A little help from my friends...

I have never felt so comfortable living some someplace before than I do living in little ole Buffalo, WY.  I have more friends here than I ever have in my life.  I’m not talking acquaintances, either, I am talking, drop everything if you needed them…. friends.

They are a very eclectic group, too.  Like I said in a previous entry, we have the full gamut of types of people here but they all have a few things in common, they all love the outdoors, they all appreciate nature and they all seem to really respect their fellow man..  The pioneer blood still runs hard and deep in the veins of folks around here.  It’s sorta still the last frontier in the lower 48. 

This is not an easy place to live.  We don’t have any big industries except the oil and gas and methane and that is really hard, dirty, dangerous work. If you want to ranch, well, that’s not easy either. I used to help during calfing and lambing season out in Clearmont on one of the ranches in the spring, with the wind blowing 60 mph, trying to help match up babies with their moms and that’s cold and sometimes depressing work when the babies don’t make it. I do love carrying two little lambs under each arm, though, them bleating to beat the band, they are so small and cute at that age (they really stink as adults). The ranchers try to time calfing with the weather getting better but the weather around here is a fickle beast and sometimes it’s a blizzard.  Those cowboys work hard, let me tell ya. And then, they round up those cattle and sheep and run them up onto the mountain in the spring to graze on the high mtn grass for the summer.  Here in Buffalo, we still have cattle drives right through town twice a year in the fall and summer!

The other jobs around here are kinda sparce.  We have no big businesses, really. Lots of real estate companies. A lot of little boutique stores, but no manufacturing, and the biggest store is Pamida. Our lovely Chamber of Commerce staff is working hard to try to get some industry in here that would fit well in our community and they are doing a bang up job, but it takes time. SO, if you are thinking you’d like to live here, be prepared to work your butt off. I call it poverty with a view.  Sure, you can do well, but don’t expect it to be handed to you on a platter. You’ll have to either start your own business and have it be successful or you’ll have several jobs. 

The cost of living in Wyoming is less than other places, we have no state income tax but you are giving up some stuff, too.  Personally, doesn’t bother me a bit.  When we first moved here, I thought I was going to miss shopping malls, turns out I don’t, and lo and behold, I don’t shop like a drunken sailor anymore, either.  Amazing what you find out you don’t need when it’s not staring you in the face all the time saying “buy me”. We only have two real shopping malls in all of WY, one in Casper 110 miles away and one in Cheyenne, 5 hours away.  I now prefer to buy from the little merchants, I don’t even bother with the big box stores anymore. Of course, the internet has changed everything, too.  If I really want something, that’s the biggest store on the planet!  But, living here, your values change and “stuff” becomes less important.

Anyway, back to the friends.  Right now, those that can and have the money squirreled away, are doing their little “snowbird” number. Just had dinner last nite with friends who are headed to CA for a month, to escape the depth of winter. Another couple I’m very close to just left Sat. to spend a month in Nicaragua.  A lot of Buffalo goes to Mexico and Arizona and Florida this time of year.  The rest of us huddle together around our woodstoves and pretend we don’t care. Rob and I are just getting to the point where we can start taking little snowbirdie vacations, not long ones, maybe a week.  But, I really like the comraderie that evolves with my friends in winter.  The tourists are gone and it seems like we all slow down and I get to see people and spend more time with them. I make an effort every week during the winter to call at least one girlfriend I haven’t heard from in a while and go spend some time with her.  We all know you have to water those friendships to keep them alive and I cherish each and every one of my friends.

I came up with a great idea right around the holidays…had an after holiday “Spa party” at my house.  Wasn’t selling anything…I have all kinds of spa stuff to make me feel better I’ve accumulated over the years..a portable FAR infrared sauna, a wax tub for hands and feet, massage doohickies, lotions, oils. Anyway, got about 16 of my girlfriends together and we had a blast! We had name tags with spa names..I was Lounging Lisa. And I had “spa” drinks…made green tea and blueberry slushies that came out great. Gave each other massages, I did a little guided yoga (just the sun salutation) and we stretched and put on facial masks and dipped ourselves in wax.  I was amazed that some of the girls who lived within a block of each other, didn’t know one another!  Now all my girlfriends are better acquainted with each other!

Made me feel good ….I don’t believe in strangers, just people I haven’t met yet. 

"If you can't find something positive about your environment, look again-with 'fresh eyes.' Try another point of view. Be creative. What good are you taking for granted? If you can't find anything, hold your breath. Within a few minutes, you'll *really* appreciate breathing."
~Peter McWilliams
"You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought" {Page 137}