End of Week One

The people here are friendly and open to new residents. There is thus far no sense of the "us versus them" dynamic that is present back in Georgia from the generational residents toward the "outsiders" (flat land furriners, Floridiots, etc. as they are called by locals) who move in.

Out here in the "boonies", there is a clear current of rugged individualism among those folks I have met. They are not that far removed from the more frontier mindset that calls for getting up early and getting on with the work of the day. This place seems to be a magnet for the artisan and seems to draw such folks. You would be amazed at the variety and assortment of craftsman and skills. I don't know if that is unique to this area of if it is Montana in general; I suspect the latter.

Many do not have television, but do have internet.

Out here, there is no cable or DSL service. TV and internet must be obtained via satellite. One would think that satellite service would be the bomb-diggity compared to other delivery systems...uh, no.

Satellite TV is the same as there, either Dish or Direct TV. For internet service, it is slower than DSL and has limits on download and upload volume. It is more expensive for basic service and, like cell phone packages, if you exceed your limits, it can quickly break the bank! So, no more streaming video, large file downloads, online radio or anything else beyond basic email with constant attention to file size. YIKES!

The nearest WalMart is a 40 minute drive....since the one near me in Georgia was 2 minutes away, that's an adjustment. Should save lots of money that way, though...LOL!!

Met a gal down the road who has a friend with 5 horses...says they are in dire need of trimming (everyone standing around when she told me that nodded vigorously in agreement..that doesn't sound good!) and she wants to take me out to meet her friend soon. So today I pulled out all my gear and set up my rig for working again. It will be good to get back under a horse!

All in all its been a good week. The scenery never ceases to inspire, the people are hardy and friendly, the weather can't be beat (I know...wait until winter...LOL!). I really miss all you guys...it still feels a bit like I'm on vacation and will be coming" home."

Love to all...can't wait to get settled somewhere and see some of you when you come up to visit. For all you horse lovers...I am not far from the Pryor Mountain range. I will be going there as soon as I can to see if I can observe the Pryor Mustangs...!! Whoo Hoo!!!
Stay tuned,
Love to all!