- Cable TV
- Jehovah's Witnesses
- DSL
- Starbucks
We migrated to the country in 1999. In the first week, we were wired for television and had religious solicitors in skirts and neckties hike through the forest to knock-knock for Jesus.
Within the first year, our dial-up Internet magically upgraded to broadband -- and free Wi-Fi is now available in the business districts, although only me and a geeky raccoon named "Woot" have laptops.
But designer coffee? Don't hold your froth -- or so I thought.
The nearest Starbucks was 42 miles down the highway until last summer, when a supermarket 25 miles south installed a kiosk, allowing us to buy cat food and cafe mochas with one stop shopping and sipping. (No whip, non-fat Fancy Feast, by the way.)
In March, we read the startling news that our predominantly agricultural community is on the brink of a Starbucks franchise! This was an eye-popping flash, so, with visions of caffeine dancing in my dozy head, I sleuthed around to locate the site, not a barista was stirring. The construction proceeds only seven miles yonder, out in front of the strip mall, enabling us to get Wal-Mart mismanagement and espresso within one over-congested eyesore. (No whoop, non-fast Wal-Mart indifference, by the way.)
I'm excited, yet progress brings another loss in nature's serenity. The hills are alive with the sound of "Fo' dollers for a cuppa coffee?!"
