A Guest Post by Sue Hawley
Living in a small town in Northeast Ohio is pretty much like any American small town. Local politics, businesses, and schools unite the community. We are uniquely located far enough from Akron (once the tire capital of the world) that we thankfully don’t have ‘big city’ issues, yet near enough for the benefits such as tons of stores, restaurants, and businesses.
The World of Bath, Ohio
Bath, Ohio is semi-rural but many old family farms are becoming housing developments. Even part of the Firestone Estate (yes, that Firestone) has become a neighborhood. For me, it’s sad to witness open fields and apple orchards stuffed with new homes. Old-timers such as my husband’s family (they’ve been here since dirt was invented) bemoan the changes even though they utilized the same changes that have come with modern life.
Then along comes a virus that has the potential to upset our little world. Many of our favorite spots are now closed due to the fear of spreading the invisible intruder. Our favorite weekend date night has been hampered as our favorite pub (less than a quarter of mile from our hill—which makes it very convenient) is closed but thankfully still has take out food. We miss sitting at the bar meeting new people and gossiping with old friends. I’ve been reduced to actually purchasing my favorite wine on my own rather than looking forward to the ‘treat’ of a glass each weekend at the pub.
The World of the Present
The family-owned local pharmacy has rules about social distancing now (6 feet between patrons), some places only allow ten people at a time in their establishments, and pet stores no longer allow dogs in the store. Not sure of the logic behind the dog ban, but we all follow the rules diligently. Just a couple of weeks ago we dreaded having to drive through the busiest intersection of the area due to the irritatingly huge amount of vehicles, but now it’s almost bare (which suits me just fine, thank you).
Selfishly, my own personal trauma has been the state closing all hair salons! I’ve dyed my hair for so long I can’t remember ever having a ‘natural’ color. I’m one of those gals who waits till the last second to book an appointment to touch up the pesky gray roots peaking through the awesome color and highlights. Needless to say I was planning on a session with my favorite stylists when, ‘poof’ like magic, the governor closes salons statewide. Fast forward to the present day as the shock of exactly how much damn gray I have acquired over the past decade. Sure, I’ll be 65 this summer, and yes my own mother was totally gray at this point, but, jeez louise, I had no idea at all how numerous the gray truly had become. After the initial moment of stunned silence, I decided wearing a hat everywhere would solve the immediate situation. Hope salons open sooner rather than later.
I walk the pup everyday (with a hat on!) through the local park; I see fewer people than usual and one difference is that no one is willing to stop and talk. A nod and comment about how cute the pup is seems to be as far as people are willing to communicate. However, with school cancelled for the time being, there are quite a few families hiking with their pets — parents trying to keep kids busy and have a bit of family time. Wise move since bored kids can dream up pretty stupid ideas to keep themselves busy; I should know — my own kids dreamed up a ton of stupidity.
Our lives here haven’t changed a ton with this damn virus. We’re actually pretty boring people which works for us. I’m able to accomplish my daily errands without issues but that isn’t saying much since I basically drive up to the post office in ‘downtown’ Bath, stop at the Bake Shop for a cookie run, and hit the grocery store to check if toilet paper has magically appeared since yesterday. I’m pretty sure my husband hasn’t been off our hill since last weekend but he’s also addicted to the History Channel so he may not even be aware there is much of a change in the world as this virus takes over our lives.
The World of the Future
Amazingly, folks around here seem to take most of the inconveniences in their stride, which says a lot about people in the community. Sure, there are always the jerks who seem to enjoy being nasty to others, but I’d bet the farm those are the same jerks who are always assholes. I’ve noticed more smiles and words of encouragement than usual and that’s a good thing. We seem to realize we need to make the best of the situation and hopefully, the extra kindness I witness each day won’t wan as the virus restrictions fade.
About Sue Hawley
Sue Hawley is probably reading right now. When she’s not doing that or being hassled by one of her five grown children she writes cozy mysteries about Peg Shaw, who sees ghosts and has a much more interesting life than Sue. (And that’s just fine by her.) Sue enjoys forcing Peg to do things (like take self defense lessons) that she herself would never do. She’s also happy that Peg is the one who sees ghosts and has to solve crimes because if it was her she would have saged her house, her dog, and her son’s annoying cat- because you never know with cats.
Sue Hawley is the bestselling author of the Peg Shaw cozy mystery series. Hot Flashes/ColdCases is the award winning novel that started it all.