I'm here! I got in on Thursday and unpacked the truck at warp speed. What took over two hours to load only took one hour to unload. Of course, now I have the unpacking part to accomplish. A simple "thank you" doesn't even begin to express my sincerest appreciation for my parents and for Lauren who helped me move. If it weren't for them, I'd probably still be in Denver.
The cross country trip was beautiful. Iowa really has some of the prettiest ditches (and if Lauren and I start a band, that is what we are naming it- Pretty Ditches.) Seriously, they are sprinkled with wildflowers and native grasses. As discombobulated as I felt, I was comforted by a bit of familiarity in the butterfly milkweed, the yellow and purple cone flowers and occasional sumac. Iowa also has some spectacular rest stops. I'm not being sarcastic. Really, they have very sophisticated, clean and informative rest areas. The woman at the Iowa welcome center was very helpful and resourceful, providing me all sorts of Iowa literature. (My dad told the woman working there that I was in the process of moving, and they welcomed me accordingly.) In addition to a biking Iowa map, I also procured a road-side soils guide to Iowa! So now as I am traveling through the state I can be informed to the loess that supports my feet. If you travel through here, you seriously have to get one.
This weekend I took the ol' all wheel drive prairie schooner to Kansas to drop off my folks and celebrate my sister's birthday with her. It is nice to be a bit closer to the family so I can celebrate birthdays, etc.
I made my first trip to the grocery store today to stock up on staples. On an inadvertent detour on the way to the store, I found a library (where I am now) and a FARMERS MARKET! Yeah for farmer's markets! My first real authentic Iowa Farmer's Market. I probably purchased more roughage than a single woman needs, but I couldn't help it- FRESH LOCAL PRODUCE!
Even though I know relatively few people here, I'm enjoying the new surroundings, the clean air, the ridiculously slow speed limits, the cheep price of ethanol, the mid-western song birds chirping in the morning. When my windows are wide open at night and all I here are the locusts, I don't miss the noise of my old place one bit.
Blogs of Note
About Me
- Karoline
- Here you'll read musings of a forty-something woman trying to find sense and make sanity. Writing for pleasure was a casualty of my PhD years. Academic writing killed a lot of my inspiration and joy for the written word. Some of you followed my grad life as I clung tooth and nail to some semblance of sporadically managed blog. Many of you who've known my past writing and poetry still ask about it. Even though I mumbled some excuse about not having time to write, your inquiries were gentle reminders of what I have to share and that people want to listen. So, here is my new blog, six years in the making: The Tao of Karoline. I'm not out for clicks or traffic. I'm not giving advice, or cultivating "my personal brand"; there's enough of that in the world. I'm just writing...because I enjoy it, again, finally...and thought some of you might too.
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