Weekly Review January 17-23

Taking a look at the week that was, in fitness, farm, and life. If you missed last week's review, you can check it out HERE.

Sunset over the Sweetgrass Hills Friday evening while skiing.

Fitness
Jeff and I started the week on skis as we trekked over the mountains for double duty skiing on Sunday and Monday. Sunday was Nordic at the Izaak Walton in Essex, MT, where we also stayed the night in their historic hotel.

Izaak Walton Inn, Essex, MT

Sunday we hit up Whitefish for downhill skiing in thick fog. It wasn't the most fun day of skiing ever because it was a bit difficult to see, but we made it our mission to get better at moguls and I think we both definitely saw some improvement. Plus, my legs felt super strong the rest of the week after that day of skiing!

Progress continued on the #RunLoveChallenge I'm participating in through Oiselle with my teammate, Wendie. I nailed my long run on Thursday after school running "the loop" in town twice for a total of 4.7 miles. It felt pretty good to run outside and even though the roads were snow-covered, they weren't bad to run on.

Run-selfie while running "the loop" in Rudyard on Thursday.

The biggest challenge of the week was actually the "Speed Date" workout we were supposed to do. I spent most of the week stressing about the workout because, let's be honest, speedwork is pretty much neglected in the scheme of my workouts. I wrote out the times and speeds I wanted to try and planned to do it Saturday morning. By the time Saturday rolled around, Wendie had already completed the workout and I was actually sort of looking forward to the challenge and seeing what I could do. And you know what? It was hard, for sure, but it felt great! Huge confidence boost to reach speeds I've never touched before, and it ended up being my longest run of 2016 so far at 5.6 miles! It was so motivating to know that Wendie had done it and that she was cheering me on in spirit, too. Thanks Wendie!

Yes, I wrote myself a pep talk alongside the workout. I'm cool like that.

Here's how the week looked:
Sunday- 8.6 miles/120 minutes of Nordic skiing at Essex.
Monday- Downhill skiing at Whitefish.
Tuesday- 3 easy (slow) miles on the treadmill, 20 min stretching. My legs were beat after the skiing.
Wednesday- 30 min. hip strengthening exercises
Thursday- 4.7 mile run after school.

Snowy roads, but traction was good.

Friday- 2.2 miles (40 min) Nordic ski through Harry's field on our farm. **snow melting fast. May have been my last day on skis at home this year.

This is what Harvey does after going for a ski- nap time. 

Saturday- Speed Date challenge/5.6 miles running, 30 min (1.6 miles) walk with the dogs, 20 min stretching.

My #RunLoveChallenge calendar is really filling up! Half-way there!

And the YTD Stats:
2016 Year to Date, through 1/23/16
Walking: 140 min/6.7 miles
Yoga: 135 min *no yoga this week. sad face.
CC-Ski: 380 min / 10.8 miles (since I started tracking mileage on 1/17)
Alpine Ski: 2 days
Running: 30.55 miles

If you remember, my knee and hip had been a little sore last week. I rededicated myself to stretching in the evenings and it really seemed to help. No issues with it whatsoever this week, even after Jeff and I skied pretty hard at Whitefish on Monday. Stretch, stretch, stretch, people!

Farm
This week on the farm the biggest new piece of action was that Jeff sold some winter wheat to one of the local elevators and then began taking semi loads to town. It can be quite a bit of work at times to haul grain, especially when cleaning out the bottom of a grain bin. Messy, dusty, labor and time intensive. The weather was warmer this week, so Harvey spent quite a bit of time outside "helping" Jeff with this task, although he didn't appreciate being left behind when Jeff would leave in the semi headed for the elevator. Harvey is a smart dog and knows that if he sits down in the road right ahead of the vehicle in which he would like to ride, at the very least, the driver will stop and pet him...

"Guys, I'll ride now, thankyouverymuch." - Harvey
Photo by Jeff.

Harvey also likes to "help" feed the cows...

Harvey likes to lick their noses, and they let him.

And this bull was taking a peek on the action, too:


Life
This week I attended the Rudyard Commercial Club meeting (sort of like the local chamber of commerce) because they were planning to talk about a grant the community is likely to receive to either renovate our current Senior Center or build a completely new building. It was a really interesting meeting, which you can read more about in my previous blog post. I'm going to be on the committee working on the grant project and I'm really excited about it.

Also, in my sports world, my Iowa State Cyclones defeated #1 ranked Oklahoma on Monday night in Ames (college basketball). It was glorious. Here's a great game re-cap from The DesMoines Register: Iowa State Takes Down #1 Oklahoma. Tomorrow night, they'll take on the Kansas Jayhawks. I may hate the Jayhawks more than I love the Cyclones, so you can be sure I will be watching the game. Don't bother me between 7 and 9 tomorrow night because I won't answer. ;)

That's the week that was, everyone! What were the highlights of your week? 

After completing my Speed Date workout. Feeling good!

Possible New Rudyard Community Center

A few days ago, I posted a question on my Facebook page. The question was this:

What do you see as the biggest issues facing rural communities?

