Making Friends, and Keeping Busy in a Small Town

Life in a small town can be fairly lonely if you don't know anyone and you happen to be the latest import from the city. You would think that someone in this postion would gradually ease their way into the community, maybe join a church, go to the ladies coffee morning, or if you have kids, attend the local mums 'n' tots.

I decided to take a more direct approach, since I'm a little bit allergic to church and I don't have any tots. I would stumble across someone (sometimes literally, as I trip all the time so much so that my mother nic-named me "Footless Annie") I thought was interesting and then proceed to harmlessly stalk them.

You wouldn't believe the amount of friends one can make with this method. Don't get me wrong I didn't lurk around their woodshed with binoculars or a telephoto camera.  I would just actively call, the chosen victim, and ask them to go for walks or drop in to their work with coffee and banter. 

Now I have friends to go  play glow-in-the-dark-5-pin-bowling, tap maple trees with and play night-time-pond-hockey with...who knew life could be so rich with extra-curricualr activity?

I'll leave you with a quick "how to" on tapping maple trees:

Step #1 Make copper spiles (hate that word let's call them spouts)

Step #2 Find sap catchers (I used mason jars and wine bottles, wine bottles worked better because the rain water has a hard time getting into the small opening) and attach wire handles.

Step #3 Drill a hole in the tree the same size at the spout, pop in the spout and give it a nice little tap with the hammer, and then hang on your sap catcher.  To be fair that was about 3 steps squished into one.