game night, blue lake style

Last night was weekly pot luck game night. Yep, in Blue Lake, we all have dinner together first. Made easier by the fact that there are only 5 regulars, and that 3 of us work together and the other two work from home (one mask maker, one cartographer...for reals, yo). Anyway, we potluck it up (I made a chocolate chip cookie/brownie tasty treat, and some damn good garlic bread), then clean up our dishes and commence games. Unlike the SF version of game night, we play several different games each night, and vary it every week (except we always end with the card game that must not be named). Anyway, it's all very peppy and sarcastic and tipsy and fun. Last night, however, was a true Blue Lake evening.
1) Heard about the town crazies. One family, several generations. The Humsingers. The dad drives around the block ("downtown blue lake") very fast and yells at people and is generally paranoid and scary. The kids bike around town, but the rest is the same. They all live in the old machine shop next to the glass blowers (which is across from the Blue Lake Museum(no, i haven't been yet, plan to on Tuesday, which is the next day they are open)). Several generations, all together, with one door and not really any windows. No one knows if the machine shop in which they live is still in operation, but it very well might be. Anyway. I heard one of the many totally insane stories about them last night. The dad went into Stardough's (the local...only...cafe) carrying a hatchet. Muttering to himself, and sort of to Dana (guy who works there...maybe the owner? dunno. anyway, he's super nice and very calm). Dana walked him out of the store gently, and the dad says something to Dana. Then, he puts his arm down on a car, and chops his hand off with the hatchet. For serious, people. This happened in January.
2) Kate described in great detail seeing a guy stop over on the other side of the Logger (the bar) with his pack mules. Apparently a very bearded, scruffy man had parked 3 donkey's that were loaded with bags down the street. He also had a dog. This started a discussion of other town regulars with strange habits, such as the guy that has a dolly. And wheels it around to work with him. I guess there's a box on it, and it has a little pin wheel.
3) We were all playing our little games (Balderdash at this point), and I'm looking out the window at the very grey dusk toward Stardough's (remember, really small town), and I say: "Is that a sheep?" Erica turns around to look, and sure enough, it's a sheep. A woman was walking a sheep. On a leash. While she talked on her cell phone. The sheep was very well behaved, acting just like a well trained dog out for a walk. Through downtown Blue Lake. After a pause in front of Stardough's, she walked off down the street towards the Museum and out of sight. And Tyler said: "Only in Blue Lake."

Welcome to small town life.