By MONICA CANE

Bulletin correspondent

When I was younger I enjoyed living in towns that had a lot going on. 

Countless clothing stores, at least one mall if not more, movie theaters, clubs, entertainment of all sorts and dozens of restaurants.  They were towns that didn’t go to sleep until four in the morning and then woke up again at six.  Back in the day I loved brushing elbows with people on the busy streets and all the noise and hub-bub of all the goings on.  But now that I’m a little older and more settled in my life, I find I’m no longer interested in all the goings on.  As a matter of fact, I would prefer if the noisy, wild merry-go-round of everyday life would just chill out a bit.

While I am definitely young in spirit and thoroughly enjoy having fun, I prefer to live at a different pace now which is why I chose to move to the town of Ripon.  I’ve only lived in the town for two months but I admit, I’m already madly in love with it. 

In comparison to other towns, ones not all that far from Ripon, there’s not much in town other than a grocery store, a café, dog grooming salons, a few shops and a cute library.  But honestly I find the minimalism all part of the charm.  

But do you want to know what I really love most about living in Ripon?  Besides the community members who are all so warm and welcoming, what I love the most about this cozy little town is the birds and the horses. 

Yes, I know that sounds crazy but seriously, sweet birds seem to come hang out in this town.  Perhaps it’s because there are so many orchards nearby but every morning I wake up to birds of all sorts chirping, singing and fluttering about. When I sit on my porch with a hot cup of coffee before work, humming birds pay me a visit, while bigger birds perch themselves on the lamp post in front of my house and smaller birds settle on rocks and twigs. It’s quit a sight to see really.  There has always been a bird or two wherever I’ve lived but this is different.  These fine feathered friends come around singing every morning as if saying they like living in Ripon too.

Then in the afternoons, when most of the birds are napping, I get to enjoy the sounds of horses neighing.  Now if I lived on a farm with horses and other animals that would be expected but I don’t.  I live in a normal residential area but because the overall town is quiet, I can hear the sounds of the horses neighing at a boarding stable a number of blocks away. 

I often drive by the stables and see the beautiful horses trotting around, eating their hay and enjoying their little piece of heaven.   Just the sight of it makes me happy to know that Ripon isn’t a town consumed with the need for more.  More housing, more shops, more businesses, more busyness and more noise.  I believe the motto of this town must be, less is more. 

Depending on where one is at in life, birds chipping, horsing neighing and being greeted by warm, caring people as you walk around the neighborhood may not sound all that exciting but as for me, the simplicity of the town of Ripon is what makes me love it so.