Country Welcome

   Can you see it?  That sign that makes young and old alike feel welcome? 

Better duck, he's probably already got his rifle ready...........but you'll get that in a small town!

It's Official

     We have officially declared the arrival of spring in our neck of the woods.  However, we don't look for the usual signs of spring.  We know that when we see a robin, it only means that the little critters have made the trek back home.  We saw robins months ago, and consequently, they had to trudge around in the snow like the rest of us.
     My dad used to tell us that when you first smell a skunk, that is the first sign that spring has arrived, but I saw one (and smelled it) along the highway awhile ago, and it sure didn't feel like spring outside.  In fact, we had another foot of snow a week later.
     I used to think that when I heard thunder from a storm, then, that was the sure sign that spring had arrived. Well, we had something very unusual this year, thunder snow.  Weird..........and very deceiving.
     We heard the reports from the far away country of Punxsutawney that spring was supposed to arrive early this year.  Yeah, we wanted to skin us some groundhog, too.
      No, I saw it just the other day. The first, real, sure sign that spring has arrived:

     Yep, it's official! Spring has arrived. It has finally become warm enough that the tractors have been pulled out of the sheds, the farmers have emerged from their hibernation and the fields are buzzing with activity.

  

     Can you smell it? Inhale deeply and drink in that fresh scent of newly turned up soil mingled with the essence of diesel and anhydrous ammonia.  If you bottled it, you could probably sell it and call it "eau d' tractor".  Ahhh, spring has officially arrived...........but you'll get that  in a small town.

Small Town History

     I love history.  Seeing artifacts from another era and hearing the stories behind them is one of my favorite pastimes.  Being able to hold something that was significant to someone 100 years ago and wonder how it affected their life is such a joy to me.  So, when  my husband and I were remodeling our 100+ year old home and found some artifacts in the wall, we were excited.
     One of my favorite items is this book.  It was perfectly preserved in the wall.  It amazes me that it is almost 100 years old.

   

     I love to look through it and peruse the pictures.  It is so fascinating to see what things were like back in those days.

       It's neat to think that this tiny town was once considered a booming metropolis, big enough to have a high school where students could come and stay in dorms. In the opening pages of the bulletin, Kahoka is described as: "..a population of more than 1800 people...  'Queen of the prairie'...graced by an unusual number of prosperous business enterprises....such as the Missouri Condensed Milk Co.......".   Wow, that's about what the population is now!  I have heard that our little town even had a piano factory at one time!

   The school held all grade levels through high school.  The lists of alumni show approximately 8-10 graduates each year.  They list such activities and classes as: Rhetoric, Ancient history, Algebra, Biology, Latin, German, Bookkeeping, and of course, Agriculture.  They also list supplies each student needed for each grade, such items as pencils, paper, certain textbooks, and most importantly, one drinking cup.

     They even had an athletics program. This is a picture of their basketball team.  My, how times have changed!!

     Our small town is rich in history. There is one lady in our town who is the queen of Kahoka when it comes to its history. She has dedicated her time to collecting artifacts and data about the history of our little town.  She owns a store front on the square and changes the window display often to show the many antiques, vintage clothing and memorabilia she has.

      I was driving through a neighboring town recently and saw this:

      Such a tiny little building.  What could it possibly house?

Such a tiny little building, smaller than most bathrooms today, but just enough room to show the artifacts and memories of a people who love their town.  The building is sufficient for the memorabilia, but way too small to hold the town's pride...............but you'll get that in a small town.