Under the Harvest Moon

Tonight is the harvest moon. Unfortunately, the clouds and rain prevent the bright full moon to make any impression on the Eastern Kentucky sky.

Still, every year on this night I am reminded of my favorite poem by Carl Sandberg. When I was twelve, I bought a little pocket book of love poems at a gift shop while on vacation with my family. I suppose even then I was attempting to fuel the hopeless romantic within. Under the Harvest Moon was my favorite of the collection, and I have never forgotten it.


Under the Harvest Moon
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker,
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers.

Under the summer roses
When the flagrant crimson
Lurks in the dusk
Of the wild red leaves,
Love, with little hands,
Comes and touches you
With a thousand memories,
And asks you
Beautiful, unanswerable questions.

of silver linings and frappucinos...

It's been a quiet day here at the shop. I spend my time running errands (it seems every day we discover something else we need) reading, and periodically checking Facebook. We've had a bit of business over the past week, and once all those computers are repaired and ready to go, we will at least have earned the overhead to keep the doors open. I've been back and forth with my worries, one day in panic mode, and the next seeing the silver lining behind every cloud. Today is a silver lining day :)

Regardless of how this business venture turns out, opening the shop has fueled in me a new-found appreciation for Jackson and it's residents. Every day someone pops their head in the door to say "hello" and wish us luck. I can't even walk down the street to my vehicle without someone nodding or saying, "howdy" and "love this weather" - all from complete strangers. I love it! Yes, there are some very nice people in Lexington, but there is a charming openness to the people in this area, and it only helps to solidify my decision to move here.

Of course, all would be perfect if there were only a Starbucks or Seattle's Best! Alas, Jackson seems to be content with their Cozy Corner, Bee Happy's, and White Flash. I'm sure the kind-faced old men sipping black coffee and laughing around old diner style tables, could care less about caramel or pumpkin spice frappucinos.


Small town hospitality, home cookin', and a simple cup-o-joe are good enough for them... and for the first time in my life, they are good enough for me too!


UDDATE: Bee Happy's bit the dust, and is no longer open to the public. Boooo! Thank goodness Cozy Corner still has the most dee-lish chicken strip salad!

Thank you for calling The Computer Mechanic!

Don't worry, I'm not planning on presenting a long, boring explanation as to why I continue to attempt the blogging thing, but then abandon it after two or three posts. I honestly have no excuse.

I'm here now, and that's all that counts, right??

I am currently sitting at the front desk of The Computer Mechanic, fiending for some caffeine after a restless night of sleep. I suppose you would peg me as a glorified secretary, and I honestly have no problem with that title. Besides, I am the owner! Yes, myself and Steven have started a new adventure, and it's been such a blessing making one of his dreams turn into a reality. Everything sorta fell into place over a month's time, and we had to make a quick decision as to whether we should wait another year, or go ahead and snag the most perfect location ever for a business in Jackson. We knew we were taking a huge risk going forward with the business, but it also seemed like such a shame to wait and lose the rental space to someone else.

So, here we are, our 5th day open for business, hoping and praying that as the word (or a mass outbreak of computer viruses) spreads, people will come pouring in with all their PC woes!

But for now, it's been pretty quiet 'round here. I can't help but be nervous, and it doesn't help that everyone around us is expecting us to fail. No one has directly come out and said as much, but the constant questions and worrisome glances tells me that both our families (Steven's especially) have absolutely no faith that we will make it. It's not that they want us to fail... they simply already believe that we will.

I want to prove them wrong more than anything in the world!

Fingers (and toes) crossed...