Small Town Saskatchewan

Lady Dog and I were sent on a parts run today, as we often do, and, as always, I really enjoyed our trip.
We drove through about 5 little country towns to get to the salvage yard in the middle of nowhere and I loved taking my time driving slow and taking a look around every little town.
These are the little towns that are only alive because Grandma and Grandpa have gotten too old to live on the farm anymore and they have decided to move into the hub of their world where things are closer and simpler and quicker.... where coffee pots are turned on at 5 am in the morning at the service stations and where the only grocery shop carries the things that Grandmas need to make perogies and cabbage rolls and of course those lovely gingersnap cookies and secret recipe dill pickles.

Every little yard has a garden and lots of flowers growing in them.  Why waste a good part of the yard on grass when you can plant potatoes and carrots and cabbage... more than you will ever need... but maybe your neighbors won't plant a garden this year and they will be happy that you planted extra! (remember BOTH neighbours are thinking the same thing here)
The yards are tidy and there are cute little yard ornaments and there are front porches where you can sit with your cup of coffee and watch the neighbours.

The towns are little, with only one fuel station where you are known by first name.. and they know what your children and your grandchildren's names are too. If you don't show up on a regular basis, the people wonder if all is well.  Your business is everyone else's business too.  Sometimes that's okay - often it's not. If there isn't a story going around about you in Small Town then you just wait until they all gather for coffee this afternoon... you can be sure there will be one then.

These are the small towns and country roads where everyone waves to everyone as they meet.  You start to wave before you even know who it is because you know everyone anyways.  Should it happen to be a stranger who is new to town, they just think these are the friendliest towns in the world, meanwhile, you can be sure they are the next topic at coffee time!

Small towns lack fences. Should one neighbour be getting on in years, the closest neighbour will just mow both lawns at once. It's just like when one farmer gets sick, when the neighbours can, they all help get the crop in or get it off, depending on the time of the year.
Yes, they may talk about each other on a regular basis, but small town neighbours understand hardship and know what it takes to make the world a better place. So, Grandmas plant gardens and tend flowers and Grandpas keep an eye on each other and they play cribbage and checkers and drink coffee and talk about the good old days.

I love those small towns with the people with the big hearts.

The Lady Dog and I stop at one small town  along the way -- to 'smell the flowers'.