We recently received this wonderful letter from Matt Remus who lives in DeWitt and wanted to share it with all of you.

"On December 4, 2010 I left my house in rural Dewitt for an early morning run. I often never know where my runs will take me and after the first mile I had fleshed out a route in my head. There is a small bakery in downtown Dewitt that bakes pies in the pre-dawn hours. I simply wanted to smell the pies baking. I’ve never even tasted one of these masterpieces, but they have won national awards and I have heard epic tales of their lusciousness. I fear that one bite would spawn a chaotic downward spiral of sugary bliss and rapid weight gain for me. I’m content just smelling them bake."

 "As I approached downtown from the North I eagerly awaited what was in store for me; those beautiful, glorious smells. The streets were completely void of human life. The air was still; completely without wind. I could see the bakery lights from a block or so away and expected to smell the wonderful goodness. I was now right up on the bakery, able to see people stirring inside, but still no smell. I turned the corner and headed east on Main Street past the coffee shop, thinking, if nothing else I would smell fresh brewed coffee. The shop was dark…nothing." 

"As the police station came into view I saw an officer’s cruiser parked outside, still running, the exhaust plume slowly rising in the shape of an upside-down funnel. I headed south down a walking path and crossed the Looking Glass River on a snow covered footbridge. The walking path splits beyond the bridge and I opted to head west along the river. Under the veil of darkness the river water looked like oil. Shards of light danced off the surface as the water slowly plodded along. The sections of pavement were snow free making for quiet and tranquil moments. The sections of boardwalk, covered in snow, made a certain crunching under foot bringing awareness to my relaxed pace."

"Heading north on Bridge Street I crossed the river one more time and as I looked down I could see a million ice crystals along the banks shimmering in the artificial light. Heading up the hill I thought I would at least smell bacon frying at the local diner…still nothing. I stayed on the sidewalk to allow myself to pass as close as possible to the bakery. As I approached, I got what I came for, the overwhelming smell of pies baking in an oven; cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice…the crusts browning. Just to be sure, I circled around through the alley for another dose of olfactory overload. Satisfied, I continued on toward the dark rural roads and found my way towards home."

"It ended up being a 13-mile run, but the payoff was worth every bit of the effort."