One of the nice things about living in a small town (is Verona considered a small town?), is that I feel pretty safe when I get out for my early morning walk. I can tell when that the days are getting shorter (sigh) because it is dark when I get up and go and stays dark longer. (Just back in June it was almost light if I woke up at 4:30; this morning I noticed that it was just getting light around 6.) Though I prefer to walk when it is light out, my schedule tells me that if I want to get a good walk in, I need to be out the front door before 5:10. Do I carry hand weights, which I suppose could be used as a defense option if I needed it. (When I say defense I mean from a wild animal because I never know what I might come across. I’ve never had any problem with the deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, or skunks that I’ve come across, but I might get a bit nervous is if stumbled on a fox or coyote, which have been seen in our area.) Even at the early hour, there are always a few cars around (some of them police cars) and as I go there I always pass other walkers and joggers.
I try to vary my route(s). As the day starts to dawn, I see new and different things every day. But here are a couple of observations and things I can count on or that are markers for me as I make my way around town:
- The clock outside of Bunky’s Automotive Services (That’s official name according to Google; does anyone in town call it anything other than just plain old “Bunkys”?): No matter what time I walk by, it’s always later than I think it is. (Possible interesting observation: Walking a “circuit” from Bunky’s south on Rt. 23, west on Claremont and north on Martin Road is approximately .75 miles.) The same can be said of the clocks on top of the 7-11, in the window at Lakeside Deli (there are two clocks; one is almost visible from as far away as across the street at the edge of the park) and on top of the Municipal Building. Time seems to go faster than I think it does when I am out walking. I do know that if Bunky’s is open during my walk, I know I’m in big trouble. (Owner Chuck Pritchard opens early, but not that early. If the bay doors are open then it’s 7 (or a little before) and I should be home and nearly ready for work.
- Annin Flag factory flag: Gone, but not forgotten. Every time I walk past this now deserted building, I miss the sound of the giant flag flapping in the breeze. I hope that if this building is converted into loft apartments (as rumored) the flag will return.
- What’s on the TV at Berman Home Systems? There is a flat screen that is visible from the street. Although the store is closed when I walk by, usually the TV is on to a sports channel, but occasionally a shopping channel has been tuned in and I have to force myself to keep going and not get sucked in by whatever bauble is being hawked.
- The “child” mannequins by the front door of Terry’s Family Pharmacy (Or as I have always known it, Terry’s Drug Store). I know they are there. I’ve walked by countless times, but I am caught off guard as it looks like there are two small figures in the closed and darkened store.
- There are always customers at the Bagelwich. I suppose this would not be true if I ever managed to get there before the 5 a.m. opening, but it seems to matter what the hour is, someone in town needs their bagel and/or coffee.
- Electronic sign outside of VHS: We should all be proud of our high school students. The electronic sign outside of VHS tells me that there are a great group of kids excelling in a wide variety of fields. (And not just athletics). Of course the sign has been dark for most of the summer (I’m assuming due to the construction). Maybe the town should get one for the middle school which it could share with community events. (The current sign which has to be manually changed is not always up to date; which I can understand. Manually changing out the letters must be a pain in the…)
- Verona has quite a few houses of worship and most of them seem to be bunched together on the west side of town. The Lutheran church backs up to the Methodist, which is right across the street from the back of the Catholic church. The Episcopalian church is just a block or so away from the synagogue in one direction and the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the other. The two “remotest” places of worship in town are the Presbyterian church (behind our very own Flat Iron Building) and the Congregational Church, which is the furthest east across from the Rescue Squad, on the aptly named Church Street.
- The plants that high from the new light poles in town are lovingly watered by the DPW. And they are up early doing their job. There’s a reason they look so good.
- Automatic lawn sprinklers: We have a lot of them in our town. There’s a reason I walk in the street versus the sidewalk many times. We love our green lawns, don’t we?
I love my early morning warm weather walks. No matter how long I’ve lived in this town (that would be my whole life), I always can always see something new. No matter what path I take when I walk, there’s always something to see, and a reason to smile.
Beth Shorten is a life-long resident of Verona. You can read more of her writing on her personal site, Bfth’s Boring Blog.
Photo copyright Fred Goode. Used by permission.
