Sometimes our best-laid plans don’t work out. We have to re-vamp and try again. That’s how I ended up living the dream in farm country. This is my story.
The novelty of living in the small town I grew up in has worn off. I almost don't want to leave the house anymore. You see here in my small town there is a strange phenomenon. (It actually isn't that strange, I'm sure it happens in small towns everywhere.) It is a proven fact that you cannot go to the grocery store or the local Walmart without running into at least one person you know. When that person is someone you really care about it's great. When it's someone who you don't really know, but who happens to know your parents it just starts to get awkward.
The problem is that people in small towns are bored, so they feel it is their civic duty to talk to every person in the store they know and ask lots of questions about their lives. This is not always bad, but when you've landed back in town so you can chill out in the southeast corner of you parents estate, it can become tiresome to tell everyone in town about the fact that your life feels like a failure. I don't want to tell my whole life story to a bunch of people I don't really know just because they happen to know my parents!
So, I've made it a goal to make it in and out of the grocery store without having to talk to someone I know. I almost made it the other day. I was literally all the way to my truck when someone called my name. It was my uncle...who doesn't even live in this State...he had just arrived in town to visit my grandma. *Sigh* Better luck next trip.
The 4th of July is always an exciting time in my town. We have a very wide main street that is home to the fabulous 4th of July Parade. Fabulous may not be the best word. The number of floats in the parade has dropped drastically in recent years. (I think there were two this year.) I go to watch the High School Marching Band (I am a VERY proud former member), the Ray's Carwash boys and to get my free carton of chocolate milk. The Marching Band was wonderful and the the Ray's Carwash boys brought a fabulously choreographed dance routine providing the usual relief needed after the approximately 20 poorly drilled drill teams and cheerleading squads. I waited patiently through the endless stream of old cars and tractors, but was disappointed when I was not given my free chocolate milk. (I guess business must be slow for the local dairy.)
After the parade we ate a nice lunch on the picnic table outside and roasted some hotdogs in the fire pit. My sister had made some very yummy looking chocolate peanut butter rice crispy treats. Somehow the recipe had gone awry and we were practically breaking our teeth trying to eat them. (Literally in grandma's case.)
Later that afternoon we drove 15 miles to the a small manmade lake. (A favorite family location.) We swam around a bit and took the old green canoe out for a spin. Since my last visit, the city has installed a fun slide. My sister and I convinced Dad to go down the slide with us. I will forever have etched in my mind the picture of my dad sliding down that ridiculous slide.
All in all, it was a wonderful day with my family. I am so grateful to live in a country where all these activities are can be enjoyed.
