#Middlebury
By BRIDGET HENRY
My sister and her family recently moved from Brooklyn, New York, to a small town in lower Fairfield County. Although my sister had lived in New York City for over 20 years, moving back to Connecticut where we both had grown up had always been part of her ultimate plan. With two school-age children of her own now, it was finally time for my sister to make the move.
I, of course, could not have been happier about the news. My sister and I are very close and I was excited about being less than 30 minutes away from her. My sister was excited about the move for a whole slew of reasons. While she was definitely looking forward to being surrounded by friends and family, there also were things about the city my sister was very eager to leave behind. She had a deep love for the city, but a move to the suburbs promised less crime, less noise and less pollution while offering more space and better schools. My sister was more than ready.
On the very first night in the new house, my sister called to confess that she was feeling a little nervous. She and her husband were a bit rattled by the quiet. And the dark. There was nothing but black when they looked out the windows. And the only thing they could hear was crickets.
I had to laugh. I remembered feeling something similar when I moved to Middlebury from Danbury; I could only imagine what it felt like for these Brooklynites. I promised my sister she would get used to it and said good night.
The next morning, I got a text. My sister had made it through the night but reported she had woken to a brand new terror. She asked that I call her immediately. I dialed her number and listened to her explain that a local Facebook post reported a bobcat sighting on the next street over.
My sister literally had no idea what to do. Should she let the kids wait for the bus? Should she drive them to school? I suddenly began to realize my sister had been in the city for a very long time.
Over the next few weeks, there were more calls and more texts. My sister was officially going to have a nervous breakdown over the mosquitoes. News of the EEE virus had absolutely terrified her. And on top of that, she felt there were ticks and poison ivy at every turn.
I fielded her questions and concerns about everything from bears and coyotes to lawn mowers and porch lights. My sister was only half-kidding when she complained that the suburbs stressed her out far more than the city ever did.
I guess what they say is true. You can take the girl out of the city but you can’t always take the city out of the girl. However, with the right amount of bug spray and some Calamine lotion, you can help the girl fall in love with all that is great about living in the ‘burbs. And it’s worth every single laugh at her expense. As always I am happy to be Somewhere in the Middle (of the suburbs) with all of you.
