Rain and welcome

It rained tonight!

Believe me, in this parched land even the shortest shower is welcome.
And lucky for me I was not pitching my tent in the rain as darkness
fell.

We had ridden 15 miles to a liquor store I'd been told about, to ask
the owner if we could camp in the rodeo arena out back. He wasn't
there. After an hour he still wasn't there. It was getting late. A
wonderful good Samaritan (and foster mom to 18 kids!) brought me a hot
dinner. As I talked with her and grazed Walter in the bar ditch by
the store, a truck pulling a horse trailer stopped by us. A big-
smiling man rolled down the window, leaned across the seat and said in a rush:

"Hi, I'm Ty, Marcus called from the bank and said he heard you were
here. You need a place to stay tonight?"

And so the rural grapevine saved us once again. So here we are tonight
at the new (as of 3 weeks ago!) home of cowboy Ty, cowgirl-now
sales-rep wife Shaye, 4-yr-old son Colton, and any of assorted friends
or family who happen to drop in. Which it's clear they do on a regular
basis - it's that kind of warm home, full of welcome and laughter.
After a dinner entirely from the garden and family herd, I'm under
covers secure in the knowledge that Walter is in a big pen with lots
of hay.

Shaye and Colton