November

About a month ago we had a week or so of rain.  In one weekend alone over 14 inches fell at our home.  The upside of all that rain, we’ve had one of the most beautiful fall seasons I can remember.   For about 10 days here our landscape has been breathtaking.  But the thing about fall especially, it reminds you how brief the beauty is.  Our trees are quickly becoming bare.  I love the fall, and in particular November.  It reminds us to remember our loved ones who have passed, and to be thankful for our blessings.  Not to mention, it’s my birthday month.

One of the things I love about living where I do is so much of the history of the place is still here.  I live in a little township, (once the county seat) located at the top of a river bluff overlooking the Marais des Cygnes river.  We own the community church.  It’s the third church to stand on this spot. The first was built around 1869, the current building held its last service in 1985.  In the early days of the town the little house across the street was the hotel and stagecoach stop.  Sadly its days are numbered, as well as the general store building down the street.  I walk nearly every day and those walks are mostly up to the local cemetery and back.  The first person buried there is a young man who came ahead of his family to settle here.  He was so excited when they finally arrived to join him he swam across the river to meet them, caught pneumonia and died.

Last week through our work with the Democrats we had the opportunity to meet a landowner a few miles up the road from us.  The political signs she had standing on her property had been stolen and she was looking for replacements.  During the course of our conversation when we told her where we live it turned out her great, great, great, (not sure how many greats) grandfather was the first white man to settle on our property.  His name was Jacob Fisher and he’s buried up the road.  He came to Kansas as an abolitionist.  Given Kansas’ current political climate, it’s sometimes easy to forget its history as a free state.  She went on to tell us about her other great, great, great, grandfather who owned the general store.  Also, you can go to the local library in town and read on microfiche about her uncle, who was described as the “lad” that rode ahead to warn of Quantrill’s ride before the Lawrence Massacre, just like Paul Revere.  Another interesting tidbit, she told us the location of a tall grave marker in the cemetery that sits cockeyed where they used to hide their “hooch” during the prohibition.  Probably a tall tale but we think we found the grave marker she was talking about.

It’s nice to think about these stories, the people’s lives and the history of this land I live on, especially today, election day.  Our polling place is our community building, Briles Schoolhouse, built in 1868.  Our kids grew up going to 4H meetings there.  This morning I came across a photo taken of a voter entering early this morning to vote.  Last year my husband and I worked the polls.  Tonight I will be working at the courthouse for Edison Research phoning in results from our county for the national networks and CNN.  It’s kind of cool thinking about my being our little corner of the country’s link to the nation on this incredibly important day and night.  Please don’t let your opportunity to have your voice heard slip away.  If you’ve already voted in the landslide of early voting, thank you.  And if you haven’t, please make it a priority today to cast your VOTE!