Knowing Something in California, Pennsylvania

In my last post many moons ago, I let out a frustrated stream of consciousness regarding all the not knowing that was happening in my life.  My recently graduated husband was on the job market with his shiny PhD in hand and we did not where we would be working and living come fall.

On my doorsteps, the distinct crunch and color of fall - orange, yellow, and brown leaves.  Finally, there is a chill in the air.  It is fall and we have moved.  The not knowing has become the knowing.  

Michael accepted a one-year position with California University of Pennsylvania, a really great school in southwest Pennsylvania.  The school, the campus, the classes -- all great.  The tiny town it's in -- not as great.  If you've talked to me in the last month or so, you have heard me complain about where we are almost as virulently as I complained about not knowing where we'd be.  I recognize the wrongness of this and need to rectify it.  We got a job.  A good one.  It's time to get happy about it.

Here's what I know: I likely would not like to make California, Pennsylvania my home base.  It is very, very small.  I can easily walk its length in a ten minute span of time.  There is no grocery store and Target is very far away.  I didn't realize how much I needed Target, but apparently I do.

And yet, here's what else I know: I've got at least a year here and I've got to make it good.

Toward that end, a series of blog posts on why living in California, Pennsylvania for this year is going to be a great thing.  This first post will be a skeletal list to give initial credit where credit is due:

1.  Good neighbors: while our moving truck was still unloading, neighbors were stopping by and welcoming us.  Atticus and I are desperately social creatures.  We like having regular contact with the people who live around us so serious props to these good and lovely people.

2.  Walking distance to everything in town: the renovated train station library will get its own entry soon.  Atticus and I walk there a lot.  A lot.  Really a lot.

3.  Campus proximity: if we wanted to throw a rock at campus and we had really good throwing arms, we could.

4.  Bucolic Central: I will take pictures soon of what driving on the highway here looks like.  Think: rolling hills, red barns, grazing cows, dried fields of corn husks.

Okay.  That's all I have so far.  It's an effort to turn my frown upside down, but I'm committed to getting there and to a place of gratitude.  Above is a picture of something good that happened here.  Atticus got to run around campus and play near this Calder-esque sculpture with his cousins J Bug and Nate and his Grandpa.  That was a very good day.  More pictures of fun and grace forthcoming.