Rediscovering our Flyover Territory Roots

My week in Packers' Fly Over Land has been an experience, actually several experiences. In my mind, I am having a geographic shift experience underneath a continuum of visiting with family relative experiences.

The shift is more about social than physical geography, no matter how cool it feels to walk through fertile green woods in the summer. I walked out to picnic point, possibly the most beautiful summer afternoon in scrubby Midwestern woods I can remember, with stands of soft green grasses, leafy trees showing the first hint of gold, lakeside cattail marshes, and young students walking hand in hand. Not a single mosquito, seriously.

I have been seeing examples of that "everyone in the Midwest is nicer" meme. It's a hackneyed stereotype, but here in Madison, it appears to hold true. A grocery store clerk stopped in her tracks to spend about five minutes helping an older woman choose a bottle of juice, while discussing children, the weather, etc. My eyes moistened a bit at such kindness.
When in Madison, shop at Metcalf's Sentry, so say I.

Several days of intense family encounters. In addition to staying with sister, brudderinlaw, and parents, One aunt and cousin were simultaneously visiting from LA. Aunt, cousin and I visited my Uncle Dan, whom I have not seen in close to twenty years. With everything a person goes through in so many years, my heart sang (quietly, thank goodness) to see the same old uncle Dan personality of the olden days. Tuesday we had lunch with about twenty various relatives in Appleton. This was the best visit I could have possibly imagined, but not much grist for the blog. No resentments, no growling, no one showing up drunk, no bragging, no shouting, no fisticuffs, and even the kids were perfect. Not the slightest blogworthy scandal.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.