I had a dream this morning, so real I thought I was back there in SW Ohio, in the western most Appalacian county.
I spent alot of time growing up near this little nowhere town, population peaked at 36, decades ago. I live even farther from the city now, whole nuther part of the country. I still have yet to find anyplace like this. This was where strangers were family, and you could run a tab without a second thought. This place is no longer run by the same family. Sold it off, and retired. They had the best home made doughnuts in the world. Had the perfect tiny deli. I havent lived there in 10 years or more. I visited last September, and was greeted like I had never left. Rural America, there is no substitute. Obviously, it lives in our dreams. I though I would share a peice of my childhood remembered. Good morning.

http://home.cinci.rr.com/caudills/index12.html

 

Peppy,
Thanks for sharing. I grew up in northwestern Illinois in a town considerably bigger (14,000 people) but in my neighborhood we had two small independent stores. Same kind of thing, you go to pick up a loaf of bread for mom and they would just put it on a tab. They gave out penny candy to all the kids who came buy and they treated you like family. I would ride my bike and frequently go to each store to pick up something for my mother. Often she would give my a dime to buy a soda or some pennies to buy candy for going. You just don't get that kind of friendly welcome and trust at Kroger!

 

I lived near Springfield growing up and spent much time in Southeast Ohio around Ironton at the grandfathers farm.

Best memories of childhood.

PS- I didn't know the cinncinatti area was still considered Appalacia? Learn something new every day.

 

jeffthompson,
Was that Springfield, OH or Springfield, IL that you grew up near? I currently live in Springfield, IL but spent a fair amount of time in central Ohio visiting my ex-wife's relatives.

 

i visit my family in Akeley MN about 5-6 times a year, maximum.

its a small town of 500 people, maybe even less. im there at the most 8-10 days a YEAR.

yet everytime i go, people remember me. everyone knows me as "donnies nephew" i get fast service at the bar. people just recognize me. its weird, but nice at the same time. i wish there were good paying jobs there, id move in a heartbeat i think.

 

I grew up in Urbana actually which is near Springfield...




Urbana and Springfield Ohio that is.

Had to add some suspense to my answer since I know that IL has the same city names.

My relatives still live all over the area in Central and Southern Ohio. As a matter of fact, many of my ancestors settled the Ripley Ohio area.

PS- I also lived in Decatur for a while... Decatur MI (Not IN or IL)

 

i grew up and still live in small town iowa. everyone knows everyone else and everyone's friendly. the best is that if i ever forget money or something at a store, i can just go back another day and pay up.

 

I dont consider it Appalacia either. Actually Cincinnati isnt. But Clermont County is considered Appalacia by the feds, last I heard. It reallly just amounts to fed tax dollars going to the county.

 

Try living in Montana, 2 cows, 3 elk, 9 deer, 15,000 fish, 100 acres for every person. 6 people per sqare mile. 25% are hunters, 60% are firearm owners, 4 out of every ten vehicles going down the road is a Ford truck. I can't remember what the grain numbers are right now...

 

The town I grew up in was so small that both city limit signs were on the same post. They put in a one-way street and no one could get back to town.

 

This morning I walked out of my apartment in southern california bothered by troubles and out of cigarettes.

I have been emptying the place of things I know I either won't need or see no reason to drag 2,000 miles across country when I can just replace them at the other end without worrying about how to transport them.

An old chest full of broken sets of Christmas ornaments went out this morning - not broken in pieces, but some of the original ones now long gone leaving odd numbers of them. I marked it with a felt pen on a file card I taped to it: "Free to whoever wants them. Christmas decorations. (I am moving soon)"

And I set the old trunk down outside the enclosure where the dumpster is so there would be no mistake.

When i turned around, the sun had not yet come up, the sky was gray with predawn overhead in that grey early morning southern california way. Overcast, but not overcast... just a haze.

And I sighed, because some of those christmas things reminded me of things so long ago.... And that was when I heard the songbirds.

I had just found this morning some slides taken by my parents many years ago. Some of them showed me in them wrapped in a baby blanket - just a little wrinkled up looking somebody who had no idea who he was or what was coming.

Some of the slides I looked at showed my father standing next to a YB-49 Flying Wing at an air show, and some showed small airplanes he flew across country in.


Some showed my mom the way she looked when she was younger than I am now.

Some showed old cars i dimly remember now.

Some showed places I had forgotten. I knew we lived there, but didn't remember how they looked...

And I heard the morning songbirds...

The songbirds...


No matter how old or young we are, do you realise the birds in the early, early morning always sound the same?

I wonder if that is some kind of a special reminder god gives us at times to just remind us that things are always the same. i know that it works. This morning they sounded just like they must have forty years ago when i was five years old in my fathers backyard.

And I don't know why - but right now when I am really looking hard for answers i found it really reassuring.

So long as the early morning sun rises, and the songbirds sing - surely everything will be alright.

Dunno why, but it just is.

 

I'm jellous, I grew up in North Minneapolis. For my first birthday, I was issued flack jacket! I must say, I do miss the sweet sound of the 9mm's & glock's ringing out in the middle of the night, while I slept in that old cast iron bath tub. Ahh, what fond memories.

 

When I was about 12, I used to walk 3 blocks carrying my .22 rifle to get to the hills so I could shoot. Never got a second look. Now they would probably call out the swat team.

 

I will have to agree, as I have lived all over the United States , including near the area of Sandusky , Ohio- which is beautiful as it gets. My fondest memories is of a vacation cabin my grandmother owned on the back of Bull shoals Lake- near Mountain home , Arkansas- the population was basically just us -- fishing, hunting, and nature scouting daily. Not one dysfunctional messed up person to ruin our day, and the only noise we ever heard was the occasional mountain lion at night. Boy, how lucky we had it then. I currenlty live on a remote farm in central Kansas due to work but, I am wishing that one day, even if I am 80 years old I will get back to a cabin somewhere very remote and enjoy my last days. I have been around the world and in the largest cities of the world, lived in towns , cities and villas, but there is nothing in the world as great as the simple rural area- I am selfish as I hope the majority of people stay living where they are at - so I can enjoy what they take for granted. When they said God Bless america - I think they were remembering the rural areas specifically.

 

I live in boston... in the city you get nothing but impatience and a lack of consideration from 95% of the people. This applies to driving, walking down the sidewalk, and standing in a cash register line. I live for getting out of the city, but it's mostly only on weekends that I do. If I could find work in a rural area I would move out in a heartbeat! You guys have got it right!