(Home)Sick

Anyone see a theme??  Still physically ill, so it should come to know surprise that my spirits are also feeling a bit dampened these days, brought on by my equally unwise decision to accompany my summer camp kids on their field trip to Moraine State Park yesterday.  3 hours outside in 90 degree heat left me feeling exhausted and slightly more tan, which is to say it did nothing to help my cough.  But it wasn't just that.  It's that the ride there, while we were there, and especially on the sad tired trip back into the city--it just all reminded me of home, Minnesota.  From the trees to corn to the pastures to the farms that we saw, from the disproportionate number of vehicles heading out of Pittsburgh with campers and rooftop carriers attached who were headed on vacation "up north" to the way the air tasted crisper and fresher, besides the hills, it all felt like home.

I miss Minnesota for many reasons.  Number one being family, two being friends, and three being the scenery.  When I was at Arts High (Perpich Center for Arts Education), my chemistry teacher gave me a book about Minnesota's ecological systems and history.  A dry read, I'll admit, yet I devoured it.  What other state could you find such a diversity of ecosystems, from prairie to wetlands to lakes to forests and with three different watersheds?  I was amazed.  And still am.

I count myself lucky that I now have family living in three different areas: my mom in south-southeastern MN, my dad "up north" in lake country, and my husband's family in southwestern MN.  While driving in between all three places--a triangulation of 3 hours to each place--is a nightmare, I love seeing how quickly the earth changes in those three small hours.

We're going home in four weeks, and I can't even begin to tell people how excited I am.  While we've been home for the holidays, this will be our first time back in MN during the summer since 2007.  I have some favorite spots that I can't wait to visit.  There's this gravel country road less than a half-mile from my mom's house that I love to go walking on.  It has a small hill that when you reach the top you can see all around you.  Some of it is corn, some of it is grassland, blowing in the wind, and when you reach the bottom of the hill, there's this cool little wetland amidst one of the pastures.  If I'm lucky enough to borrow my mom's bike during the trip, I might take it down this road and even further past Richter's Woods, a county park.  I remember how the temperature immediately drops 5 degrees once you reach the tree cover and can still see the sign for maple syrup sold by my childhood friend Andy's grandparents who live on that road.

And my other favorite spot?  The Melby Farm.  I never grew up on a farm, but I fell in love with my husband's farm when I first visited.  I can't wait to see all that Mary has done with her rock gardens...

Picture taken before we moved to PA in the summer 2007

to take a walk out in the pastures and see what treasures can be found...

Picture taken Summer 2007

to take the pontoon out on the lake (and oh how we miss the lakes! You can't throw a stone without hitting a lake in MN), and to enjoy the gusting wind off of Buffalo Ridge.  

Then when we get to New Ulm for my cousin's wedding, I can't wait to take our dog for a walk and look at all the beautiful old homes on Minnesota St. and Broadway.  I can't wait to sit in my Auntie Barb's amazing garden (something I hope to aspire to someday).  I can't wait to visit my grandparents in their home, a home that has always made me feel at peace and safe.  

My friend Chelsea recently posted a wonderfully poetic post on her blog about the small things making a home.  And she's right.  Not just about the home in which you lay your head each night, the home whose numbers and street are listed on your driver's license.  But home in the larger sense, too.  I can't wait!

Picture taken Summer 2007