What matters is what you don't see beyond the harvested fields of corn and soybeans which frame the 247 mile stretch of I-35 between Minneapolis and Des Moines. People clustered in small towns and villages, some as tiny as 37 people, go about the business of life unencumbered by thoughts of traffic jams, and locked front doors. To those of us who have "graduated" to the city we sometimes view these folks as "country cousins" who don't have the same drive and ambition as those of us living alongside the concrete and steel of our cities.
We're wrong. These folks are trying to shore up their future and share their story. This weekend several of us were invited to Franklin County, Iowa to do just that.
This marks the second Harvest Tour sponsored by the Greater Franklin County Chamber where writers and photographers are invited to experience a weekend adventure living in Rural Iowa.
I'm holed up in what was the attic off a rambling farm house that's been transformed into a nice Bed and Breakfast. I've got electricity, Wi-Fi and a full tummy of wine and cheese. Life is good but there is a troubling reality nagging at the back of my mind, "What's the point of this tour and what difference can I make?" I think I know.
Over the next several weeks I want to share with you my thoughts about living rural and what obstacles and joys this lifestyle brings. What's the "trade off" if any and what can we, you and I, do to bring economic equality to places like Franklin County, Iowa.
Hope you'll stick with me...
Thanks to my friend Deb Brown for putting this together. She said I could write whatever I wanted...you got it.
If you wish to leave a comment here, feel free or my Rural Twitter Stream is @RuralLIfeRadio. Thanks for coming by.