Reminiscing:

A young kid from the Midwest's Dreams

As I was on my way home from my doctors appointment yesterday Afternoon my husband and I began to talk about what we used to dream about as kids for how our lives would be. It got me to thinking and I thought I would share them with anyone out there that cares to hear.

I was born in Louisiana but luckily moved away when I was very young. I moved to Clear Lake Iowa and that is where I call home. Clear Lake is a dreamy little lake town in North Central Iowa, a stones throw away from Minnesota. Our claim to fame, besides our namesake lake, is the Surf Ballroom which was the last venue Buddy Holly performed at before his plane crashed a few miles north of town. The infamous day the music died.

But to me we were so much more than that. We were the kind of small town where just about everyone knew one another but not so much that is was stifling and everyone was in your business. It was nice because it felt like, at least as a kid, everyone cared about one another and would check in on so and so. And they knew my Step-Mom because she worked for the only Veterinarian in town and she knew all their kids etc. We all went to the football games together, even if you didn't have kids at Clear Lake or they had all grown and moved away. Everyone seemed to take pride in the community.

My Step Mom for instance was in the Lions Club and every year would sell pies for the Lions Club. It was one of my favorite times of the year because those pies were absolutely delicious.

So as a little kid I wanted to grow up and stay in Clear Lake. I wanted to spend my days stopping into Ralphenes downtown for some candles or knick-knacks for the house. Or popping off for a bike around town. Maybe stopping in at the Old Town Pump restaurant for some fried cheese curds. I wanted to spend my afternoons making Scotcheroos or Puppy Chow and taking the excess around to neighbors or friends. On a particularly chilly night making a nice tater tot hot-dish or some simple Chicken and Dumplings and listening to the wind whip sharply outside.

I wanted to do all the fun activities in town throughout the year, especially during Christmas Time downtown when the carolers and bag pipers would walk around singing and playing music, and hot apple cider and other Christmas time treats were sold for our enjoyment. I wanted to drink fruity drinks on the top deck of the Lady of the Lake, clear lakes very own working steam boat. I wanted to on a lazy Sunday afternoon go up to Culvers and get a nice Butter Burger and some Fried Cheese curds and just take in my husband or friends good company and then come back to the house and look out the window as the golden rays danced over the rustling corn stalks and the wind blew gently through the open window. In my dream I ended up buying our old house we rented on Heather Avenue.

Looking back now, at that little me, I wish I had done all those things. While I am happy that I met my husband, I wish the in between could have been different or that when we tried to go back things had not fallen apart so spectacularly. Oh how I wish I was home now, and not in the devils armpit of the Deep South. One day, the fortunes will turn.