Greetings from Gumdrop Falls

I was born in Gumdrop Falls. Granted that was not the given name of our town at the time.  Nor is it now.  But when my friend Jennifer first referred to our quaint New England town by that name, well, it just stuck. 

When I mentioned this fictional name to my husband he said, "I don't get it.  There are no falls and we don't sell gumdrops."  Really?!  Hopefully my readers are a little more creative.... And for all I know, The Old Store (pictured above) may actually sell gumdrops!  Anywho...

If you're not familiar with Gumdrop Falls, I'll give you a little mental tour.  There is one (I repeat, one) school where preschoolers and eighth graders alike attend.  The big transition to middle school occurs by traveling, not across the street or to another building but, rather, down a flight of stairs.  I kid you not.  High school, however, is attended outside town lines. 

When my husband and I first returned to my birthplace, after spending the previous five years in Washington, D.C., I was shocked to learn there was not a CVS pharmacy in town.  In truth we moved from Gumdrop Falls to the next town over (one with a CVS I might add) when I was only six months old, so my memory of it thirty some odd years later was virtually nonexistent.  The closest pharmacy is a 15-minute car ride away, which can feel like an eternity when your child is screaming and needs his medicine.  In fact, aside from the local I.G.A, a bank, post office, a couple churches, library, and a few other small businesses, to get pretty much anywhere outside this idyllic community takes 15 minutes or more. 

This Cheers-like locality, where nearly everyone knows your name, has been home for my family for more than a decade, and it is from here where I share stories of my small-town life with you.