Small Town

Anything missing, here?

You know you are really in the country when a postcard shows up that has no street address. I mean, I know we are the only "Grossmanns" in Clemons, but really, it's not like we have been here forever.

It has been strange that people we meet from a town fifteen miles away know who was in the house before you. They know who used to live down the road and what your neighbors do for a living. I have learned more about my neighbors from people I have met at the library than from the people themselves.

I suppose that for some people this gets old- because not only do they know you, but they know most everything about you. At this stage, however, I find it comforting. I have something in common with people I meet for the first time. For example, the people who sent this postcard are from New Providence Hardware, (about 15 miles away) where we bought our stove. The owner delivered the stove, and told me how he grew up just down the road, where there used to be a house. He used to come over to this house and sit with the old owners. She made him cookies. He has worked on our house before, done some plumbing and heating.

Now, if this was the first or only occurrence of an odd coincidence, that would be one thing. But it seems like everyone we talk to (ok, most people) have some tie to us. The man who installed our cable internet is friends with the old owner's grandson. The gun shop where we transferred Phil's firearms from home had an owner who knew what our septic tank was and how to take care of it, because it is older and they were made different back then.

There is just something kind of homey when after only four months of living here, I actually recognize people in town. Not that it is a huge town, mind you. And, we go further than our actual "hometown", because it has only a post office. For fun, you can check out the Zearing homepage. It lists all of the businesses and fun attractions. The funny part is that in town, there are only about 3 actual businesses - I think the others are out of people's homes.

www.zearing.net As the homepage boasts, it is home to more than 700 people and businesses!

I also thought I would post a picture of Ryan after his very first haircut. You know you are a first time mom when you have your baby's hair in a baggie...for who knows what reason. He looks so grown up without all of those long hairs. It took both Calli and I chasing him down to complete the project!

Also, scroll down to the picture of our living room - I added a picture of what it looked like before we move in. We loved that carpet!