Small Town America

I am sitting here tonight, not really wanting to watch TV, not quite ready to go to bed, and I have so many things that I really NEED to start doing, that I have no desire to even think much about doing them. Is that a bad attitude? Am I unusual in wanting to avoid thinking of a long list of Chores? They will all get done, because they have to get done, but I just don't want to do any of them tonight.

So I have been reading some of Mom and Janet's blog posts. ( That's my oldest sister, for those not familiar with the Wahlquist clan). I enjoy reading them to see what memories of my youth come into print. If you want to check these out, they are found at www.Barbsbabblings.blogspot.com and .......... darn it, I can't remember the URL for Janet's. You can link to it in blogs I follow at the side of this post.

I didn't really come into this with a specific idea, but I was reading Mom's post about family get- togethers in Utah, and her growing up in Missouri, and it kind of got me thinking about the places I have lived.

I can't really say I grew up in small town America, because Bakersfield CA is only pushing the 400 K population mark. It hovered around 250-350 K during the years I was there, but that didn't include all of the unincorporated areas that might be described as "suburbs". We lived kind of out on the East side of town, away from the hustle and bustle of downtown and industry, and so in many ways, it felt much like a "small town" to me.

Of course, Hollywood tried to help reinforce that small town image. Any time Bakersfield gets mentioned in movies or TV shows, and it frequently does, it is mentioned in such a way as to paint it as a small (even "hick-) town somewhere removed from LA, and the other major cities of California. It's about 2 hours north of LA

I was okay with that. I liked growing up in Bakersfield. Those who still live there may not be seeing this yet, but if you do at some point, know that there are things that only Bakersfielders understand. For example, the idea that you might drive around a major parking lot for 15 minutes to get the shady spot under the tree at the far end of the parking lot. That leather seats are not always considered a luxury, especially in July, but that Vinyl seats can be considered cruel and unusual punishment in that same month.

That it is not only possible, but highly likely that you will go for years without seeing any water under the bridges that span the Kern River, as it goes through town. That Kern County Fair will beat nearly every state fair in the country for rides, crowds, celebrity appearances, and exhibits. Man I miss the Kern County Fair!

Well, I moved from "small town Bakersfield", and went to Utah to attend BYU. Provo is not really a small town, but it was always going to be a temporary stay. After spending our first year out of college together in Bakersfield, where did we end up? Small town Utah. Payson boasted about 15,000, and we enjoyed 7 good years. We had lots of space, I was not afraid to let the kids ride bikes down the streets, and Our back yard was laid out in such a way that we only saw the mountains out our back windows. We even had a "creek" running through the back end of our lot, in a place that was such that you could not see any of our neighbors' houses. Space for a small fruit orchard ( 12 trees), and a large garden. Not a bad way to live.

Then the crazy move to Arkansas. Many of the family remember the whirlwind of that summer we decided to move out here to become chicken farmers. It all happened in a few short weeks. We felt totally prompted to make the move, and we really felt like our circumstances were blessed to help the transition be smooth. Then we got here, and our faith was tested over and over. Long stories for another time. These tests, I feel, were to prove to us that we still felt the prompting to be here. In spite of all the trials of that first and second year, (some that had me threatening quietly to pack the family into our car and figure out belongings later), we still knew that we belonged in small town Arkansas.

And I mean small town!! Drasco has a whopping population of about 200. And we are spread out enough that many of us have 1/4 mile or more between neighbors. And you know, I really enjoy the solitude and the simplicity. Not ease, just simplicity. There is something therapeutic about cutting down 2 acres of hardwood forest to create a "homestead". About knowing that I know nearly everyone that comes down our road, as long as I know the neighbor's children. About knowing my childrens' teachers and where they live and who they are because I know several generations of their family. About knowing that I can find solitude and quiet in the trees, if ever life gets too "noisy".

Our town is not backwoods, our life is not deprived of niceties, but we are also pretty self-sufficient. When times get tough, I'd much rather be in small town America. It is called "Heart-land" for a reason. It still shows the true "Heart" of what this country is all about: Opportunity, growth, friendship, hard work, and ingenuity.