THE DUSTY ROAD part 8

THE DUSTY ROAD…….....................
(the white days)
The season is quickly changing now from the autumn days to the
winter months…The trees show the changes,, having lost most of
their fall colored leaves,, and the days are becoming shorter and
shorter,, the sun seems always to stall,, before it reaches above
my head,, the warmth it gives is not very much,, and clouds now
fill the sky with winter grayness,, the winds have a bite to them,,
both apon the day and the night,, especially at night…

I have had many a month to ponder what to do when winter started
to come apon me,, and the best decision for me,, was to find a
small town,, somewhere to settle myself and wait out the winters
white days…To be wandering the roads during the winter months
is not something one should do,, it would be to easy to lose ones grip
on the future and be frozen upon the ground to one spot,,
a small town is best for me now,, just for a few months,, until I can
again trek to the very eastern coast…
And this is what I did,, before the cold blasts of whiteness finally
took over this land… I found a small town and a bordering house,,
where I could stay,, I had to pay extra to have Joe stay with me,,
but I would have paid any fee for her company,, she is a very part
of me now,, and a job I did find in this small town,, it didn’t pay
much,, but that was not what I was after,, I just needed something
to do during the daytime hours,, or surely I would have gone insane…
After all the months of movement on the dusty road,, to be still
was a very hard thing for me to do,, something to do,, a job,,
and I did find one…I found one in a small hardware store,,
I suppose you’d call it,, where everyone could buy such things as
pots, mops and the odd lot,, I was just hired to keep the place clean
and tidy,, and to keep the shelves stocked,, that was all I needed
to do…The owners name was Henry Owens,, Mr Owens I had to
call him,, not Henry or Hank,, the boss he was,, he had told me that
on my first day,, a tall spindly man about 40 or so,, with jet
black hair,, and a kind of crooked nose,, he had a manner about him
that I didn’t take to very much,, for he was always about me,,
watching my every task,, never satisfied was he,, never could I
every do things just right,, even if it was just the floor that
I was sweeping…

I didn’t care much for his ways,, but a job it was and I soon would
be gone from this place and once again apon the dusty road,,
as soon as spring come apon this land once again…
Perhaps only three months,, many four would I have to stay within
this small town,, just going about,, from work,, and then to home…
I would leave Joe in my room thru out the day,, for there was no
one to watch her as I went to work,, I kept the radio on,,
or sometimes the TV,, so maybe she didn’t feel so alone while
I was away,, each night when I returned,, she would always
greet me,, with her tail wagging and bouncing on the bed,,
very happy to see me she was and I of her…
The weeks and days seemed to drag on and on,, the same,,
the same,, the same,, so much different it was,, from my
wanderings apon that dusty road,, if this is what awaits me when
I return home once more to the very western coast,, I’m not sure
I’ll like it very much… But that is something to ponder about
when this journey is done…

This is the first time I have really had to deal with winters’
white bite,, I have always been in warmer climates when the
snows began to fall,, I’m glad that I was wise enough to seek
shelter and stay awhile during these white grey months,,
it does seem to be a bleak and dreary time,, snow,, ice and wind,,
it’s all there seems to be…The roads and pathways are quite a mess,,
no place for anyone trekking upon the road…
Work in the store was much the same,, Mr Owens,, as I have said,,
was not a very good boss,, an least as far as I was concerned,,
always picking and poking and complaining about my work…
Only a couple of months I kept telling myself,, as I worked in the
store each day,, and sometimes on weekends too,, for it was coming
close to Christmas now,, and he kept the store open later hours,,
to sell more goods as the holidays grew nearer…

The folks about this town seem to be very nice,, most of them,,
when they see me about,, or in the store,, they greet me,,
with a simple “hello”,, “how are you”,, sometimes we chat a while,,
and discuss the news or the weather,, just simple things as we
chat awhile…On nicer days when the sun has finally broken thru
the clouds and the wind is not so biting,, I take Joe for walks about
this town,, it is good to get out,, at least for a little while,,
Joe is quite the happy girl as she jumps and plays in the snow piles
and the drifts,, but it is not too good for her leg,, and I watch her to
make sure it doesn’t become too stiff from the cold…
Everyone seems to enjoy her antics as we walk about,, she seems
not to be bothered by all the “strangers” in town… I’ve had to take
her to the vet to get a dog license and shots,, that’s what the town
sheriff said anyway,, and that’s what I did…
The Christmas season was kind of lonely for me,, not much to
celebrate,, no family here,, just me an Joe,, I did make some calls
to back home,, it was good to hear their voices again,, all was well
with them,, but it made me sad,, for I was not there to celebrate
the season with them,, as I have always done before…
Just me and Joe,, celebrated that year,, I got her a funny cap with
deer antlers on it,, she looked quite funny to me,, and also I got her
a winter dog coat,, for when I take her out on our walks
thru the town…

