My kind of town

This is the kind of town we're living in:

1. I've only been to the post office a couple times, but Brian works across the street from there and has gone in several times. So Margie, the postmaster, knows our names. She calls Jack by name and knows he just turned two. Today, when she saw me come in, she rushed into the back, saying, "I was right the other day; you did get another package!"

2. After the P.O., I stopped by the Shell station to ask them to fix a leak in our tire. The owner came outside to meet me, and before I even had Jack out of his carseat, he was giving me price quotes on the snow tires I'd asked about two days ago. He included a "local discount" in the quote. After he'd fixed the leak, he charged me ten dollars... or "whatever you've got in there," he said, as I dug in my wallet.

3. Brian's school? No fences, or gates... anyone is free to walk on campus, anytime. (Although I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.)

4. Tomorrow night, the whole community is invited to a tree lighting at the giant sequoia in the back parking lot of Nicely's Restaurant. It's not a big parking lot... yet I'm sure the whole community could fit in it.

5. Oh yeah, and Nicely's? It's the only local restaurant open year-round. And during the winter, locals eat for half-price on Monday nights.