In 1993 my family moved to a tiny town in the heart of Minnesota farm country. I loved it there. I loved that tiny town. Our first house there was a huge, 100 year old, 3500 sq ft 3 story with 6 bedrooms and a "parlor". I love the house. Not past tense, but present tense because I still love it. Although it needed a lot of work, the house held so much.
I loved that the first few years we were there, mail was not delivered door to door. Instead everyone "in town" would walk to the post office to get their mail. It is where everyone went to get the daily news (or gossip. LOL) I loved that one block away was my best friend Joanie, and across the street from her the town pool were my boys learned to swim.
The town water tower was just above our house. I'll never forget when the new tower went up, and as the company painted it they left out an "r" in Prairie. I caught a picture of it before they were able to repaint it. I loved that just outside of town lived my sister and her family. We often got all the kids together for a game of softball at the ballpark, or sledding parties during the winter.
The only thing the house was lacking was acreage. Although it was on a very large corner lot, I wanted to be out in the country.
In 2000 we sold the house (and the new owners promptly did all the things we'd wanted to do!) and bought a small, 10 acre hobby farm just outside of town. The house was ok, the property was ok, but it is the house where my already weak marriage fell apart. The house itself doesn't bring great memories. What does hold great memories is the space the boys had to just be boys. Riding dirt bikes, learning to drive a car, my chickens and large garden, the neighbors I was very close to. We still lived very close to my friends and family, and the grocery store was just a few minutes away. I loved being out in the country, away from everything and yet it was all still so close. I loved it so much, probably because I grew up in a similar environment. I still missed that big old house in town.
By March of 2002, my marriage had finally disintegrated to the point of no return and the kids and I had moved into an apartment in a neighboring town. Then to another town even further away in the school district I was working for. In August of 2003 I met Dean, and in 2004 we moved 70 miles away to join Dean.
We have a beautiful home here. Dean and I have worked hard to make it the way we like it, and still have things we want to do to the house. We live in a secluded area which is just how we like it. Most of Dean's family live within a few miles of us and we get together often. I adore Dean's family and they have welcomed all of the kids with open arms.
But I'm missing some things. I'm missing walking to the post office or taking a stroll to the grocery store just for a gallon of milk. I miss evening strolls on those quiet streets. I'm missing the hardware store, and the bank where the kids would walk to get a free ice-cream cone during Dairy days. I'm missing the school where all my kids walked to, even when we were frozen under three feet of snow. (but if it was really bad I'd drive them.) I miss the town festival and the excitement it held for the kids as they watched the carnival roll into town. I miss the little town pool and playground. I'm missing my good friends. I'm missing having my family nearby.
I miss...I miss a lot of things about that town.
I loved that the first few years we were there, mail was not delivered door to door. Instead everyone "in town" would walk to the post office to get their mail. It is where everyone went to get the daily news (or gossip. LOL) I loved that one block away was my best friend Joanie, and across the street from her the town pool were my boys learned to swim.
The town water tower was just above our house. I'll never forget when the new tower went up, and as the company painted it they left out an "r" in Prairie. I caught a picture of it before they were able to repaint it. I loved that just outside of town lived my sister and her family. We often got all the kids together for a game of softball at the ballpark, or sledding parties during the winter.
The only thing the house was lacking was acreage. Although it was on a very large corner lot, I wanted to be out in the country.
In 2000 we sold the house (and the new owners promptly did all the things we'd wanted to do!) and bought a small, 10 acre hobby farm just outside of town. The house was ok, the property was ok, but it is the house where my already weak marriage fell apart. The house itself doesn't bring great memories. What does hold great memories is the space the boys had to just be boys. Riding dirt bikes, learning to drive a car, my chickens and large garden, the neighbors I was very close to. We still lived very close to my friends and family, and the grocery store was just a few minutes away. I loved being out in the country, away from everything and yet it was all still so close. I loved it so much, probably because I grew up in a similar environment. I still missed that big old house in town.
By March of 2002, my marriage had finally disintegrated to the point of no return and the kids and I had moved into an apartment in a neighboring town. Then to another town even further away in the school district I was working for. In August of 2003 I met Dean, and in 2004 we moved 70 miles away to join Dean.
We have a beautiful home here. Dean and I have worked hard to make it the way we like it, and still have things we want to do to the house. We live in a secluded area which is just how we like it. Most of Dean's family live within a few miles of us and we get together often. I adore Dean's family and they have welcomed all of the kids with open arms.
But I'm missing some things. I'm missing walking to the post office or taking a stroll to the grocery store just for a gallon of milk. I miss evening strolls on those quiet streets. I'm missing the hardware store, and the bank where the kids would walk to get a free ice-cream cone during Dairy days. I'm missing the school where all my kids walked to, even when we were frozen under three feet of snow. (but if it was really bad I'd drive them.) I miss the town festival and the excitement it held for the kids as they watched the carnival roll into town. I miss the little town pool and playground. I'm missing my good friends. I'm missing having my family nearby.
I miss...I miss a lot of things about that town.
Reading this particular blog entry gives me a better appreciation of the picturesque village I live near in SE Ohio and my childhood home outside of Commercial Point Ohio. Both villages are so similar and everyone knows their neighbors. Commercial Point has grown in size but it's still a small town and community is still Part of everyday life.
ReplyDeleteThe small town your boys were raised in sounds delightful and a safe place to live.
I was just telling my husband it's holidays like the 4th that make me miss my small hometown. being able to walk to main street to see the parade or the fireworks. to go get ice cream or go to the park. having to drive everywhere kind of stinks sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI live in in a small town like this. I hated it when I was younger but now that I have kids I see what it really has to offer!
ReplyDelete