On Mar 6, 6:34 pm, "Mystified One" wrote:
I'm in love with the small town I live in, as opposed to the city I moved
from!

Tuesday night we got a flat tire at a time we really didn't have time for
it. Heard a loud POP and then when we pulled over pssssssssss. Had a huge
bolt in the tire, but we got it changed quickly enough. By the time we
finished, it was dark but two people had pulled over and asked if we needed
help, including an elderly lady who offered us the use of her home or phone
if we needed it.

This is true here too. I've helped people out myself on occasion
(middle-aged
women think twice about stopping when traveling alone, but I have and
certainly
will again), but the stories you hear here are legion. It's gotten
worse since we
had our last wave (last 5 or so years) of in-migration, the one that
drove the
real estate market through the roof, but neighbors still know each
other and
help each other out, and people help one another on the road too. The
ones
who complain about the 'lack of Aloha spirit' are mostly the ones who
want
something for nothing.

Becki, if you can stay in a small town and commute (Bart sounds good,
only
used it a couple times, but then, I don't live around there) and the
commute
time doesn't eat you (time or money wise), by all means don't move.
DH and I last year some time realized that this house is the longest
we
have ever lived in one place (he had already lived here 7 years before
we
got married and I moved in). About half the neighbors are still the
same
(it's a short street, half is single digit number of parties), they're
almost
friends as well as neighbors.

I may be in the biggest town on this island, but it's still a
relatively
small town, and it behaves like one.

Should get some work done. At least sort Job's Tears.

Aloha,
Maren
(and Becki: I envy you the time for jewelry making. I still haven't
made that pair of earrings that my friend wants me to make for her.
And congrats on the new job. I hope it won't completely absorb you,
I'd most certainly miss you here)