2017 39 Years In Jefferson Valley

By johnmac the bard

I’ve lived for over 35 years in
the hamlet of Jefferson Valley,
town of Yorktown,
county of Westchester,
state of New York;
longer than I lived anyplace else.

I grew up in Inwood,
the top of Manhattan Island,
city and state of New York.
In Inwood, we had sidewalks,
mail delivery and big stores.

When I moved with my bride
to a 225 year-old barn
in Jefferson Valley,
we had none of these.

There were more barns
In Jefferson Valley
than in any place
in Westchester County
and, at least one time,
cows disrupted traffic
on Route Six.

I was thus perplexed
when I met a woman
from my old neighborhood
who told me that she had
lived in the area for
thirteen years
but
would be moving north soon
because
“it was getting too crowded around here”
“Too crowded?”
This was the ‘boonies’ to me!

Now, we have a big shopping mall
with a Sears and a Macy’s.
We have a WalMart and a multi-plex
and I hang out in a Barnes and Noble’s
drinking Starbucks lattes.
and we have Sidewalks!

But I will not follow my old neighbor
north to the boonies.
I haven’t lost my sense of adventure;
rather, I’ve put down deep roots.

It’s pretty neat here!

Copyright 2017 John F. McMullen