A Funk and Writing It Down

I've been in a little bit of a funk.   I'm not exactly sure why, but I thought if I just wrote it down I might snap out of it.    You don't have to read it since it's not a happy go lucky post.   I just want to put it here and then let it go.   I think this event may have triggered it.

About two weeks ago, a lady I know went missing from her home east of Paso Robles.   She owns a hair salon and I've been going there for 15 years.   Her daughter has been my stylist the entire time.   I'm not friends with them in that we don't socialize or chat outside of the salon.   But 15 years is a long time.   Amanda now has two young children who spend a lot of time with their grandma.   They live close to one another, as in practically across the road.   Nancy is/was my age, lost her husband 6 years ago to a heart attack, and her younger daughter to Cystic Fibrosis about 10 years ago.   She has a son and daughter and grandchildren. 

So Nancy is just missing and since it's been so long, it's not hopeful.   Discussions on FB all refer to a bloody blanket found on the road a few miles away.   The Sheriffs office immediately asked for information from the public and also requested video from anyone in that area who may have surveillance or game cameras on their property.   Since then, there hasn't been anything announced publicly.

I was scheduled for a hair appointment yesterday which I was certain was not going to happen.   I called the salon and left a message as I just didn't know what else to do.   It's unsettling and I feel awful for the family.   What do you say to young children who are used to have their grandma in their lives all the time?   

I don't know.   It's just very sad and I hope they get some answers.   This used to feel like a small rural area.   With the wineries and the focus on tourism, the feeling has changed.   I'm not so sure I like it anymore, at least not as I did five years ago.   There is more gang activity in our towns, there is an increased problem with drug activity.   Paso Robles, Atascadero and Templeton are not big cities.   But we're halfway between LA and San Francisco, we're about 100 miles west of the awful Central Valley, and ultimately bad stuff finds its way.

It's just been weighing on me a little.   

If you made it through this post, here are some pretty roses as a reward.   This was really just for me, needing to write things out and see if it eases my funk.