I am happy to say that I am home, and by home I mean Iowa.

It has been a sultry week in the mid 90’s with some outrageous humidity levels, but it is green and glorious and as I was sitting in a friends yard last night, overlooking the rolling countryside I could think of no better place to be.

It happened to be a potluck, and the tables set up outside were filled with tempting seasonal treats….bowls full blueberries, green beans bright with pesto, and roasted chicken to name a few.  As I was looking at the full tables with a background of rich farmland a friend said “It’s like we are eating the hills”.  There could have been no truer statement.

How fortunate I am to not only be from such a beautiful place, but to have friends who believe that a potluck doesn’t mean bringing a plastic container of something they picked up at a store moments before.  I looked at the wonderful food around me there and saw the same love I have for my home in what they prepared.  I saw vegetables that they themselves grew in dishes made by hand and roasted chicken that someone I knew had raised.  A full circle of grown local goodness.