Sam and I are approaching a number of anniversaries. July 4th will mark the six-year anniversary from when we met, and July 16th will be the five year anniversary since our first date. July 8th is the one year anniversary since we got hitched, and July 18th will mark one year since moving to Ithaca. Indeed, there’s lots to celebrate in July.
Living in Ithaca for an entire year finally allows for critical assessment of the city and its four seasons. I’ve been keeping a mental note of the things I have seen, and actually commented on some of these back in the winter. However, I’d like to add some more here, or refine some of my previous observations.
1) The love of animals is unparalleled. True, we’re at a premier veterinary college, but that doesn’t explain a woman running down the hall with a tackle box full of medications because she heard that a mouse appeared lethargic. Some students applied up to seven times before getting accepted. Dogs walk in stores with people. Three weeks ago I walked next to an 800-lb grizzly bear in a cage, which was 100 feet from our lab. Yesterday I pulled up behind a car with the bumper sticker that said “It’s hard to be humble when you own a border collie.”
2) The concept of organic takes on a whole new meaning here. There are two primary arguments for organic farming: 1) It’s healthier for the consumer, and 2) It’s better for the environment. Most who purchase organic goods do so for reason 1), but also are given bragging rights of 2). In Ithaca, I think it’s the other way around – people buy organic because it’s better for the environment, and it just so happens to be better for you too. The grocery stores stock organic for no additional cost, and the organic Farmer’s Market is a huge success. There is an EcoVillage, where people run their houses off of solar energy only and don’t use microwave ovens out of concern it will harm the ozone layer. These should be the people with the bragging rights.
3) There isn’t a Spring here. We had 18 inches of snowfall in a day in April, meaning that Spring didn’t really begin until May, at which point we started to see some very hot humid days…too close to Summer weather to not become suspicious. Therefore, I think we only observe three seasons.
4) We have incredibly smart deer. On any given day I see between 6 – 12 deer floating around: next to the street, in our back yard, in our front yard, or at Wegman’s Grocery Store. Yet despite a pronounced deer population, you almost never see dead deer on the side of the road…actually, I’ve probably seen less than 5 carcasses on the road since we moved here. I truly think that deer are smarter here – it must be from eating all of the organic produce.
5) Deer here reproduce by asexual reproduction. We see hundreds and hundreds of deer, but I’ve never seen a buck. There simply can’t be another explanation.
6) Common transportation issues are overlooked here. We have incredibly high taxes, but the streets are in terrible condition. All of the streetlights are on timers, not sensors – so if you get to the red light first, get comfortable. There are three taxi cabs in the entire city, which also supports two colleges. The single DMV in town is packed with the most miserable state workers that New York managed to find, who make it their job to spread misery to all of the other customers.
That’s about all I can think of for now, but I’m always keeping an eye out for new stuff. For those of you who have visited us, I’d be eager to hear your observations too.