I was looking at the front bedroom of my husband's grandparents home today and grandpa told me that the painting on the wall was special. He explained that it was a painting that my husband's mother, Cathy, insisted on buying when she was young. He said that you just don't get rid of stuff like that. I nodded and thought of what I hang onto from my sister, from my grandpa, and from my grandma, who, like Cathy, left to go on to be with God.
Currently I am wearing a pair of pants that my sister used to wear in warm-ups for basketball. I keep a keychain that my grandpa Ross gave me before he died in my drawer, as I have for the past 25 years. I have a whole assortment of stuff from my Hurst grandparent's house and can't imagine giving it away. Oddly enough, even my dog reminds me of my grandma, since she went with me to adopt him in 2008. I could never get rid of him and the thought of him dying one day will be like grandma dying all over again.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
October 29, 2013 - How Did I End Up Here?
In a strange turn of events, our house hunting adventure has ended us about a half mile from where we currently rent. We have had our realtor drive all over the Southern portion of the county looking at all sorts of unacceptable housing situations. We even had a purchase pending inspection, but the inspection revealed some things that the seller wouldn't fix. It could be fate or the providence of God that the house we are going to buy is one that my husband has talked about from the second date we went on and is currently owned by his grandparents.
This home isn't ideal for us long-term, but we can make it work for the next few years and not break our bank. It is in great shape for an old home and includes the woodshop that my husband has drooled over and worked with his grandfather in for the past decade or so. We are next to many family members and still in the school district that we want to be in. It is a win. Or, rather, a WIN.
The school district is South Putnam, where both my husband and I graduated from and spent most of our elementary days. Funny thing is, I just spent a couple hours today volunteering with the girls basketball team. Guess who the head coach is this year? MY OLD COACH.
Sometimes things just come full circle and slap you silly in the head. The house that my son's namesake has lived in for my husbands entire life... and now a team that wears a uniform and playing a game that meant so much to me becoming who I am.
This home isn't ideal for us long-term, but we can make it work for the next few years and not break our bank. It is in great shape for an old home and includes the woodshop that my husband has drooled over and worked with his grandfather in for the past decade or so. We are next to many family members and still in the school district that we want to be in. It is a win. Or, rather, a WIN.
The school district is South Putnam, where both my husband and I graduated from and spent most of our elementary days. Funny thing is, I just spent a couple hours today volunteering with the girls basketball team. Guess who the head coach is this year? MY OLD COACH.
Sometimes things just come full circle and slap you silly in the head. The house that my son's namesake has lived in for my husbands entire life... and now a team that wears a uniform and playing a game that meant so much to me becoming who I am.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
October 15, 2013 - Hoosier Hospitality
I have traveled to Cleveland and back twice in the past two weeks. Both times I traveled by airplane and stayed overnight in a hotel. During those times, I was able to interact with many people in the hospitality industry. Most everyone is nice and polite. They all smile when you talk to them and I always have pleasant experiences. I met a man at the airport tonight who lived in Brownsburg and chatted my ear off for about half an hour while we waited for the plane to board. People who are from Indiana and going back to Indiana will talk to me, but if they are from the East Coast and traveling to Indy, typically the only thing that is exchanged are pleasantries.
When I arrived back in Indianapolis tonight, the man who was driving the shuttle bus to take me to my car reminded me that people in Indiana really do know how to be hospitable. The man had a whole shuttle full of people, including a screaming baby, and he was explaining in detail how to get to your can and which stops were for which areas of the parking lot. He also made sure that we all knew that if our car battery was dead or we couldn't find our vehicle that we just needed to flag down a shuttle and they had a van that would come help us out.
This made a few people look surprised, and I remarked " I bet most places just tell you to use your cell phone and figure it out." The people around me nodded in agreement.
It made my night to come home to Indiana and be greeted by a man who you could tell really took pride in his job and our safety.
In all my travels, people here at home and people in the smaller communities in the South tend to treat people the best. I know that there are exceptions everywhere, but generally I like that in Indiana no one is ever a stranger.
When I arrived back in Indianapolis tonight, the man who was driving the shuttle bus to take me to my car reminded me that people in Indiana really do know how to be hospitable. The man had a whole shuttle full of people, including a screaming baby, and he was explaining in detail how to get to your can and which stops were for which areas of the parking lot. He also made sure that we all knew that if our car battery was dead or we couldn't find our vehicle that we just needed to flag down a shuttle and they had a van that would come help us out.
This made a few people look surprised, and I remarked " I bet most places just tell you to use your cell phone and figure it out." The people around me nodded in agreement.
It made my night to come home to Indiana and be greeted by a man who you could tell really took pride in his job and our safety.
In all my travels, people here at home and people in the smaller communities in the South tend to treat people the best. I know that there are exceptions everywhere, but generally I like that in Indiana no one is ever a stranger.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
October 3, 2013 - Relationships Anew
One of the funny parts about us returning home to live is that we know people and they know us, but we don't really know many people and they don't really know us. I sit with people and I reflect on how during the past 17 years, I have lived away from here and they have no idea what I was up to. I think about how I also have no idea what they were up to, but I know they lived here so I think I have an idea. Just like I bet they think they know basically what I did when I lived in Indianapolis, Bloomington, West Lafayette, and Cleveland.
I consider how different my experiences were from what they would have been if I had stayed around here. Sometimes I feel like I lost ten or so years of my life somewhere. Thankfully, I am in a place where the next ten are poised to be very rich and full of life.
I consider how different my experiences were from what they would have been if I had stayed around here. Sometimes I feel like I lost ten or so years of my life somewhere. Thankfully, I am in a place where the next ten are poised to be very rich and full of life.
