Country Roads

"The radio reminds me of my home far away
And driving down the road I get a feeling
That I should have been home yesterday
Take me home, country roads,
to the place, where I belong..."
John Denver ~ Take me home, country roads

Last Sunday, as I was scanning the 500 something channels we have, I came across a John Denver special on GPB. Although I'm not a huge John Denver fan, I found myself watching the documentary for at least half an hour, and the next thing I knew, I was digging through our CD collection for our one John Denver album. Yes, we own one of his albums. We also own various Van Halen CDs, Mozart concertos, the entire Led Zeppelin discography, ABBA Gold albums, some country music, far too many 80s albums, and various Disney soundtracks. Let's just say we have a wildly eclectic taste in music.

So yesterday morning, as I was on my first drive to work of the semester, I listened to the entire John Denver album. From "Leaving on a Jet Plane" to "Calypso" to "Montana" to "Thank God I'm a country a boy", to of course "Country roads". Last night, I returned the CD to its place in our cabinet, after all, there is only so much John Denver one can take in a year, but one song has stuck in my head, and that would be the song quoted above.

Whenever I listen to "Country Roads", I always find myself thinking of driving home, and the feeling that comes with returning after a long absence. I imagine most people envision one road, and when I asked some people around me, they confirmed that belief. Steve, for instance, when I warbled a most memorable rendition of the song to him this morning, told me it made him think of the roads around his parents' house; narrow lanes that wind through endless cornfields, as well as a set of earplugs. Husband-dear, although he grew up in a house a few miles from the beach, thinks about bouncing down the red-dirt road, under the tunnel of trees, and turning into the long driveway to his parents' current home. For me, it's not that simple.

"Country roads" for me always brings up an interesting kaleidoscope of roads and landscapes. I think of driving through the Dutch polder, with its endless views of fields, rows of trees, and cows. I think of driving through broad lanes with trees on either side. I think of mountain roads, lavender spilling on to the pavement. I think of driving past a deep blue sea, with people wandering along the boardwalk. I think of walking past "sorority row", with all the intriguing Greek symbols on the enormous mansions. I think of bicycling up an endless hill to an old monastery. I think of driving through snow-covered mountains. I think of of a wide variety of highway exits, sorties, Ausfarts, and afritten. And much to my surprise, I've recently also started thinking of Tempre road; a road in our town that leads from our house to base. It's nothing special; there are probably ten roads like it in our town, and hundreds across our state, but somehow, it got added to my mind's collection of "country roads". Tempre road starts as a curving road that runs between residential areas and woods, and then becomes a four-lane highway that runs along a gigantic church, several bodyshops, a lighting store with a perpetual EDIMGIAFAD sign out front, two pizza places, a Honda dealer, and a Goodwill store. I'm guessing this is a good sign. For although the words "kicking and screaming" come to mind when thinking of my integration in this town, it has now become a part of my "country roads". And that's a good sign. I think.