America's Coolest Small Towns

  

      I just read about Budget Travels "Coolest Small Town Contest".  So I had to head over to their website to check out their list.  I was rather pleased to see one town that I lived near as a young teen and at least 3 others that I have actually been to visit!  They list the populations of each place as well as tourist information.  So, hop on over there and check it out and vote for your favorite! You may be surprised to find your favorite small town among the top 10!
http://www.budgettravel.com/contest/americas-coolest-small-towns-2013,14/#candidate-detail12247

        Of course, if this sleepy little town were named among the "Coolest", it would be a rather big deal.  Everyone in town would have voted by now, and there would have been a "results party" to see who won, and the mayor would have named a street after Budget Travel..........but you'll get that in a small town.

Advice from an Old Farmer

I read this today and just had to share.

Old Farmer's Advice:

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'. 

Always drink upstream from the herd. 

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment. 

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. 

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered... not yelled. 

Meanness don't jes' happen overnight. 

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads. 

You cannot unsay a cruel word. 

Every path has a few puddles. 

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty. 

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway. 

Don't judge folks by their relatives. 

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. 

Live a good, honorable life... Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time. 

Don 't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.  

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'. 

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got. 

Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight,
he'll just kill you.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in. 

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around..

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. 

Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

*Great straight-forward common sense advice with a bit of old fashioned dry humor......but you'll get that in a small town!

Country Compassion

 

      Tragedy struck our small town this week.  A mother and her young children were headed out of town on a snowy morning and slid off the road down an embankment and struck a tree.  A three-year old boy was killed.  Our community is in mourning.  Even though many of us did not even know the family, mutual tears were shed for the family, the mother, the father, the brother. 
   A member of our close knit community has been taken away. Even in the everyday busyness, there is a somber curtain that hangs over the area.  I have heard many say that this is such a terrible time of the year to go through something like this, but any time of the year would be a terrible time to go through such a loss.
     I drove past the site of the crash today.  I could see the tire tracks and the spot where the car struck the tree.  I shed a few tears thinking of the young mother and what she must be going through. I prayed for the family and the days ahead in dealing with the loss of a young child. I thought of the rescue workers and the policemen and the images that they must be dealing with in this loss.
     I was reminded of the true compassion found in the small town way of life as our family discussed the loss yesterday.  An uncle went over to clear the snowy sidewalks in front of the home of the family that was in the car crash.  In a small town area, when you hear of a loss like this, you find what you can do to help in any way to make life easier for a time.  As he started on the walks, another man came around the corner with a shovel in his hand. Most likely no words were spoken, but they just worked there together, bearing the load of the snow and the grief.  As they worked, another man came down the lane, carrying a shovel and joined in. The news had spread like wildfire, and they needed a way to show their compassion.........but you'll get that in a small town.

Cattle Rustlers

     I take delight in the simple joys of small town living, especially the old-fashioned values and habits that still are a part of everyday life in a rural area.  I learned this week that even crime is still old fashioned in our area!  I heard a news report this morning that there were a couple of cattle rustlers caught this week.  Yes, this image is what popped into my mind:

    However, I doubt that is what the guys looked like.  They just took advantage of some unsuspecting cows.  Now, you have to understand that cows are pretty dumb animals.  They don't bark or sound an alarm if a stranger comes along.  They don't have the sheep instinct and only follow the shepherd.  If a person comes along and waves at them to move, they move.  And cows are pretty easy to care for. Just give them some room to roam and a field to graze in and they are pretty happy. Take some feed out to them in the winter time and you can leave them alone. 
     I imagine that these two cattle rustlers knew all about that and they hatched a scheme to go to some vast expanse of ranch land and take a few cows away.  It was reported that they took them immediately to the cattle auction where they sold them on the spot and took off with the profit!
     I have been to the cattle auction  a few times in my life.  It looks somewhat like a small amphitheater with steps/seats slanting up three sides of the room. There is a very strong odor of cigarette smoke, leather and of course, cow manure.  In the front of the seating area is a flat floor surrounded by cattle fence and off to one side, an elevated spot where the auctioneer can stand. A door opens and several very scared looking cattle charge in. The floor is a giant scale, so you look up on the wall and there is a "score board" stating the weight of the lot and average weight of each cow.  The auctioneer will name the rancher who is selling them and the type of cows that they are. He will then proceed to auction them off.  I learned quickly to sit very still and not to make a move or I might be the owner of thousands of pounds of hamburger.  These rustlers had to know what they were doing.  Each seller receives a check for the cattle that they sell that day. 
     Cattle rustlers are the reason that cowboys at one time branded their cattle.  They would brand them with the symbol of their ranch to prevent this kind of crime.  The ranch symbol was burned into the flesh of the animal making a permanent mark declaring who the owner was.  Then if the thief attempted to sell it, the buyer could beware of who they were really buying from!  Maybe the cattle ranchers in our area should consider going back to branding their cattle again!
     The news report mentioned that the rustlers were caught.  No doubt the sheriff rounded up his posse, hunted the culprits down and threw them in the hoosegow..............but you'll get that in a small town!
 

Redneck Grammar

     I saw this in our local want ad paper that comes out once a week. It is a collection of for sale and want ads that appeal mostly to the male population. My husband picks it up at the local parts store every week.  He loves searching through it for some bargain he thinks he could fix up and make it worth a whole lot more than he paid for it. It is humorous to peruse and see all the ads for guns, pickups and hunting dogs.
     Below is an ad that caught my eye. It is from a local specialty gun shop.  Can you spot the two mistakes?

      
     Now, if I would have mentioned the title of this post in our area ("Redneck Grammar"), someone may have thought I was referring to his granny who lives out in the sticks and rarely comes to town. But, no, I'm talking about good old fashioned spelling and pronunciation...and you don't always get that in a small town!

Only in the Country #3

     As my family was driving across Iowa yesterday we saw an amazing, stop-the-car-and-take-a-picture sight. It was a rather large group of bald eagles feasting on what looked like a deer carcass.

 

There is something about seeing an eagle that makes me feel so patriotic, and seeing a whole flock of them together was just such a great sight. I kept telling my kids that they would probably never see anything like this again in their lives.

 

 

We did a little research today and discovered that a grouping of eagles is officially titled a "convocation". 

 

 

 

When we had first stopped, we counted about 30 of them gathered there. The highway traffic didn't seem to bother them.  The longer we watched, the less there seemed to be.

 

 As the meat disappeared, so did the convocation.............but you'll get that in a small town.

 

Culture Clash

Two cultures came to a head this morning in our sleepy little town. 

'Wonder what they're saying?

 

 

"Is this how it goes up, Elmer?"

   

"Yah, dat so, Amos"

 

 

"Here we go!"

 

"Whoa, ain't never been this high up before!"

 

"Careful there, Elmer, there be a truck coming."

 

 

"I think we got the hang of it!"

 

 

 





"Do yah tink the bishop'd let us get one of these here contraptions?"

"Nah, Amos, it be too worldly."

 

.....but you'll get that in a small town.