October 2, 2013 - Transplants
I think I can write this without sounding like a hypocrite. I have had a few encounters with people who are "transplants" to Putnam County in the past few months, mostly thanks to doing some house shopping with Jana Brothers and trying my hand at doing "mommy" things in the community. While a lot of people are descended from people who have lived here for generations, there are quite a few who have moved here to flee something. Some people come for an escape from the city life, the suburban monotony, the big box stores, etc... Some people come here to escape people in their old communities who were not good influences. Then there are others who come here because they think that somehow this setting will turn their family into an honest, upright, and honorable one with little or no work on their part. Mostly people come because the culture here is laid back and you can do what you want on your land.
I feel bad for some of the folks who have moved in because all of us who grew up here KNOW that they aren't from here. I can't imagine how long it takes a person to decipher all the Putnam County slang and conversations about people and events that you would only know if you grew up here.
I also sense that there has been quite a few people who have moved here, expecting a quiet country life where you mind your own business and found that everyone knows everyone else's business
I am a boomerang, not a transplant. I came back because I value what I had growing up here and want to offer that for my kids. I hope that I am inviting to those who have been transplanted here and they never feel too out of the loop when I am in conversation with other natives around them.
I feel bad for some of the folks who have moved in because all of us who grew up here KNOW that they aren't from here. I can't imagine how long it takes a person to decipher all the Putnam County slang and conversations about people and events that you would only know if you grew up here.
I also sense that there has been quite a few people who have moved here, expecting a quiet country life where you mind your own business and found that everyone knows everyone else's business
I am a boomerang, not a transplant. I came back because I value what I had growing up here and want to offer that for my kids. I hope that I am inviting to those who have been transplanted here and they never feel too out of the loop when I am in conversation with other natives around them.
October 1, 2013 - Starbucks
Full Disclosure: I worked at Starbucks for about a year and a half when I didn't have a teaching job. I loved working there until I got fed up with the customer always being right and the company not recycling anything. Since my employment there, I have continued to be a sporadic customer when I could afford to. Mainly I use them for two services: Internet and great water.
I have a huge jug that I always keep in my car and I fill it with water whenever I am near a Starbucks. They have some of the best water in the world at all of their stores because they use a high dollar water purification system that keeps the coffee consistent. The ice is run through the same process, so ice water is amazing from Starbucks. They don't charge me and I tend to only fill my mug at places where I also get a drink now and then so I don't look like a total mooch. At least I bring my own cup. Some of the people just walk in and ask for a water without providing a cup or buying anything, which I never do.
The arrival of a Starbucks in Greencastle last year was great for this town. It is on the courthouse square, which needed a revival store to keep the vitality of the square going, and is attached to the Depauw bookstore. So far it has survived and looks to be busy most of the time. DePauw underwrites it, so even if it was losing money I think the university understands that parents and students expect there to be a Starbucks in a university town now a days.
The other aspect of it that I find helpful and actually has made my life easier is that I can count on the internet to be great at a Starbucks. Sometimes I have done work on my phone while my husband drives and then pulled off at an exit where there was a Starbucks so that I could do a video meeting. Sometimes I work at the Greencastle Starbucks for a while after dropping off my son just to get out of the house. I did the same thing in North Olmsted.
I remember that when I worked for Starbucks, there was a lot of talk about making the store the "second place" for our customers. Meaning that the local coffee shop is meant to be a gathering place and spot for people to feel welcome and almost at home. I think that the Greencastle Starbucks is starting to achieve that second place feel.
I have a huge jug that I always keep in my car and I fill it with water whenever I am near a Starbucks. They have some of the best water in the world at all of their stores because they use a high dollar water purification system that keeps the coffee consistent. The ice is run through the same process, so ice water is amazing from Starbucks. They don't charge me and I tend to only fill my mug at places where I also get a drink now and then so I don't look like a total mooch. At least I bring my own cup. Some of the people just walk in and ask for a water without providing a cup or buying anything, which I never do.
The arrival of a Starbucks in Greencastle last year was great for this town. It is on the courthouse square, which needed a revival store to keep the vitality of the square going, and is attached to the Depauw bookstore. So far it has survived and looks to be busy most of the time. DePauw underwrites it, so even if it was losing money I think the university understands that parents and students expect there to be a Starbucks in a university town now a days.
The other aspect of it that I find helpful and actually has made my life easier is that I can count on the internet to be great at a Starbucks. Sometimes I have done work on my phone while my husband drives and then pulled off at an exit where there was a Starbucks so that I could do a video meeting. Sometimes I work at the Greencastle Starbucks for a while after dropping off my son just to get out of the house. I did the same thing in North Olmsted.
I remember that when I worked for Starbucks, there was a lot of talk about making the store the "second place" for our customers. Meaning that the local coffee shop is meant to be a gathering place and spot for people to feel welcome and almost at home. I think that the Greencastle Starbucks is starting to achieve that second place feel.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
September 30, 2013 - Sounds
One misconception about living in a rural area is that it is quiet. It isn't. The sounds of a city aren't here, but the sounds of an agricultural industry abound. During the spring, the sounds are mostly of tractors working in the field, of livestock being born, and of all sizes of mowers getting revved up. During the summer, the noise dies down, but in the fall it starts up again. Harvest time means that lots of combines and grain dryer sounds are all around. Sometimes the dryer sounds pop up throughout the year.
Over all of this noise, especially on clear days, you can hear the hum of the ethanol plant. Living in a community that is agriculturally based is living in a community of industry. It isn't much different than living next to a factory, except that you have plants and animals instead of huge buildings.
Over all of this noise, especially on clear days, you can hear the hum of the ethanol plant. Living in a community that is agriculturally based is living in a community of industry. It isn't much different than living next to a factory, except that you have plants and animals instead of huge buildings.
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