The Back Porch: You don’t need a big city to have fun; just creativity

April 11, 2008 03:04 pm

— On one of our road trips to visit a college in northwest Iowa that middle-daughter Stephanie was considering, Stephanie, Mike and I were crammed in a small music room with 50 other future college freshmen and their parents to, in part, listen to three current college students tell us why they were thrilled with the choice they made to go to this college.
After the director of admissions posed his leading questions to the current students, he opened it up for audience questions. One of the first inquiries came from a prospective student who was obviously used to big city life. She smugly asked, “What do you do around here for fun?” Everyone laughed. Although this Dutch farming community advertises itself as growing, population of 5,600 doesn’t exactly equate a boomtown.
“I grew up here,” the first young man on the panel said without apology. “It may look like there’s nothing to do, but Wal-Mart and Perkins are open 24-hours, so pie runs at 3 a.m. are always an exciting option.”
The student to his right said, “I’m from Chicago, and although northwest Iowa isn’t metropolitan, we have a lot of fun doing crazy stuff that we come up with on our own.”
Viva, Las Vegas! Welcome to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – the “Venice of America”! I Love New York! These places and others may be America’s playground with neon lights and umpteen nightlife options, but that doesn’t mean Small Town, U.S.A., is ho-hum. That holds especially true if you have creative friends or the privilege of being married to a spouse with a vivid imagination.
Last Saturday night, we went out on the town with two of our daughters. It was a crazy night — a G-rated movie, a trip through the McDonalds’ drive-through and stocking up on soap and shampoo at Target. After paying for our Target items, I said, “Mike, I’ve got to show you the furniture that I’d like for the front porch.” With nothing pressing us for time, he agreed. The girls headed to the car with our purchases, and I lead Mike to the outdoor furniture display in the far corner of the store.
“What do you think?” I said pointing to the wicker love seat that was stacked three high.
“It doesn’t look too bad,” he said. “But how does it sit?”
I pulled the top love seat off the pile and set it on the floor. We sat down and I put my arm around his shoulders, and said, “Pretend that we’re sitting on our front porch. Do you see the field? Do you see the lush green grass that needs to be mowed again?”
Within seconds Mike swatted at something in front of his nose.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Darn bugs,” he said. I laughed.
He continued, sniffing the air, “Kinda smells doesn’t it? Kind of smells like pigs.”
“Never fails,” I said. “As soon as we decide to sit out here the wind switches direction.”
Laughing, we left without our love seat. In early spring with no bugs to be found yet, there’s no sense in getting a chair. Where’s the fun?
Small town fun is a Garrison Keillor, Lake Wobegon specialty. This man appreciates rural life, and I appreciate his wit and wisdom. Keillor writes, “Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough.”
With a little effort, imagination and an entertaining spouse, there’s always fun to be had and a good life to love whether you live in midwest Minnesota, northwest Iowa, Lake Wobegon, or the place that you call home.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.