Writing

The prompt for today was to write about an aspect of your life that is less than remarkable. (Idea from The Pocket Muse by Monica Wood)

I have become so accustomed to what I see on my commute from my home in the country to town where I work, I don’t see it as remarkable at all.

I live in a sparsely populated region and, consequently, I spend a lot of time driving. Granted, driving 20 miles one-way to town for work takes (depending on the weather conditions) less than 15 minutes if you know the roads to take. Most people would kill for my commute, but it really does get boring driving the same empty roads day in and day out.

The road I usually take to town was once the main highway through the state. Sadly, it has been all but abandoned to the counties to maintain, which means it has been mostly abandoned. Riddled with potholes, cracks and heaved asphalt, most of my drive to town is spent making sure I don’t wreck my pickup’s suspension, bend a rim or blow a tire. Driving under the speed limit would help, but I am usually in a hurry and no one is around to slow me down anyway.

Only about five miles from my house on this old highway is a tiny hamlet (population maybe 20 souls) with a +100-year-old school (still in operation), post office, and a bar/café/gas station/general store. I slow down to the posted speed limit when I drive through, out of respect for the residents – besides, if I did not slow down and someone saw me zipping through town, they would tell everyone I am related to or know. That is worse than a speeding ticket from a HP.

As I drive through to the other side of the little “town” I pass by a house and barn…then another house and barn…then a huge cattle operation with a house and barn tucked back behind a small rise. All three houses and barns belong to my husband’s uncles. All have cattle. All have horses. One has sheep and chickens. My husband comes from a long line of cattle ranchers. Cow people. Horse people. I am not so sure about the sheep and chickens. Those are probably 4-H projects of grandkids.

When I am not paying too close of attention to the road, the fields on either side are something to look at in any season. Now, covered in snow, there are snowmobile and 4-wheeler tracks in most of the ditches. But if one looks close, and I have, one can see fox, raccoon, partridge, coyote, pheasant, rabbit, and deer. In fact, the deer population is huge this year for some reason. Herds of 20 to 200 deer wander around harvested, snowed-over corn and barley fields scrounging for breakfast. Many times the deer are on the road, more often than not, the loser of a tangle with a car or truck.

All that and I am only about halfway to town.

Write about something you consider a “less than remarkable” aspect of your life in the comments or link to your blog or website so we can read about it.