If you live in our small town long enough, you'll likely hear someone claim to have special powers. These powers manifest themselves in the pessimistic ability to call trains. You see, in our small town the tracks run down the middle of Main Street, dividing our residential area from the highway and just about every business in town. You need be only five minutes late to an appointment and you can guarantee there will be a train stretching to Kansas pulling through town.
In their ability to think far into the future, our city forefathers declined an offer by CSX years ago to relocate the tracks to avoid "downtown". The train was considered integral to the town's image, even reflected in the town motto, "We are on track". I suppose it does lend an old town feel, and we've all learned patience with something beyond our control, but thirty trains a day roll through a town much larger than they could ever have imagined. Eating dinner at the Irish Pub, diners smile at each other, and raise their voices a notch as a train rumbles by less than ten feet from their tables.
Dh and I felt at home in this town that had the look and feel of both of the towns where we grew up. Eleven years ago, few people lived here. Now, driving to the grocery, two miles from my house, can take 20 minutes without a train. It has to make one wonder where this town is going.
1 comment:
You finally wrote a blog about Rod! He has the uncanny ability to not only call trains, but also to create red lights and traffic jams. He will be thrilled to know that you have finally blogged about him!
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