Mr Owens and I had quite the fight the other day,, just 3 weeks
after Christmas,, I kind of lost my temper and,, well,,
I got fired for it…No more job with him,, it doesn’t matter,,
I had tired of his ways,, and I’m glad to be rid of him,,
not my type of boss at all…
Mrs Witmoore also asked me to leave,, about a week after that,,
it seems Mr Owens,, was a second cousin or something…

I found a new place then,, to stay while the winter white was still
apon this land,, a place about 3 miles outside of town,, just a small
house it was that I rented,, until the spring time…
It seems that the owner had passed away recently and it was
vacant now,, an older lady had lived there all her life,, mostly,,
and now her kids owned it,, they agreed to let me rent it until
the spring,, then they would try to sell it…It was good for me,,
to be out of that town,, I think Mr Owens will sour the town for me,,
with his false tales and such,, it is good to be on my own again…
Mr Tyler,, and I visited this small house,, and it was from him that
I rented it,, I agreed to his price without too much haggling,,
but I had him agree to drive me back and forth to town a couple
of times,, so I could stock up on winter food and supplies that
I thought I would need,, and this we did,, about four trips I
think it was…

This house is very small,, about 80 years old I guess,,
not much to look at,, just an old house,, nothing about the
place either,, the family took whatever was within it,,
when Mrs Pelton died,, they just left some odd bits of furniture
about,, a couple of chairs,, an old kitchen table,, and an old
refrigerator,, not much else,, nor did I really need anything…
I was just here to wait out the winter,, anything else that I needed
could wait until I could walk to town…
The winter days pass very slowly,, can’t wait until their gone and
I can head out once more apon the dusty road to finally reach the
eastern coast and than to home… Christmas has passed,, but it
made me remember those that I had left behind,, a long time I
have been gone,, a long time indeed…Not much to do here,,
just me and Joe now,, we play fetch and hide and seek within
the house,, or go out on nicer days to play in the snow,, I trick
her sometimes by throwing snowballs for her to fetch,,
kinda mean,, as soon as the weather breaks a little I think I’ll head
into town for some supplies and some writing paper,, it will give me
something to do,, while I wait for the green of spring…

It was early February perhaps,, that the winter storms did break
and there was a calm,, it was then that I decided to head into town
for supplies and such and also to get some writing paper and just
a small radio… I left Joe there to guard the place while I was gone,,
the morning was bright and sunny as I started apon the short
walk to town,, just about 3 miles or so,, not much for me,,
for I have traveled much longer treks in months earlier,, to town
and back was all I that I was doing…I met Mr Owens there at his
store,, he doesn’t care much for me,, nor I for him,, but he took
my money anyway,, I guess a customer is a customer…
The afternoon was still sunny and bright as I started my trek
back home,, but the winds were starting to pick up a bit and it
did seem to be a lot colder now,, the road was mostly empty and
very few cars or trucks passed my way,, huddled against the wind
I was with my pack apon my back,, a biting wind,, from the
northeast,, I will be glad to get back home,, to Joe and the
warmth of that house…

Joe greeted me as she always does,, so happy,, heavy wet snow had
started to fall about 30 minutes before I got back and I had to trudge
thru it and the biting wind,, but I made it back,, all wet now,,
my feet feel like icicles,, but I will soon be warm again…
Now I can sit by the window there,, and write about some of the
things I’ve seen and the places I’ve been,, it keeps the hours moving,,
and my mind off of this whiteness,, I don’t like it,,
I wonder if anybody really does…
The house seems to have quite a chill about it now,, I am not really
feeling that well,, a winter cold perhaps,, not the best of things…
Aspirin every few hours,, is all I have,, I am very tired,, and have
a headache most of the time,, just aspirin and bed rest for me,,
yes,, I think I’ll rest a while…When I awoke Joe was beside
me there,, as always,, I feel terrible,, the sneezing all the time,,
my nose is clogged and running too,, what a miserable feeling,,
not much to do,, except take my aspirin and keep a kettle of tea
brewing in whistling Petes Fine kettle,, the days drag and drag…
I try to do some writing but I’m just not feeling up to it,,
maybe tomorrow…

The sun is starting to stay later and later in the sky now and
there are more days where the snow and ice melt away…
I’m feeling much better now,, but it was a miserable 7-10 days,,
winter colds,, not very much fun,, it will not be long now before
Joe and I can once again journey upon the dusty road,,
to the very eastern coast we are headed and then to home…
to home……………..