There were many responses, comments, replies, and even some healthy debate. People's ideas varied greatly. Some people mentioned the advent of the CRP program, wherein some people who owned land put it into Conservation Reserve and then sought different professions elsewhere. Others brought up the size of farms increasing but the number of farms decreasing. There was mention of falling commodity prices, and there were other terms mentioned like "brain drain," and "loss of main street." Another definite theme was lack of access to essential services and infrastructure, specifically medical services and high speed internet. There were even social themes- some credited the insular nature of small towns making it difficult to feel like a person "fits in" if/when they do move to a rural area.

Needless to say, the "why" behind what one could call the decline of rural America is complex. It's good to think about the background and challenge ourselves to address these issues. Me, I'm mostly interested in progressing toward a more vibrant future for small towns and rural communities. Let's take what we've experienced and what we know about the decline and use our knowledge to grow into a promising future.

The initial reason I posted my question is because I'm leading a workshop at the upcoming Montana Farmers Union Women's Conference (<------ Click for more information or to register!!) on the topic of creating vibrant small towns and rural communities. Actually, it's going to be sort of a "hack-a-thon" where groups will brainstorm ideas and solutions- no idea too big or too small- that could help either in their town or some other town. Groups will develop their ideas, then "pitch" them to the room. I wanted a little background and opinion to help inform my thoughts as I prep for my workshop.

With all this already on my mind, literally the next day, I saw the following post on my Facebook feed:

How timely, right?

I attended the meeting of the Commercial Club last night and was delighted to see about 30 people present. The audience was diverse in age and experience. Discussion about the potential new building was exciting and optimism was very high, and I was really impressed by the comments people had about looking to the future of our town-- a feeling that was bolstered when looking around the room and seeing the number of younger people present at the meeting. People care about the future of our small town and clearly showed they want to work toward making this project a success. I volunteered to be on the committee working on the project of a new Community Center (or rehabbed current space).

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

So, if you've read this far, this is where you come in. Our committee is looking for input on what exactly the potential new building should be like. If it does end up being a complete replacement of the Senior Center/Community Building currently being used, we know it will need to at least have space for senior lunches, a cafe, and beauty shop. But what else could or should it have? Here are some more specific questions to get you thinking:

- What are some specific needs that our community has that could be addressed with a new building?
- What would be most useful for future generations of area residents?
- What could drive business, tourism, or more people to visit town?
- If you don't live in the area, what are some features of community centers in your town that you like or dislike? What has or hasn't worked?
- What gives people pride in their town? What gives people a strong sense of place?
- What do you like or dislike as far as aesthetics of a building like this?

We have a unique opportunity to make some changes to our Main Street area with the potential that this project possesses. At this stage, No idea is too big or too small. I hope to hear from many community members, near and far, and even from outsiders, so that we can consider your opinions and make this space a great fit for Rudyard for generations to come.

Please leave your comments below, or on my Facebook page, or call or talk to me or any of the committee members in person. All opinions are welcome. It's unlikely that we'll be able to use every single suggestion, but if you don't voice your opinion there is no chance that it will be heard. Thank you for your consideration!

Looking West toward Rudyard from a gravel road.

Thankful Thursday ~ Gotta Love Small Towns!

OK. I'll admit it. I watch The Bachelor. I do! I'm not ashamed. Yes, I know it's canned and corny, sensationalized and silly. But you know what? I find that when I'm watching this show, I am smiling. How many TV shows make us smile these days? The Bachelor/Bachelorette makes me smile, and that is the main reason why I like it and keep coming back to it.

This season I have been particularly interested in The Bachelor because he is a farmer AND he's from my home state of Iowa! I really wanted to tune in and see both how Iowa was represented and how the small town, rural, agricultural lifestyle was portrayed on TV. Obviously, they don't go in depth about farming and agriculture on the show, but I do think, so far, Chris (The Bachelor) has shown that he is proud of being a farmer and is standing behind his lifestyle admirably. As he should! As should any farmer!

The show has been a little less forgiving on the small town he is from: Arlington, IA. In a recent episode, the remaining ladies had a chance to see exactly what Arlington, population 400 or so, is like. As I watched, I had two viewpoints swimming through my mind. One was as someone who did not grow up in a teeny tiny town and knows what it is like to live in a big city. The other was knowing now what it is that really makes small towns special.

Image source: www.tmz.com.
Some of the ladies shown walking around Arlington, and reacting to what they see.

In the show, the ladies have mixed reactions (or at least, that's what they show on TV. Who knows what was done or said that didn't make the final cut to be aired...) to Arlington. Some of them can see the appeal of small town life and others are shocked at the lack of big city amenities. (What did you expect, ladies?!) I think what struck home the most for me was how Chris talked about his town and showed it off. He seemed like he had some trepidation and nervousness over their reactions. On one date, he talked about feeling a little sad about his town losing businesses and feeling sort of run down. I can relate to that feeling here in our small Hi-Line towns. At least Rudyard (similar or maybe slightly larger population as Arlington) still has a cafe and a seasonally-operated movie theater!

When the Bachelor toured his date around his town, they pointed out that it was completely dead. No traffic. No people outside. And with all the defunct businesses boarded up and empty, it really looked and felt like a ghost town. Where was everybody? At the local Friday night football game!

