Home Again Home Again

Wonderful Guy and I spent our anniversary on the road. We traveled to my hometown of Greensburg, Kansas for a bit of a family reunion. The Greensburg High School holds their class reunions, all of them, on Memorial Day weekend. That was what brought the big brother to town. Wisest Sister had planned on being there, too, but her plans changed. (We missed you!)

I had a great time. I saw Dear Aunt, my mother's only surviving sister. We surprised her (as everyone does...her short-term memory being nigh on nil), and she was grieved that we caught her with the bed unmade. Well...look what we found. My grandmother's friendship quilt, gifted to her recently by another cousin.

I saw my BFF, Tish. We had a photo opportunity at the parade (it lasted 15 minutes!), and yes, once again, Dearest Sister and I are all matchey matchey...and totally unplanned, believe it or not...

at the Big Well Park, on the merry go round, otherwise known as the 'wheel of death',

and on the steps of the church where we all were baptized and where we terrorized Sunday school teachers, one and all (steps are all that remain of the old church. The new church was built, and now rebuilt, elsewhere).

Lest one might think it was only photo taking for the men folk, not so! They had many chances to meet a wide variety of local color.

It feels good to see so much of the residential part of the town rebuilding. There are good starts to the business sector, including the hospital and the schools. I left feeling like there will be a town there for a good while longer. Won't be the same, but it won't be completely different, either.

Some things just don't change. I met a couple of my old school chums, but ran mostly into those who knew my older siblings, and once again, spent most of my time being recognized as one of
their little sisters...as one of 'the little girls'...

G is for...

...Greensburg.

Home of the World's Largest Hand Dug Well, and Largest Pallasite Meteorite!

My mother's family homesteaded just a few miles southeast of Greensburg, Kansas at the turn of the last century. I was born in the local hospital, and spent my grade school years there. All my family, from my grandfather's generation through my older siblings, graduated from Greensburg High School.

I learned to ride a bike around the Big Well Park. I won blue ribbons and a Grand Champion ribbon (I'll have you know!) for a sewing project (a pleated skirt and a crop top) in 4-H at the County Fair one year. I won red ribbons for my chocolate chip cookies. (Go figure!) Momma taught knitting classes in the back room of the Ben Franklin 'Five&Dime' on Main Street. I learned to knit, to sew, to swim in the BEST. SWIMMING POOL. EVER! and the value of a library card in Greensburg.

At Hunter's Drug in 2005, with Mr. Huckreide, who had been fixing soda's for over 50 years. Seriously.

I found my BFF there, and she and I, along with Dearest Sister raised some cane in church, enjoyed nickel cokes at Hunter's Drug, watched parades on Main Street, saw some afternoon matinees at the Twilight Theatre (but only at Christmas when there were special showings and likely friends of the elder sibs who wanted to take us. Lands, do you think we had money to waste?)

On May 4, 2007, a EF-5 tornado all but destroyed this town where I was born and raised.

Just the night before, my sibs and I had been discussing the possibilities of meeting in Greensburg to inter my mother's ashes around Memorial Day. She passed away 2 years before, and her memorial service took place where she lived after leaving Greensburg in the mid-60's. We siblings are spread out over the western half of the U.S. of A., and hadn't managed a time to get back to our hometown to bury Momma's ashes with Daddy. Now it looked promising with certain travel plans and arrangements that we could all be there over Memorial Day.

The Big Well Park in 2005

Friday night, while watching TV, I got a phone call from my brother saying it looked like Greensburg was getting hit by a tornado. Being raised in southwestern Kansas, my experiences with tornadoes were of those skinny little funnels that dip and touch and raise and hit and miss. As the events were unfolding real-time, it was very difficult that night to get any definite news, but as the story developed, it appeared this tornado didn't miss much. Almost two miles wide, it covered pretty much the entire town, Greensburg not being that big.

When I woke Saturday morning, I grabbed a cup of coffee, and turned on the national news while I exercised. I was stunned. As the weekend developed, Dearest Sister and I spent time on the phone, each on our own computer, looking at the aerial photographs, trying to identify landmarks. It seemed in each photo the house where we grew up was just outside the shot. (We found out later the back part of the house was damaged, with the roof, and later had to be demolished.)

The hospital I was born in, where my broken arm was set, and my chin was stitched up...gone. (Incidentally, BFF was working there that night.) The church turned antique store where we were baptized...gone. The water tower that marked the town, symbolically pointing the way to the Big Well, and occasionally overflowed (to our delight!)...on the ground. The schools we attended...gone.

The swimming pool...still there!


We were able to take care of Momma over Memorial Day weekend,burying her ashes 48 years to the day after my father died. It was going to be just Mom's kids, a couple of nieces and nephew, and some grandkids at the cemetary, but word had gotten out. Others started showing up, and kept coming. When it was time for us to say our good-byes, there were twenty or so other people there, some who had lost a good deal, who had a lot of unanswered questions about what they were going to do. Nevertheless, they came to say good-bye to this woman who had been a part of their community years before.

It is almost two years later, and Greensburg has embarked upon rebuilding. Leonardo DiCaprio even produced a TV show about their efforts to rebuild as green as possible. Some left after the tornado, but many stayed. And that is right, and good. But the town I grew up in is only in my memories.

We have another family get-together planned in Greensburg this Memorial Day when Wisest Sister and Only Brother celebrate their High School Reunions there. Dearest Sister and I will be hangers-on, providing comic relief, no doubt, and spending some time with Dear Aunt. It will be interesting to see the progress, and fun to see folks.

