It will be different this time, she told herself. You are going to a town with a bit of culture – a few events. Oh, not the big time mega concerts found in Denver or Dallas or Salt Lake City, no. But there will be theater and art and live music at all the dining venues and once or twice a year a symphony will come through. First, it would be advantageous to find a job. A fun job. A job that incorporated all the things she loved to do. So she made a list: Visit train and check on job. Visit music stores as soon as possible. Go to all musical and theater events now playing in the area and make yourself known and useful. Make friends. Find people with similar tastes. Accordingly, she opened a bank account the first time she was in town and listened carefully to the advice and connections of the friendly banker. She left with a check register and a list of all the non-profits supporting music and the arts. Shakespearean theater was on the bill for that weekend, but tickets were sold out. Good sign. The second time she was in town, she went to a saloon and acquainted herself with the music of a top-notch turn of the century old-timey champion piano player and resolved to hone her chops.

The third time she availed herself of a Choral Society concert. By then, people were no longer shaking hands. By the time she settled the following week, concerts were being cancelled right and left and public quarantine was in effect. The library closed. Dining venues offered take-out only. Oh well, at least she is more accustomed to being alone than most people. She still sees folks on the hiking trails, they wave, they keep their distance. She smiles. She goes home to her piano. Open window piano music, anyone? And please maintain a 10-foot personal space distance on the patio.