From Possum Grape to the Big Peach

I’ve never talked about my hometown very much on my blog, since most of my topics are about communications, news, or life events that happen away from home.

Most people that I meet first remember me by my hometown: Possum Grape, Arkansas. When you say you are from Possum Grape, the conversation goes something like this:

Me: I’m from Possum Grape, Arkansas.
Other Person (OP): What? Did I hear that right?
Me: Yes, Possum Grape.
OP: Possum…like the animal?
Me: Yes, Possum like the animal, only without the O, and Grape like the thing you eat.
OP: Ha! Where is that?

Then, that odd town name sticks out to them and becomes how they remember me. I even had a professor in college that called me “Possum Grape.”

I had another professor in college who told me that he took a drive through my hometown right after I graduated. That made me smile. I gave a presentation about a photo of my hometown’s freeway exit sign in his class, and I guess he liked it.

Possum Grape, AR is so small that it doesn’t even have its own population sign. Instead, it has this sign:

See?

At one time, maybe 15 years ago, there was an old rusted sign that said the population was 80 people. That sign is gone now. The nearest town is about 4 miles away, and that population count is less than 800.

Fun Fact: It was, I kid you not, illegal to dance in the town closest to me until roughly 2006. My high school had to have prom about 20 miles away from home because of the dancing rule. So, when you think of my hometown, you can seriously compare it to a Kevin Bacon movie and be accurate.

Possum Grape was actually a really good place to grow up. I loved the rural life as a kid. I had tons of animals and got to play outside all the time. I’m sure you will hear more about it as time goes on.

One thing people usually want to know about Possum Grape is how it got its unique name. It was named after a plant that is used for making jam and wine. Speaking of names, if you visited my blog before today, you may have noticed that its name has changed. I am reinventing it to reflect a major change in my life and a new major topic that I will begin blogging about.

Are you ready for it?

I just moved from Possum Grape, Arkansas …

This is the middle of Possum Grape, AR. That little building is an old, closed grocery store that has a really cute opossum painted on the front, and to the right is a church. You can see the church’s little white sign.

To Atlanta, GA!

This is the world’s largest ferris wheel next to the world’s tallest hotel in Atlanta, GA.

As you can imagine, moving from a town called Possum Grape to the “Big Peach” is a bit of a culture shock…but in the best of ways.

Why would I make such a move? Well, aside from a lot more job opportunity…

Meet my man pet. His name is Carlton. He likes when I scratch his head while he watches TV. Even he admits that he is spoiled.

So, not only am I adjusting to living in an extremely new place, but I am adjusting to living with Carlton. He is a hoot.

Several family members, friends, past coworkers, and past students have expressed interest and excitement about my move and want to know what life will be like for this very small town girl in the big city.

Maybe sharing my experiences will show people who hope to one day live in a city what it’s really like. Maybe it will show people who have always lived in a city what it’s like adjusting to things they have always been used to. Maybe it will serve a purpose I am not yet aware of, and possibly never will be.

Whatever the ultimate purpose, I hope to share my experiences here so that everyone can see what life is like adjusting from a town with no population sign to a city of millions.  I guess you could say I am a little Possum Grape in a very Big Peach.

The Possum Grape Peach