Here we go

Here I am living in a small town in mid-America after being born and raised in Los Angeles, one of the busiest, most dynamic and at the same time one of the most dangerous cities in the country. My two daughters have lived in Nebraska for years, even though they, too, were born in the L.A. metropolitan area. The oldest (who is now 50, much to her chagrin) discovered Nebraska shortly after she graduated from high school and fell in love with the state. She has been here since. She convinced her sister, who is two years younger, to move here almost twenty years ago.

At the tender age of 72, (generally, I am in excellent health) I came to realize that, because of the distances involved (1400 miles), I had not seen my grandchildren grow up, and now those grandchildren have presented me with five great-grandchildren - Three of whom I have never seen. At this point in my life, I don't know if I have two months, two years or twenty years left to me, but I have decided I will spend them with my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I arrived in Alma on June 2, 2007, so I have now been here one month and am convinced so far that this is the right thing for me to do. Alma is an interesting town - a pretty town - and has many characteristics straight out of a scene by Norman Rockwell (If you're too young to know that name, I can't help you).

As Independence Day approaches, many houses in Alma have flag like bunting on their porches as well as large American flags flying above the yard. Flags may be in evidence, but that kind of bunting is almost never seen on house properties in Los Angeles and environs.

The properties here are open and scenic, aided by a wetter than usual spring that has made lawns green, green, green. Most house properties are not surrounded by solid fences as they are in California. A person can see through property lines here and appreciate the unbroken green. In L.A., people build solid fences as high as the city code allows, thereby building their own private caves into which they retreat, seldom seeing and often not knowing their neighbors. Not so in Alma. Everybody knows or knows of everybody else. People wave at each other as they pass on the street, whether on foot or in a car.

There is a single, well stocked market where the bag boys carry every bag to the customer's car. There is a combination photo store/coffee shop where people gather to jabber over coffee. When the local high school speech/debate team was ready to travel out of town for a debate competition, many in town gathered at the photo/coffee shop to hear a preview of the prepared speeches from the students, one of whom was my 15 year old granddaughter.

My first impressions are that this is Mayberry reborn, and it is delightful.