How did I get here?

I grew up a MidWestern girl in a college town in Central Iowa. A family of four in a two-story house on the North side of town.  Growing up, summers were about playing flashlight tag in the backyard with the neighborhood gang. Fall was for raking leaves and jumping into the piles, sending leaves flying up in the air and then spiraling back down. Winter began with the annual pilgrimage to the Christmas Tree Farm to pick out the perfect tree for the living room-- Dad would do the sawing and we'd bring it home on the roof of the car. Then Spring. Ah, Spring. It rained in April, bloomed in May, and then we arrived at June. June was always my favorite.  The weather was finally warm, but not too hot. And everything was green and beautiful.  When I rode my bike to the park I could feel the brink of summer and all its possibilities as the sun warmed my skin and the wind blew through my hair.

June is still my favorite month.  I got married in June. Just about one month ago.  I met and fell in love with a farmer from Northern Montana.  I hadn't been living in Iowa for several years anyway, but now probably won't be a resident there again at least for quite some time. My husband and I now live in a yellow farmhouse with brown trim just a mere 8 miles from the border of Canada.  We have a red barn in our yard with a smiley face painted on its western wall. When the sun sets, the barn and surrounding pastures and wheat fields are aglow.  We are Montanans.

Once I knew for sure I would be moving to this very rural countryside, one of the top questions I got asked was, "Do you think you will like it up there?"  For a while, I was not sure how to best answer.  When I first began visiting my now-husband on his family farm, while we were still dating, I was shocked at how remote it felt and how few people I perceived to live here.  But, as with many situations, things are not always as they seem. Over time, places I thought were empty, abandoned houses became homes filled with stories of present or former residents, and the open prairie that can look so bleak has proven to me to be filled with wildlife beyond my expectations.

So I guess that's what this is about. This is a place where I am exploring all that the prairie, the farm, and my new home has to offer to me and to all who embrace it.  I will try to be honest in my reflections.  I welcome your comments, suggestions, and discussion. Here goes another great experiment!