The City that Never Sleeps.

To those who are anticipating a tale of New York City or Barcelona, I fear you will be disappointed. This is not an ode to a famous metropolis of bustling atmosphere, but a deliberation about my current whereabouts:

Klamath Falls, Oregon

-The land of oversized mufflers and diesel trucks.

-A place of squally bars.

-A small town with a large drug problem.

-The residence of innumerable pigeons.

My home.

Saturday night marks my observation that this city does not sleep. The most popular and rambunctious bars are but two city blocks away from our cozy abode. Throughout the night we awoke to screams, cars skidding, and sirens. 2:00 a.m. is designated bar closing time, so naturally that was followed by more sirens, increased yelling, and the outbreak of more fights. I'd say we hear about a fight a night, of which half include the police. Between the clamor we continued to get minimal sleep due to the [now] familiar cracking of the radiator pipes (which incidentally sound like gun shots), and the not so quaint "choo chooing" of the nearby freight train. As the wee hours of the morning became more manageable (about 5:00 a.m.) I eventually dozed off to the sounds of pigeons cooing... and of course to the usual hubbub of large mufflers assaulting all nearby eardrums.

What I awoke to next was a far different tune than that of the previous night.

Harmonious chords resonated from piano keys and a chorus of voices sang:

"Everyone needs compassion,

A love that's never failing

Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness

The kindness of a savior

The hope of nations."

You see, our apartment faces a brick wall inlaid with stain glass. We are about fifteen feet from a local church. The continual disruptions of last night put me in a cantankerous mood. I feel asleep at 5:00 a.m. I was peeved. I had slipped into dreams with the expectation of waking up in a similarly disgruntled state. However I instead awoke and was reminded of beauty and hope. The sun streamed through the windows and my husband was next to me, smiling at tune that floated through our window. I was humbled by my previous far-from-optimistic attitude about our new home. While I am not quite used to the new sights and sounds, mullets and mufflers, I really am enjoying settling in.

I feel extremely blessed to be coming into a community of people whom Sean is dear friends with-and they are truly a fantastic crew! After just a week of living here it really does feel nice and homey. It has a charm all its own. Sure it is a bit rough and dry around the edges but the more I explore, the more people I meet, the more I am discovering that this little spot on the map has a rather intriguing character. One that I am excited to learn about and contribute to in whatever way I can.

So for those of you who choose to visit this southern Oregon scene, I have one bit of advice:

Bring earplugs.

* Sean and I like to cook breakfast together and finish off the morning with the daily crossword puzzle