I would never claim my small town is perfect any more than I would say that living on a farm brings me a perfect life. No place is perfect, no life is perfect, my beautiful town of Cambridge, N.Y., has it’s share of nasty politics, few jobs,  poverty, squabbling and pettiness, it is also endowed a wonderful mix of people, artists and farmers, theater companies, a great cafe, a wonderful bookstore, a popular diner, a food co-op, a sweet old Main Street, a restored opera house. I love it, is right for us.

I belong in a small town, it is right for me, it is not right for everybody, including my daughter, who cannot imagine why I am living here. While rural life is under pressure everywhere – politicians and economists don’t think rural communities are efficient in the new global economy – there are many values in Cambridge that are difficult to find in the cities and suburbs where most Americans now live. I told Maria yesterday that I was struck at how many safe and friendly there are places for us here.

* I went to O’Hearn’s Pharmacy this morning, on the other side of town from the big chain pharmacy, which sells  lots of things, including beer and cigarettes along with medicine. The people who work there are very nice and very helpful – the pharmacists there have helped me many times. But Rite-Aid is owned by a corporation that seems to value profits as much as health sometimes and the people who work there often tell me they wish they didn’t sell cigarettes along with medicine.  Bridget does not sell beer or cigarettes. If you are in trouble, need medicine after hours,  or you forgot your prescription you can call her at home, come by her house and pick her up,  and she will open up the pharmacy for you and get you what you need. I went in the pharmacy yesterday and a woman came in, walked up to Bridget, and burst into tears. I was startled, she turned towards Bridget, who is always nearby fixing prescriptions. She said her husband had just told her that he was having an affair and wanted to end their marriage.

“I didn’t know where else to go,” she said, “I just came to Bridget.” There are few small pharmacies like Bridget, she is up against ferocious competition from big chains who can sometimes charge less and government regulations, which suffocate small businesses. I hope she hangs on forever.

* I went to the Round House Cafe to meet a friend and I realized I forget to bring my money or wallet. “I don’t have any money,” I told Keiry, who was working the counter. She laughed. “Bring it in when you come next,” she said, “we know where to find you.” Sometimes, when I am in town and I need to give myself an insulin injection, I will go to the Round House, there is a room in the back that is private and quiet and I am welcome to use it.

* Maria and I went to get our first haircut in town, we had been going to a different town – walk-ins are welcome and we met Heidi, who cut our hair. She charged Maria $15, but she would only charge me $10 because, she said, I didn’t have that much hair and it wouldn’t be fair to charge me the full amount. Next time I will insist on paying the full amount.

* In the afternoon, I felt  uneasy, I was thinking of the New York Carriage Horses and touched by messages about them from a Native-American chief. I went out to help with the chores and all three donkeys came up to me and pressed their noses into my stomach and my side, they formed a circle around me, almost hemmed me in, they were insistent. I believe they were talking to the horses through me, or perhaps receiving messages from them. This is not something I would have believed for much of my life, but I saw it, something was happening. Perhaps, said a friend, they were thanking me for sticking up for the horses.

* In our family, I shop and cook and we have been traveling and running around so much I haven’t shopped much, and I felt I was doing a poor job of cooking (Maria was hinting at the meals getting a bit boring.) I pride myself on good and interesting cooking, I went over to the Cambridge Food Co-op and asked Becca for advice about a good meal for dinner. She took me over to the food shelves and freezers and she recommended chicken and vegetable dumplings along with some sticky sushi rice, and she gave me instructions on cooking the rice and a good bottle of Soy Sauce. Whenever I need help choosing dinner or trying something new, I go over to the Co-op and someone helps me.

* Ever couple of weeks, I go and see our friend Mandy Meyer-Hill and get a massage. I didn’t use to get massages, they are now an integral part of my health care. I haven’t been sleeping well this week, a lot of things on my mind, money stuff, the horses in New York. Before the massage, Mandy always asks me what my needs are and I told her about the sleeplessness, echoes of my old panic attacks. I thought I was done with them, but one is never completely done with the past. Mandy said she thought the message from the Native-American chief – Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Calf Buffalo Pipe of Peace, was important. She thought I was right, the horses are sending me messages (I will write about this tomorrow). She said I should go out into the pasture and stand firmly on the ground and feel my feet going down to the center of the earth, then coming back up. I did.

*This morning I went to the dentist, it was a 7 a.m. appointment and I asked the receptionist if I could bring Red in, he was in the car. They said sure, and I brought Red in and he cuddled with just about every woman in the place and then lay down on the floor while my teeth were being cleaned. They all asked me to be sure and bring him in next time. Dogs relax people, Red relaxes me, he has the gift of entering every space I go into and joining me there.

I love my town, I expect to spend the rest of my days here.