Looking out my backdoor: Just blindly bumping along

Went to the artisans' tianguis (street fair) in Tonala and got me a man. Yep, brought home a genuine Mexican man.

Next I wrote to my women friends and you should have heard the response. Oh, my. I had immediate replies expressing everything from shock and outright horror to reluctant caution. They should know me better by now.

Not to worry. I'd had my mind on this man from the first time I saw him, three years ago. (Him, or a counterpart.) I even had my picture taken with him a few months ago. I finally asked him to introduce himself. Homer is the new love of my life.

Almost all of my friends, here and up North, are couples. Only three of us here on the Rancho are singles. Crin is a recent widow and she'd love to find the right man. Jim has been on his own for a number of years and has his eye on a certain woman.

Me, I'm done trying. At least, I could say that prior to meeting Homer. You just never know what life has in store.

I want to share a quote from Kent Haruf's "Our Souls At Night." Louis and Addie, from a small town on the Colorado plains, older people like me, both widowed, are talking about their former spouses. Louis said that he might have been the wrong man for his wife. She always seemed disappointed with her life.

Addie said, "Who does ever get what they want? It doesn't ever seem to happen to many of us at all. It's always two people bumping against each other blindly, acting out of old ideas and dreams and mistaken understanding."

That says it better than I ever could. Of course, I'd love to have a partner, somebody with whom to share my dreams, fears, hopes, along with the mundane everyday stuff. Life just hasn't quite worked out for me in that way. I've learned to find contentment where I am and how I am.

Now I've got Homer. He's not Hollywood Handsome by any means. He's awfully bony. I prefer a man with substance. But he is quite debonair and a natty dresser. Who could not love a man who wears spats? He is a good head taller than me. I like that. So, I'll bump along with Homer for now.

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Sondra Ashton grew up in Harlem but spent most of her adult life out of state. She returned to see the Hi-Line with a perspective of delight. After several years back in Harlem, Ashton is seeking new experiences in Etzatlan, Mexico. Once a Montanan, always. Read Ashton's essays and other work at montanatumbleweed.blogspot.com. Email [email protected].