Just Down the Road
by Sandra Rosenberger

 Can you imagine an adventurous girl, from the age of eight, being allowed to freely explore Manhattan Island by herself?  Comfortable with a bustling urban environment, her world dramatically changed after moving to Tioga County forty-five years ago.  Would she be able to acclimate to such a foreign environment?

 Picture this person, over the years, experiencing events such as being  trapped in a child's playhouse by a father goose protecting his mate's nest, 
helping goats give birth, walking petrified among a flock of ostriches, helping a  St. Bernard feed her fifteen pups, screaming inside a VW bug while huge hogs  bumped and pushed the car, admiring a small herd of buffalo grazing along an Owego road, battling squirrels chewing holes in her home - the list goes on and on.

 Looking back, culture shock was short-lived as I thrilled to the many wonders of our beautiful part of the country. For example, I learned to swim in our pond, picked rocks in a hayfield destined to become our lawn, planted hundreds of evergreen seedlings, picked rocks, ate pancakes with maple syrup produced locally, and carried home fresh milk from a neighbor's small dairy.  

 Amazingly, I became interested in hunting, fishing, catching crawfish, and 
hiking in our area's boundless open spaces. It was fun gathering apples and 
pears but not fun picking the endless rocks, although I developed sturdy biceps in the process. Approaching various farm animals took much courage, but eating the wholesome meat, butter, cheese, and eggs from neighboring farms was a pleasure.  Again, the list goes on and on.  Altogether, it didn't take long to become enamored with our area and the wonderful people we came to 
respect and love.

 Can you imagine that after being away from city life for many years, the 
thought of going to Manhattan would fill me with incredible dread?  Then the unexpected happened; our teenage son's serious medical condition necessitated travel to Manhattan five times during a one-year period. My husband, son and I were frightened and intimidated by a situation totally out of our control.  

 When not holding vigil in the hospital, my husband holed up in a nearby studio apartment. Tense and restless, my escape was to venture out on the streets, timidly at first and then with gusto. I would leave our son's bedside in the middle of the night and walk for hours. Whenever possible, daytime excursions rekindled youthful memories. My husband and son were uncomfortable with the city environment, whereas I was invigorated and glad to be there again, if just for a while. When our son's ordeal was finally over, it sure was wonderful to start enjoying life again on the farm we love in Tioga County.