I am quickly approaching the fifth anniversary of employment at the center. I have been very happy here, and enjoy the staff, the church members (we are located in a Lutheran church), and - most of all - the children in our care. There have been some adjustments, however, now that I am working in the city. (Note: People who live here will tell you that this is not the city, that it is a suburb. It does, however, have the name of the city as its address. In addition, it has sidewalks, street lights, stop lights, lots of buildings, and big, smelly buses. That is a city.) I have never spent much time in a city, so my tenure here has been very instructive and I have learned a lot about life in the city. The things that I have learned include:
1. Dog owners in the city tend to carry baggies to deal with anything that their dog may produce during the walk. This is a nice change from the country, where dog owners tend to just let their dog out the door. I spend a good amount of time pooper-scooping my lawn, which wouldn't bother me so much if I actually owned a dog.
2. The city has squirrels. I know that they are a nuisance, and that people tend to dislike them, but I love to watch them run and play. We have recently acquired a squirrel or two in Retsof but one at a time is not as entertaining as several. We used to have lots of little red squirrels at our house, but that was because Alexander (one of our cats) brought them home from the woods across the street, and since Alexander is no longer with us the red squirrels are gone.
3. I don't think that there are amusement parks in the city because every time that I get on the expressway someone is trying to ram my car. Perhaps if they could play bumper cars they would leave mine alone.
4. It take forever to get anyplace in the city. Going five miles down the road can take fifteen minutes or more because of stop lights, bus stops, and kamikaze pedestrians. At home we are only held up if Cuozzo's cows are in the road again.
5. There are dozens of pizza parlors, fast food places, sub shops, and restaurants. Does anyone in the city cook?
6. This one is really scary - "People of Walmart" really do exist. Most of them are very friendly and love to chat, but I am not sure that I want to stand too close to them.
7. People get cranky when my attention wanders at long stop lights and I forget to watch for the green. There are really more interesting things to look at than stop lights.
8. I have learned that when the speed limit drops to 55 on the expressway, it is not a good idea to slow down to 55 if you value the rear end of your car.
9. There are elevators everywhere. I think that there are only two or three in my county.
10. Often when I am leaving a store, the cashier or door guard will tell me to "Be blessed" or to "Have a blessed day". What a happy thought!
1. Dog owners in the city tend to carry baggies to deal with anything that their dog may produce during the walk. This is a nice change from the country, where dog owners tend to just let their dog out the door. I spend a good amount of time pooper-scooping my lawn, which wouldn't bother me so much if I actually owned a dog.
2. The city has squirrels. I know that they are a nuisance, and that people tend to dislike them, but I love to watch them run and play. We have recently acquired a squirrel or two in Retsof but one at a time is not as entertaining as several. We used to have lots of little red squirrels at our house, but that was because Alexander (one of our cats) brought them home from the woods across the street, and since Alexander is no longer with us the red squirrels are gone.
3. I don't think that there are amusement parks in the city because every time that I get on the expressway someone is trying to ram my car. Perhaps if they could play bumper cars they would leave mine alone.
4. It take forever to get anyplace in the city. Going five miles down the road can take fifteen minutes or more because of stop lights, bus stops, and kamikaze pedestrians. At home we are only held up if Cuozzo's cows are in the road again.
5. There are dozens of pizza parlors, fast food places, sub shops, and restaurants. Does anyone in the city cook?
6. This one is really scary - "People of Walmart" really do exist. Most of them are very friendly and love to chat, but I am not sure that I want to stand too close to them.
7. People get cranky when my attention wanders at long stop lights and I forget to watch for the green. There are really more interesting things to look at than stop lights.
8. I have learned that when the speed limit drops to 55 on the expressway, it is not a good idea to slow down to 55 if you value the rear end of your car.
9. There are elevators everywhere. I think that there are only two or three in my county.
10. Often when I am leaving a store, the cashier or door guard will tell me to "Be blessed" or to "Have a blessed day". What a happy thought!
