Unbelievable quiet

By Kathi Sprau: I was working on the Kirkwood Cedar Rapids campus. We in the printshop listened to the events unfold on the radio. Between the jobs we were doing, we listened as the towers went down. Over and over!

When I left work, I hardly remember the drive home to Monticello. I listened to the radio. It was all the news.

My husband and I got together with a friend at the Prairieburg Bar and Grill to, of all things, celebrate his birthday. We sat in the booth looking out at the traffic.

Yes, traffic! In Prairieburg! Of all things! There was a gas line -- people lining up to get gas, from both directions. In Prairieburg! Yes, we had heard there were gas lines. I saw it myself in Cedar Rapids, but never, under any circumstances, thought to see it in Prairieburg.

Then, the next day, back to work in Cedar Rapids. During a break outside, we noticed the quiet -- unbelievably quiet. Even the car traffic from Highway 30 was quieter. We had heard the trains were stopped and the air traffic grounded. But until you really stop and listened ... quiet ... unbelievable quiet.