eleemosynary.

[el-uh–mos–uh-ner-ee, –moz-, el-ee-uh-]

adjective

1. of or relating to alms, charity, or charitable donations; charitable.
2. derived from or provided by charity.
3. dependent on or supported by charity.

Ketchum, ID. Whew. I think today I realized it’s a little New Zealand-esque. Mountains cast their shadows on the other mountains. And the mountains go on and on and on. The Sawtooth National Forest is full of cattle because it’s open range. Bikers, fly fishermen, and hikers fill the streets and I imagine they’ll trade in their bikes, rods, and boots for skis before long. I wish I could have bottled up the breeze to send to you, because it was unreal. It was chilly enough to have a pair of boots on, but sunny enough to wear a t-shirt.

My new pal, Randy (how I met Randy) is so caring and I’m loving the fact that I get to know him because of a random interaction. He offered me his guestroom for as long as I need it, knowing it’s better to meet potential roommates before just moving in. He set out coffee on the counter with a note. He got me a job at the saloon. He has a refrigerator full of chocolate. His doormat reads “Fo shizzle. Welcome to my hizzle.” He’s eleemosynary and I don’t mind being a charity case. Sometimes we need help and I’m gladly accepting. He said he’s paying it forward because someone helped him out twelve years ago when he moved here.

Tonight at the saloon, I donned my cowboy boots, jean skirt, and cowgirl shirt and trained as a greeter, though I’ll ultimately be a cocktail server if all goes according to plan. I loved this and I felt like I made some friends because people were intrigued that I drove from Florida and moved to Ketchum because it “felt nice.”

A customer around my age came in and gave me his name and I asked, “Is everyone in your party here?” The saloon is THE place to be and reservations cannot even be made. An hour wait here is actually a good thing. The customer rested his arm on the table next to me. “Here’s the thing, my uncle is a celebrity and he can’t be just sitting in the bar area. They work with us so well here. So the rest of my party will be here soon and I’ll let you know.”

Turns out his uncle is Chris “Boomer” Berman from SportsCenter. I was the only gal in the front who knew who he was and I thank my dad and brothers for that. His voice was so familiar, it sounded like I was back in my Palm Harbor living room. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Thank you for helping us out.”

When he left a couple hours later after taking pictures with several adoring fans, he said, “Aloha” and was off.

Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks are known to frequent the saloon, so much so that it’s not a big deal for my coworkers. I think it’s wonderful and I will let you know what their chosen cocktails are.