Several years ago, before we moved here full time, a mid-sized tree fell across our electric line. We weren't here. Pacific Power came out, cut the trunk and larger limbs into stove lengths and stacked them beside the driveway, hauled all the small stuff away. No extra charge.

When, after two hours of trying, I finally got through to Charter about the limb on our cable, the first thing they told me to do was to call a landscaper to remove the limb!!!! I told them to forget that, I'd move it myself (good firewood anyway). What a difference in service!

The annoyances of living in a fairly remote area (except for weekends and late summer when the "flatlanders" arrive by the tens of thousands) is more than offset by the wild creatures that visit here every day. Living here, you learn that waiting in line while the checker talks to a customer about her grandkids may slow things down, but it's just one sign of how friendly everyone is. When a forest fire (at the beach...unbelievable) struck almost five months ago, nearly everyone pitched in to help the nearly 300 who lost everything. As a result, people are working to clear their own lots of debris, and volunteers have appeared to take down huge dead trees, cut up metal debris, haul bags of ash and metal debris to the dump, reconnect water service, and provide temporary electric service. Less than three months after the fire, a few families were back living on their own land, albeit in travel trailers or campers. Recently, the first new modular homes have arrived. Some of us provide hot lunch every day for everyone working or volunteering...at one point, I was cooking for 100 every weekend day! You wouldn't find this kind of help from strangers in any city! Those of us who were evacuated but had homes to return to know that we were very fortunate, so the least we can do is pitch in wherever we can help.

Thanks to living in a home that I paid off nearly 60 years ago, I didn't need stimulus money last summer,,,or now. Several of us are giving back all the stimulus by feeding people or donating where it's most needed. Much more satisfying than buying something I really don't need!