A little bit about where I come from

Not feeling too well today. I think my heart is giving me problems and I don't have the insurance to check it out. Oh well!!
Have you ever thought about where you were born, raised and the good times had there? I was born in a small town located at the base of the Teton mountains and the scenery was exquisite. As I would visit the mountains, which I did almost every chance I got, it was nothing to see deer, fox, an occasional bobcat, bear and a variety of smaller animals. It was one of my greater pleasures to saddle the horse, take the dog and a lunch and just go up to one of my favorite spots, let the horse graze while the dog and I just enjoyed laying in the green mountain grass and being lazy. The water was so clear and there was no fear of drinkng it. I could look down on the valley below viewing the ranches and farms and the patchwork the farmers made as they planted and grew their crops. The Teton river wandered through the center of the valley and it was a setting worthy of a poets lines.
It is now many years later and I have not been in that valley for a long, long time. I went back for a visit and hardly recognized the place. Where farms and ranches were there are now houses and and houses and houses. As I walked down the main street of town very little was recognizable it had changed so much. The area where the Blackfoot and Crow had one of their major battles was now littered with houses. No longer could one ride a horse across the land and find arrowheads like we could as kids. No longer could one ride a horse across the land because so much of it has now been posted "No Tespassing". The canyon where the horse, dog and I spent so much time is now littered with tents, cars and trash.
I am one who believes in progress. However it is sad that sometimes progress destroys a beauty that can never be replaced. I am sure that the reason many people have moved to this beautiful valley is because of its beauty. I wonder if they now realize that too many enjoying a beautiful thing suddenly destroyed the beauty they initially witnessed. I remember a lady coming to our valley and just gushing about how pretty it was, how backwoods it seemed and how more relaxed the people were. Then she made the statement that blew me away. "I just wish you had a K-Mart here." No offense to K-Mart or any other big box store, but the reason we were the way we were is because we liked our life style and the absence of these enterprises.
As we go through life I hope that as we visit places of beauty that we remember why we think they are beautiful and try to keep them that way. Progress can not be stopped nor can we fault anyone for wanting to live where it is beautiful. However picking up ones trash and properly disposing of it, honoring landowners wishes and showing respect for something that is not ours will go a long ways to letting us enjoy the beauties around us.
If anyone reads my thoughts and would like to comment please do so. The one thing about blogging is you wonder if anyone reads what you write and do they really care what you write.