyway, I had a very nice nine-holes of golf this afternoon; two pars, shot under 50 and even saw a garden snake.

By God's Grace, Jeff

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