THE VISITOR FROM CHICAGO

NO JUNK MAIL

by James R. von Feldt

September 16, 2021

Lots of clean up to do this last week after the Corn Show. Had a very good showing - big crowds especially on Saturday. Another Corn Showdown, as they say. It was a success any way you put it. Lots of family groups sitting and gabbing, kids playing and all that. The music was especially good this year. And the baby contest: they were all winners.

Sheriff Davis was at the pie auction. Our mayor was doing the honors and raised a chuckle with his brand of auctioneering. The Tractor Pull event was the highlight once again. Lots of noise with heavy equipment roaring and throwing up dirt.

Dinners prepared by our EMS group and the local Mennonite church were superb.

And now, cleanup begins. With lots of hands, it will be done by Monday. Some of us start working on it Sunday afternoon but it’s all done and things are ship-shape by noon the next day.

You learn all kinds of stuff if you’re listening at the Corn Show. Jason Meyers told me about the baby deer that his dogs adopted on the farm last spring. He said it was right there, in with the dogs playing and such. Said it was acting just like the dogs. Tragically it got hit by a car on the road in front of his place.

Larry Desmon was with his family reunion over in the tent they brought. He and his wife Beth showed pictures they took of a trip this summer to Santa Fe New Mexico. They went from shop to shop taking pictures of the artwork they sell there. I didn’t know Santa Fey had such a big art community. The pictures were fabulous; drew a big crowd once it got started. Larry also told me about their camping experiences in the Federal Forest a few miles north of Santa Fe on highway 475. They hiked the Rocky Mountains going to Lake Peak, which is quite an accomplishment. I’ve been on that road going to the Ski Santa Fe lodge. My son skied that mountain a few years back - we went with him; beautiful country, mountains and all. The Iowa flat-landers were impressed.

Nathan Miller described how he found an antique Massey-Harris 30 in the old Rupe barn years ago, bought it, and finally got it running. It’s painted like new. Drove it in the parade this year. The saga included getting used parts from England. It took years. What patience. What a story.

The Pain farm won the blue ribbon for the best corn this year. You could see the entrant’s corn showing in the old Rail Road Terminal building which has been moved onto the park grounds and renovated. In the same building, you will find pictures of the graduates and their teachers from the old local high school. The pictures go back a long, long way. The last graduating class was in the ’50s.

I was ambling around the park Saturday evening when I noticed a family that was kind of gathered close; a man, his wife, and three kids, the oldest one, a boy, maybe fourteen. They looked a bit out of place and not joining in the conversations so I ambled over to introduce myself. Turned out they were from Chicago and are in the process of looking for a small town to move to. They were driving through and noticed the celebration and thought it would be fun to experience.

Jan Duda introduced himself, Zofia his wife, and three children. His English was good but he had a bit of an accent. Once I got the gest of their situation, I took it upon myself to introduce them around. Eventually, we passed through the line where dinner was being served by the Mennonite Church and sat together talking and eating.

I introduced their kids to William and Alex who were sitting nearby and assured the parents that they were safe here - not to worry. They were off in a shot gabbing like they were old friends. Zofia looked concerned as she watched them go off. “You can’t do that in Chicago”, she said, referring to the kids running around in a strange place without the parents.

It wasn’t long before Duda was telling me his whole story. They were both born in Chicago in the polish section of town. Their parents spoke Polish and they went to neighborhood schools where the other kids spoke both Polish and English. He and Zofia were married young and family came soon after. Duda apprenticed in tool and die skills and went to work for a big company. “The wages were good at first”, he said, “but soon came lay-offs as the manufacturing jobs dried up”. The local Community College offered Duda training in computers, so he went back to school. He became a database specialist and went to work for a company that serves Walmart. “I’ve been working at home for four years and can live about anywhere there is electricity and an internet connection”, he said. Zofia had worked as a clerk in stores while Duda was in school. “It was tough for a while but our families helped out and we made it”, Zofia said.

We want out of the big city”, Duda said. ‘It’s getting more and more dangerous. There are shootings every day. You don’t know what’s going to happen – even if your kids will get home from school”. I could hear the tension in Zofia’s voice as she talked. “No one in the big city is going to church anymore”, she sighed.

When I asked them what they were looking for they presented a well-worn list but said that what they wanted most was to go back in time to a simpler way of life, a slower pace, community, friendships, more self-reliance, to have a large garden maybe a few farm animals. “More like what his ancestors left in Poland years ago”.

“You have lots of choices in Iowa”, I told them. “There are small towns that would be happy to see you move in. We’ve been losing population for a long time. Jobs are limited to farm labor and related but there are a few other jobs around in the larger towns. The cost of older homes is very affordable compared to big cities. The problem you will run into is that there are not many for sale at any one time”.

Larry Martin, a Mennonite farmer, stopped for a moment to say Hi. I introduced Duda and Zofia. Larry has a girl and three boys coming up. They are row crop farmers and also have a small chicken-egg facility. They go to the Holdeman Mennonite Church near Bloomfield just down the road a bit. Larry’s dad moved into town first about twelve years ago. Larry and the family moved in next about five years ago. He bought the farm just east of town and added the chicken barns. It seemed like they hit it off really well so I moved on talking with Sheriff Davis about his hydroponic tomatoes and market prices.

Later Larry told me that he was going to keep an eye open for a property that Duda might be interested in. Mike, our county treasurer who also sees all the applications for new car tags told me that he had seen several newbies moving into our county this year. They’re not many but they’re coming from all kinds of places like Montana, Georgia, Indiana, etc. Really nice people. They seemed to be self-employed. Could be part of the covid-move-out to other areas using technology crowd. I think they will like it here.

The last person I talked to that evening was Grama Laurel. What a fascinating and long life she has lived; in many different places too. Think I’ll go over and visit with her sometime soon to get more facts. Might make a good letter. Oh, and Sid was with her too: on a leash.

So that’s it for now, from where the corn grows tall and pigs’ fly.

Take care. All my love.

Grampa Jim.