The Midwest.  The Heartland. Farm Country.

I love Iowa. I love Minnesota.  Not many people understand me when I start speaking fondly of these places, but I am a transplant–an  “Iowegain”  living in Arizona.  To make it fair, I shake my head at those who believe that Arizona is some magical oasis.  I usually stop trying to explain my passion for all things rural rather quickly.  You just can’t describe home to anyone well enough to do it justice anyway.

After growing up among the rolling hills of green, the lazy rivers that flow all year and deciduous trees vibrant in the fall I can’t help be a bit homesick when I realize the looming Ponderosa Pine are as green as it gets.

There are several features I miss especially.  The farms dotted along the country roads, The wet, dripping mornings after a night of thunder storms and the closeness that I feel within a community that still has a thriving downtown.  My home in The Northeast corner of Iowa  is the epitome of all these things and I miss it dearly when I am gone.

I miss the variety of weather so much that I still gaze longing at the sky here, wishing for some sort of grey to blanket the ever blue expanse. Wishful that the clouds in the distance might actually pour down on me.  I look hopefully at all the weather websites for some variation…..something to indicate anything other than “pleasant and sunny”.   A girl can dream.  The monsoons usually come at just the right time and after two seasons here I can honestly say that I am beginning to find the subtle beauty beyond the stunning features everyone knows (the signature saguaro, the vibrant red rocks of Sedona or the mysterious slot canyons).

I am lucky enough stumble upon astounding beauty everyday just by going to work.  If it isn’t a secluded canyon, it is some type of animal, or a tree, or looking up at the mountains surrounding me and realizing that the sunset is absolutely perfect. The night sky is particularly mesmerizing as well.  I can’t say loving it here comes easy,  but it is easy to call it home.

This tiny town, a speck surrounded by Tonto National Forest is not for everyone.  We are more than an hours drive to even buy groceries, which can be taxing on a person who is used to easily accessible entertainment or who is regularly craving drive through fare.  Those of us who prefer the more simple life however, find this secluded valley just perfect.    I am in the latter category (in case you didn’t know).  Living here reminds me that I can live this simply anywhere, and to enjoy it everyday, and to learn from it.

The Desert, home away from home.