Small town indeed

Today was the last day of class for the fall semester, and although I enjoyed it, I am definitely ready for a break. In the last few months, we have encountered a few more small-town-isms that we can really appreciate:

1) We volunteered at the beef and noodle lunch to raise money for E's daycare last weekend, and while there we saw our plumber, a retired biology professor, the college executive VP, our next door neighbor, my faculty mentor and his daughter, another college person who seemed to know me despite my not knowing her, and all the members of the parent committee. It was a great event, for a good cause, and the town really showed up to support it.
2) We bought a Christmas tree in town last weekend, and Kyle told the guy he was just going to carry it home, because it would be faster and easier. The guy said, "Oh I'll just have my wife drop it off on her way home in about 15 minutes. Where do you live?" We explained where we live, and he knew exactly where, and we went home. Fifteen minutes later our Christmas tree showed up in our driveway. Would this have happened in Hyde Park? I don't think so.
3) Last night we went out for dinner at one of the only 2 restaurants in town, and I saw 3 biology students there and 2 other professors in the parking lot as we were leaving.
4) This afternoon the Dean invited all the new faculty over to his house for wine and cheese and an opportunity to catch up and reflect on the semester. As I was leaving I told him I had to go pick up E, and he asked where he was. I told him about our daycare, and he said "Oh, we've done lots of work there. Do you know J who works there?" I said, "Oh yeah, she's great, we see her every day." He said, "She's my next door neighbor." At first I was almost surprised, but then I thought, of course, we do live in a small town after all.

What we've realized is that things really do work differently here, but mostly in a good way. I've also determined that while it is comforting to start knowing people and being known, I will never again be able to sneak out of the house in my Saturday clothes without having showered, and hope I don't see anyone I know.