The Minnesota Farm Woman

I had to make a trip to the Big City last week. Those of you who live in cities may argue the fact that Duluth is a Big City, but when you don’t get out much, it is big enough. I’m not sick and didn’t really need to see a doctor, but it was time for a visit to my specialist, so off I went.  Usually I go with someone so I can ask questions like ” I should turn left right here, right? Right? I turn left?” It is a well-known fact to friends and family that I have no sense of direction and couldn’t find my way out of a bucket even if it had a hole in it.  GPS devices were invented for people like me. I know how to get to the Big City Hospital and Clinic, it was getting OUT of there that was the problem.  In the maze of traffic and one-way streets, I didn’t know quite where I was, and kept getting deeper and deeper into the residential areas.  I really wasn’t too worried, as unlike other Big Cities, Duluth doesn’t really have any “sketchy” areas, but time was going by quickly, and I didn’t want to lose any more of it for the real reason one from a rural area goes to the Big City:  Shopping.  My heart was beating a little faster just thinking about it.  I wasn’t familiar with any addresses, so I pushed the “go home” button on my GPS, which got me out of wherever the heck I was to ten miles from where I needed to be, but back into familiar territory.  Lunch first, of course.  Since I hate to eat in a restaurant by myself, I purchased a frozen custard cone and ate it in the car in the parking lot while doing some people watching.  Then on to the  Big City Pet Store, Big City Clothing Store, Big City Department Store, and Big City Grocery Store.  I was too tired to visit the Big City Mall.  With the exception of the wonderful olive bar at the grocery store, I missed my small-town grocery where everyone says hello and they carry your groceries to the car. In the Big City Grocery Store, my poor sense of direction somehow steered me into the “speedy” lane where one is supposed to pack one’s own groceries. It would be much speedier if one knew this ahead of time.  No wonder the checkout lady looked at me strangely when I asked her to keep the cool items separate from the others. Another reason I don’t like going to the Big City by myself is that about half of the 230 mile round  trip  is nothing but northern Minnesota swampland and a very boring drive without someone to talk to.   I don’t know if it was the frozen custard or the vat of blue-cheese stuffed olives that I ate or the fact that I managed to spend $300 not including the doctor’s fees, but my stomach was beginning to hurt. Maybe it was time to head for home.  There may be no frozen custard store there (thank goodness!), there’s only one stoplight within 17 miles (thank goodness!), and there are more chickens to watch than there are people, but home is the best destination of all.  There’s no need for GPS when your heart is sending you in the right direction.