Lonely and Forlorn

The prevailing question I get from most people when they find out where I live is, "who's your nearest neighbor?"  I think they're going to pass out when I tell them that I don't have a nearest neighbor.  The only neighbor I have is about 20 miles away, and they're nearest neighbor is about 15 miles away in the opposite direction, which is town. 

For a beautiful fleeting moment we did have neighbors and they were great.  They were a young, newly married couple and they were new to the area.  He was about 6'8 and the only person I think my husband has ever looked up too, literally.  She was 5'3, bright and cheery with a great sense of humor.  And could do anything. Anything.  She rode horses, worked cattle, made her own comforter for their bed, she probably made the darn bed, she could weld, fix the tractor, haul cattle, bake a cake, raise chickens, make jewelry.  Last summer the ranch they lived on caught on fire during a thunderstorm and by the time the fire department showed up she had made a fire path with a maintainer and put out most of the fire with tow sacks.

I was so excited to find out the extent of her skill sets that I tore my honey-do list up for the husband and set out to make her my new best friend.  And she Loved my children!  And they would do anything for her.  We had so much fun together.  We didn't have a whole lot in common as far as interests, but who needs to talk about art and literature when you're new best friend can build you a dining room table!

And it was so wonderful to have someone to depend on way out here in the middle of nowhere.  If either of us went out town, we could depend on each other to watch the ranch and feed the animals.  Hayes and Andrew could help each other work cattle, work on water problems and feed.  Kylia and I had plans of gardening, raising chickens and sharing milk cow duties.  But now it's all gone, gone I tell you!

kylia and andrew

We had so much fun having them over for football, game night, dinner and holidays.  My husband and I were looking forward to their having children so our kids could play with them.  We had it all worked out and then they destroyed the dream by leaving and moving back to where they came from.  We still drive by their house on the way to town and wish they were here.  And no matter who moves in there it will never be the same.  Now it's back to being just us and whoever the border patrol is chasing across the mountains.