My Hometown(s)

Hometowns are close to our hearts. My hometown is a little place. Actually, if I'm honest, as a farm kid, I had several places that I might call "my hometown". Our address was Boyden. I went to school in Hull. Matlock was actually the closest by mileage, I think. And, we might have even had our water line come in from George...maybe. Sioux Center and Sheldon were the nearest "bigger" towns where we got our groceries and such. So really, there were lots of hometowns for me.

This weekend, I am returning to Hull and to Boyden and to Sioux Center and to Sheldon. And, I'll probably even drive through Matlock. I'm heading to Hull to stay with my dad and to have a meal with my brothers as we acknowledge a year has passed since mom died. Grief - even a year later - comes in waves. I miss laughing with her. I would sometimes Facebook video chat with her while I made banana bread, and we would laugh together. The grieving part of myself doesn't want to make banana bread anymore. But, the frugal part of myself (that she and my dad taught me to be) won't allow for perfectly useful black bananas to be thrown away. And, well, her recipe for banana bread was so good - especially when eaten right out of the oven warm - with butter. And so, I make banana bread and cry sometimes. I miss her, and I'm sure so many others do, too.

So, I thought I'd do kind of a weird thing. I'd host a book signing at the Boyden Public Library on Saturday, October 8, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. This is the library in my hometown. Really, I hope that people come in and share some mom stories. Really, I hope people find some hope in the stories I share in Remembering the Homeplace. Those stories are a good reminder that we are never alone - even in the hardest times. I'll also be in Sioux Center - doing a radio interview about the book with the folks at Sioux County Radio. And, I'll be in Sheldon - bringing a delivery of books to Touch of Hope so they are able to sell and share the book from their beautiful Christian bookstore and shop right in Northwest Iowa.

Coming back to my hometown(s) brings back a lot of memories: here are a few of the ones from Boyden that make me smile:

• Grandma's Garden. My grandma was one of the best gardeners I ever knew. Her garden sprawled across the backyard of their house on Railroad Street and was full of green beans, carrots and all sorts of tasty things. One year, a watermelon plant unexpectedly popped up. My best guess is that there was a rogue seed in one of the cucumber packets or perhaps we had spit out a watermelon seed after some summer family gathering the prior summer. Either way, grandma hadn't planted watermelons. Still, she tended to that plant and was thrilled to see an ENORMOUS melon grow as a result of her efforts. We were terrified that some wayward town teenager might take it and smash it...but, if I recall correctly, the Sohl watermelon had a successful run until was gobbled up by the grandkids.

• "The Pit" - Although it is called the Bruce Schomaker Recreation Area now, I'll always know this place as "The Boyden Pit". As kids, we swam joyfully with my mom just off the little beach. As teenagers, we made some questionable choices out there - one of which was swinging from the rope that hung from a huge tree on the back road - just trying to splash down into the pond. With my uncle and cousins, I hunted frogs. With my brothers and dad, I tried (but mostly failed) to catch fish. We drove over the rickety bridge and even kayaked out there. The Pit is probably one of the reasons I love to hike an explore the outdoors so much today.

• Cousin Adventures at the Abandoned Old Railroad Station Park: I have many memories of time spent exploring the town with my cousins from our home base at Grandpa and Grandma's house on Railroad Street. We once found a whole bunch of marbles at the old Railroad Station (now long gone - probably we weren't supposed to sneak in there through the broken window). When we found those marbles, though, we thought FOR SURE we had discovered a priceless treasure. The little park adjacent to the Old Railroad Station kept us entertained for hours. If I remember right, the swings and the teeter totter were some of our favorites!

Northwest Iowa folks, please stop by to see me in Boyden on Saturday. No worries if you don't want to buy a book. I'd just love to hear some of your hometown stories.

Photo from the City of Boyden Facebook page.