We recently made a trip from our home in Northern Illinois to Cedar Falls, Iowa. It’s a trip we’ve made often and whenever we are contemplating the trip, I grouse about how far it is. However, once we get an hour or so from home, I forget all about the 4.5 hour drive and simply relax and enjoy the spectacular views, especially as we near Galena, Illinois and the Mississippi River area.
If you’ve been lucky enough to drive through the Galena area, you know what I mean; if you haven’t been through there, put it on your “must visit” list. Galena itself is a charming hamlet of 19th century buildings, quaint shops, a park at the Galena River and at least one overlook from which you can see three states! Also in that area are resorts, ski hills, the Mississippi River, wineries, and antique shopping. No surprise it is on America’s Top Ten Small Towns list! However, what I really wanted to talk about is the beauty of our heartland farms.
During our travels, we like to take different routes coming and going, and often go off the beaten path, so we can enjoy more scenery. Some people would be bored by the sporadic farms and tiny towns, but to us they are soothing. While we associate these farms with days gone by and sippin’ sweet tea on the porch, and while from a distance they are endearing, idyllic, and convey a simple life, the truth is these are working farms and are the bread and butter–literally–of our country. (U.S. farms outnumber U.S. factories by 1000x!)
Wheat, corn, pig, dairy, and all farms require work. Lots and lots of it. Farming isn’t a job for these folks, it’s a lifestyle. Planting and harvesting take place at the whims of the seasons and growth cycles of the crops; dairy cows must be milked no matter the weather, the farmer’s health (there are no sick days to take), or other engagements that may be more fun; pig farming, I’ve learned from a pig farmer friend of ours, actually requires far more than putting pigs in a sty and awaiting them to fatten up; and all commercial farms require lots of bureaucratic red tape.
I believe any of the farmers by whose farms we pass would be pleased to know their farm has brought us a moment of joy/peace. I think they’d also be mighty thankful if we also took a moment to appreciate their hard work and sacrifice to provide food and products for our well-being. You may make your grocery purchases at your local grocer, but it’s the farmer who made that possible.
It is a blessing to be able to visit our heartland and take in the beauty of our surroundings and pay homage to our ancestors who traversed these lands to set up their homesteads. And…just when I was getting misty eyed thinking how easy I have it with modern conveniences, we rounded the corner and saw this as confirmation of my thoughts!
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