Now, this is where the actual meat of my Thankful Thursday post comes in. If there's one thing I have learned about small towns it is that the whole community really gets behind the local school's sports teams! Here, right now, it's basketball season.  The population of our towns may not be big, but you can bet that the gym will be PACKED for a home basketball game! Even our movie theater acknowledges that small town sports are king and closes during basketball season. They know they won't get any business because folks are over at the school watching the game!  Sporting events, especially in small towns, are what really brings people together. Everyone loves to cheer on the local kids and feel pride in our community and schools!

This week at school, our basketball teams are headed to their District Tournament. Both Boys and Girls have a chance to knock of some rival teams and cause a few upsets, making it deep into the tourney, and hopefully on to Divisionals next week. At school, we had a big pep rally and assembly to send them off, planned by the parents of the Senior basketball players. I was really surprised at the turnout. Many of the players' families were present, but there was a decent number of community members there, too, just to cheer on the teams.

As the assembly went on, I really felt a great sense of pride and appreciation for this small town, this school, and this community. So, this week, I am officially stating how grateful I am to be living in a small town that takes its youth and its sports so seriously, and also makes it fun to cheer on the local team. Small towns like Rudyard (North Star Schools and community) and Arlington, IA are really where it's at when it comes to local sports. The businesses on Main Street may be closed or only open part-time, but that doesn't mean the soul of the place is dead. After having lived here and worked in the school, truly experienced what this time of year is like and the support that comes from everyone in the community, I know I am thankful and proud to call this place home! Small town that it is. :)

Visiting

Yesterday was all about visiting.  In the afternoon, Carol and I visited another young woman who lives in the country.  There aren't very many of us, so it's important to establish and maintain friendships and connections.  Besides that, however, she's super nice!  We were there for a few hours- spending time with her and her three young daughters.  We read books with the girls, visited, and shared orange slices.  Her husband had been fencing that afternoon and then off to the Chouteau County Fair in Fort Benton for the demolition derby.  I think we all had fun and I am looking forward to getting to know them better.  

In the evening, my husband took me to town to see a movie-- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part II.  (He's pretty sweet-- he had never seen any of the HP movies or read any of the books, but *someone* told him I had wanted to see the movie, so there we were!) The movie theater in Rudyard is the closest one around.  It is a quaint, restored old theater with one screen.  Showings are at 7pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening, but not during high school basketball season because too many people go to watch the local kids play ball instead.  There's one movie a week, and the focus is usually on family-friendly films.  

Image credit: www.panoramio.com

I would estimate there was about thirty people at the movie last night.  When I looked around at the faces in the seats, I knew about half of all the people in attendance.  I felt pretty good about that.  Some family friends spotted us walking towards the theater and bought our tickets for the show, which was really friendly.  After the movie got out, we stood in a group with them and some other couples and chatted for a few minutes before being invited to their home for a drink and another visit.  

The importance of establishing relationships and friendships in the community, to me, seems very important.  Especially as I am "new in town" and new to farming and small-town life in general.  People are generally very willing to help or lend advice or just listen.  Furthermore, over time, as more and more people move away from the area it becomes increasingly important to reinforce connections among those who are here, strengthening the community through personal relationships between families and individuals.  

We don't have an abundance of restaurants, bars, coffee shops or other places where friends meet in larger towns.  Instead, community is fostered over the kitchen table or across the living room sofa in our own homes as a meal, a drink, or an orange slice are shared with conversation, a smile, and goodwill. 

Local Economics

Just for fun, I did a Wikipedia search on the three communities Jeff and I most closely associate with on the Hi-Line: Joplin, Inverness, and Rudyard.  Here's some of the data I found most interesting (according to the 2000 Census):

Inverness
Population: 103
Median Income: $28,750

Joplin
Population: 210
Median Income: $38,281

Rudyard
Population: 275
Median Income: $28,393

I wonder why Joplin's median income would be about $10k higher than the other two towns? Are there one or two households who make that much more money, and skew the results? In these small towns it wouldn't take too many outliers to prod a statistic one way or the other.  The other odd thing to me is that  it would seem that if any of the three towns should have a higher median income, it should be Rudyard, since it is the biggest and there are more businesses there.  Maybe as time goes on, I will have more speculations about this.

Also notable was that in all three communities, the median income for males was about $10k more than the median income for females.  Many women here do not work outside the home, or work very part-time.  If a woman works in the home or helps on the farm with her husband and family, thereby contributing to the overall household income, is it even fair to compare the income of men and women separately?  If a woman works in the home cooking, cleaning, etc. and/or on the farm driving truck or helping drive a herd, how does society view her? And does it even matter?

One more thing, for comparison's sake.  In 2003, the median income for the entire United States was $45,018.  In 2009, the poverty threshold for a family of four in the U.S. was $21,756.  Make of that what you will, but it should also be noted that I don't ignorantly assume that the poverty threshold is the most fair and accurate measure.  Secondly, it is also important to note that cost of living in Hill County, MT is significantly less than the national average.  All the same, the numbers are interesting and at this point (partially because I have a horrible understanding of economics) I have more questions than answers about these data.