But I will miss the old town.

Famous...kinda...sorta....maybe....

I had a personal message today from a volunteer editor in Ravelry wanting to use my photo of the baby booties as the featured photo on the project page. In spite of the fact that there are very few of that particular project showing as knitted in Ravelry, I am still flattered. There doesn't have to be a photo, you know!

A few weeks ago, I posted about winning some books by the Yarn Harlot. Remember, yes? I would like to bring to your attention the comment (yes, singular...I don't get that many) to that post. Imagine my surprise. Imagine my effort in trying to explain my excitement to Wonderful Guy!

One of my first posts was about my hometown, Greensburg, KS. It was destroyed by a tornado a year ago in May. About 2 weeks ago, on the Planet Green channel, a series called 'Greensburg' began, chronicling the rebuilding choices, efforts, and successes. In this series, one of the families followed is that of my oldest BFF, as my girls make the reference. Except now she is 'Mom's FBFF' (.... or famous best friend forever....). Her son plays very prominently in the series as one of the high schoolers active in the efforts, and comes across very well, I think. (Tish, you must be so proud of him!) I have to admit, it is a very strange to see those I know and the place I grew up on TV!

See...famous!

We have sent the Middle Daughter and Friend back to Salt Lake, and are making preparations for the trip to Kansas day after tomorrow. No time for winding down! Things to do, places to go, people to see...well, certainly things to be packed, animals to be cared for, and plants to be watered. Always with the drama!

Another Hike

In addition to all the other stuff, and there seemed to be a lot of other stuff, Wonderful Guy and I got a good hike in on Sunday afternoon. We headed to Lory State Park and combined a couple of trails for about three and a quarter miles. Best Dog Ever enjoyed the outing, too.

Wild flowers are coming out. I saw oregon grape, pasque flower, a few wallflower, yellow violets, spring beauties, and some spurge and vetch. Oh, and my first mertensia and clematis hirsutissima (vase flower) of the season! In bloom, of course. I'm a happy camper, or hiker, as the case may be.

Not a bad backyard to play in.

In other news...President Bush is going to speak at the high school commencement in my home town. That is so wierd. I mean, it's been a phenomenal journey of vision and reconstruction since the tornado last May. And I am glad for all the help and encouragement my little hometown has recieved. Oldest Best Friend has cracked me up with some of the stories about the film crews of the Planet Earth series in her home! But to have the president there twice in a year...I am still seeing, in my mind's eye, the town I grew up in, with the 100 year old soda fountain, and old movie theatre, and absolutely terrific swimming pool....with the president...and his helicopter...and the secret service guys with their dark glasses and ear pieces....it's just wierd! Oh, but it gets better. The whacko Phelps family from Topeka are going to be there to stage a protest at the same time. Something about Greensburg recieving the wrath of God for Kansas and the nation in the form of a tornado??? Like I said...weird and whackadoo! In my little hometown!

My Hometown

My mother's family homesteaded just a few miles southeast of Greensburg, Kansas at the turn of the last century. I was born in the local hospital, and spent my grade school years there. All my family, from my grandfather's generation through my older siblings, graduated from Greensburg High School. I learned to ride a bike around the Big Well Park. I won a Grand Champion ribbon for a sewing project in 4-H at the County Fair one year. Momma taught knitting classes in the back room of the Ben Franklin 'Five&Dime' on Main Street. (That's where I learned to knit.)

On May 4, 2007, a EF-5 tornado all but destroyed this town where I was born and raised.

Just the night before, my sibs and I had been discussing the possibilities of meeting in Greensburg to inter my mother's ashes around Memorial Day. She passed away 2 years before, and her memorial service took place elsewhere. We siblings are a spread out crew, and hadn't managed a time to get back to our hometown to bury Momma's ashes with Daddy. Now it looked promising with certain travel plans and arrangements that we could all be there over Memorial Day.

Friday night, while watching TV, I got a phone call from my brother saying it looked like Greensburg was getting hit by a tornado. Being raised in southwestern Kansas, my experiences with tornadoes were of those skinny little funnels that dip and touch and raise and hit and miss. As the events were unfolding real-time, it was very difficult that night to get any definite news, but as the story developed, it appeared this tornado didn't miss much. Almost two miles wide, it covered pretty much the entire town.

When I woke Saturday morning, I grabbed a cup of coffee, and turned on the national news. I was stunned. As the weekend developed, Dearest Sister and I spent time on the phone, each on our own computer, looking at the aerial photographs, trying to identify landmarks. It seemed in each photo the house where we grew up was just outside the shot. (We found out later the back part of the house was damaged, with the roof, and later had to be demolished.)

We were able to take care of Momma over Memorial Day weekend,burying her ashes 48 years to the day after my father died. It was going to be just Mom's kids, a couple of nieces and nephew, and some grandkids at the cemetary, but word had gotten out. Others started showing up, and kept coming. When it was time for us to say our good-byes, there were twenty or so other people there, some who had lost a good deal, who had a lot of unanswered questions about what they were going to do. Nevertheless, they came to say good-bye to this woman who had been a part of their community years before.

I read an article today that the residents of Greensburg have been named Distinguished Kansans of the Year. Some left after the tornado, but many stayed, and are determined to rebuild, whatever it takes, and to do it up right. And that is right, and good, and I am so proud.

But the town I grew up in is only in my memories.