The Latest Sign of the Coming Apocalypse

By

Cognitive Dissonance

On occasion Mrs. Cog accuses me of being a curmudgeon. And on more than a few occasions she is absolutely correct. I wear my cynicism on my sleeve, my face, my chest, everywhere in fact. No wonder we aren't invited to very many social events.

This morning we decided to visit the big city to do some specialty shopping, which when you live on a sparsely populated mountain means any place with more than 30 people per square mile. Our destination was to the outskirts of Virginia Tech, about 90 minutes north of the homestead. Continue reading The Latest Sign of the Coming Apocalypse →

Small Town Mountain Living

by

Cognitive Dissonance

I'm a small town boy. Born and bred small town as a matter of fact, and proud as a peacock of my heritage.  I suspect it's one of the many reasons I have adapted so well to living a relatively isolated life up here on the mountain.

It fits my DNA.

Back in 1998 when I moved to Fairfax, VA (a Northern VA 'suburb' of Washington, DC) from rural southeastern Connecticut I assumed I could bring my small town ways to the metropolis. I was shown otherwise in very short order.

Where I come from when you move to a new-to-you small town, or even just across town, the first thing you do after unpacking the U-Haul is to stroll over to your nearest neighbors and introduce yourself. This assumes, of course, that your nearest neighbors haven't already visited to introduce themselves.

Things worked a little differently back in 1998 when I moved to Fairfax. I was a single parent back then with a 13 year old boy in tow. We moved into an apartment complex and, after unpacking, I grabbed my son and we knocked on the nearest doors. The reception was not what either of us expected. Continue reading Fall on the Mountain →