Michelle and I celebrated our 14th house-iversary on May 1. Naturally, we shared this occasion by eating chili and corn bread while watching the May Day snowfall.
When we made that life-altering decision to buy a house in Ellendale all those years ago, it meant a lot of things. First and foremost was the fact that we wanted to stay here.
I was finishing my third year of teaching at NRHEG. We had gotten married the previous year, and we had no idea how we’d afford a house. However, we figured we’d make it work.
And we’ve done that, adding two children, a goldfish, and a cat along the way. But what made us decide that living here was the ultimate goal?
Every week, I enjoy reading the “Meet Your Neighbor” section across from my column. One of the questions always deals with the best part of living in a small town. Answers vary, but I’d like to add some. Understand that these might be Ellendale focused since it’s become my home!
Many people talk about how people are there to help when you need them. This is so true. When we first moved in, one of my neighbors offered me the use of his lawn mower since I hadn’t purchased one yet. A simple thing like that sets a good tone in the neighborhood.
When our basement flooded the first time, I had the use of another neighbor’s shop vac, something I never thought I’d need. Another time we flooded, I was trying to figure out what to do with all that wet carpet in the front yard. Andy Lerberg stopped by and helped me. He put it in his truck to haul it to a dumpster set up for everyone who was facing the same problem.
Even during this last snow-mageddon, my neighbor Jerry used his snow blower to take care of the end of my driveway after the plow went by. I had been dreading dealing with the accumulated muck at the end until he came along. After he was done with my driveway, he went to help others.
I know that if I have a problem with a vehicle, Mark and Al Lee will tell me the straight truth about what’s wrong. They’ll never try to get a little extra out of me with other “problems” like some places will in bigger communities. And I know that if they can’t fix it, I can truck over to New Richland and have Ike Kofstad look at it and treat me the same way.
I can go into Steve’s Meat Market or Lerberg’s and find Donovan or Ross right there to help me and always with a smile. How nice it is to be able to run and find the things I need at a moment’s notice when I realize I’m out of ground beef or am missing an ingredient for a recipe.
It’s always nice to see NRHEG grads set up shop in town and want to live in the community in which they were raised. Alex and Angela Bell have made Sequoia Landscaping the place to go to make the outside of my house look marvelous. They also treat you with that honest smile and will bend over backward to meet your every need.
If I want something to eat, there are so many great options: 5th Avenue Pizza or Judy’s Café in Ellendale, George’s in Geneva, the Willows in New Richland, and the Hartland Café, the first place I ever ate out when I moved to this district.
What’s nice about living here? If my vehicle isn’t working, I have any number of people I would feel comfortable calling for a ride to work, and I know they would not shy away from asking me the same thing. And with every one of them, I know it would be an enjoyable ride to New Richland and back.
I work with amazing people. I live in a great neighborhood. I love my town, and I enjoy visiting places in New Richland, Hartland, and Geneva, despite my tongue-in-cheek claims that I live in the best town in the district. We may be four separate towns, but we know that everyone will come together in good times and bad to make our area a place to be proud of.
There it is – our ultimate goal was to settle somewhere we would be happy and would find it best to raise a family. Mission accomplished.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is cachinnate, which means to laugh very loudly, as in, “Listening to the lady cachinnate every time something moderately funny was said led to a splitting headache.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!