November 18, 2003 12:49 P.M.

Gallup On My Mind

Railroad Through Gallup, NM

This is a real stream of my thoughts. See if you can follow them. The mind is an interesting roadmap, leading from one �location� to another. Hope you can follow my thought path.

PBS is showing a series of Tony Hillerman mysteries. I had never heard of Hillerman�s writing until last year.

Driving across country, up through the Texas panhandle and then west across I-40, we pulled into Gallup, NNM at the end of a long, chilly day. Snow was in the forecast, and we were about a day ahead of it. I can imagine that a wind driven snowstorm on the high plateau area around Gallup would be a little rough for driving. But the weather front was going east; we were traveling west, so the following morning, we escaped just in time.

I was traveling with my daughter and her 9-year-old son. My grandson LOVES trains�and anything to do with them. Gallup is in the high country near the Continental Divide, and is a railroad center. The main east-west tracks went past our motel about 100 yards to the rear. We deliberately chose a room where my grandson could look out and see the trains, sometimes two at once passing in opposite directions. This is the reason for the photo at the top of the page. A row of motels was located just to the left of the RR right-of-way shown in the picture.

But that evening we settled into our motel room and began discussing where we could go to get a good dinner. We chose a restaurant that advertised �western home style cooking�. The food was good (I think I ordered chicken and dumplings), the people were friendly, and the atmosphere was interesting. It was rugged western style architecture, with a gift shop located at the front door displaying western memorabilia, Hillerman books, beautiful Indian jewelry, native woven articles, etc. This is where I purchased the Hillerman novel.

The restaurant had little placards at the front door, with the names of each state printed on them. As we passed, we picked up one each, reading �Nevada� and �California�, and set them on our table. The purpose was to encourage conversation in the dining room. As I was recalling all of this, I remembered a man in somewhat western outdoorsman attire, sitting at a small adjacent table. He struck up a brief exchange with us when he saw that we were from California. Seems that he had lived in southern California a few years back, but had driven through this area enough that when he realized that he could not afford to continue living in CA, he knew exactly where he wanted to relocate. He loved the high NM country, and had settled there.

"Engineer" Grandson on Vacation

In recalling the conversation, my thoughts now traveled to wondering, just how in the world I could afford to live in this area.

I am an unlikely candidate. All my married life, my husband and I struggled financially just to keep our heads above water. After he was gone, I found myself a single woman with no marketable skills, a mortgage, car payment, and all the expenses of upkeep on an older home, in addition to living in just about the most expensive area in the United States. As everyone probably knows these days due to the well publicized political activities of recent days, �taxes are sky high and without reason in CA. Property costs are about triple what they are in most parts of the nation. Insurance premiums and medical costs are normally completely unaffordable. Salaries, on the other hand, sort of polarize out here. Either you make an unimaginable amount of money in certain key industries, (entertainment, sports, technology, real estate, etc.) or, you are an average worker making very little more than in cities in other states. Those are the ones who struggle, and I was/am one of those.

I never saw myself as a person of courage or strength. I was always very dependent. But as I look aback, I am amazed. I don�t have time or space on this journal page to describe in detail, how one door after another opened before me. Or how each insurmountable mountain became a plain with the path ahead straightening out. �I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.�*

I knew nothing about computers, but as you can tell, I learned quickly and realized that I loved them�never ceasing to wonder at their capabilities. I was past fifty years old at the time. Older folk CAN learn computers.

In spite of all these facts, and now the onset of macular degeneration, which has forced me to retire, I find myself with my home paid for, debts cleared, and some money for the future. In California! (Or as Arnold would say: �Kah-lee-fohn-yah�.)

All these thoughts projected out of hearing of the PBS mystery series, and recalling where I had purchased one of Hillerman�s books, �The Wailing Wind�.

The stranger in NM couldn�t afford to go on living in California. And neither could I.

But for God.

*Isa. 49:11

Text � copyright 2003 - 2008 The Homespun Philosopher

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