Emergence

The culture shock hits as I near town. It's been nearly three days since I've left the farm. Snow, wind, and drifts kept my husband and me holed up at home. As the hours wore on, our movements slowed. We fed the animals, we read, and ate. We slept, talked on the phone, surfed the Internet. Once, I skied. The winds died down this morning, and my husband fired up the tractor and began the multi-hour task of clearing the lane. The road near our house showed patches of pavement. But snow and ice still kept trucks and the occasional car under 40 mph. When I hit town, that changed. The roads were clear of snow. Some were even dry. Cars zipped along. People rushed from stores, groceries, gas stations. I took care of business, and then retreated to the quiet world of the snowbound.