Now and then in the eye of my mind I travel back to a North Dakota that may never have actually been except in the rosy color of my imagination.
Tickle of a breeze thru a tall cottonwood tree shaking the leaves with the spirits of the day.
Thousands of acres producing cattails and ducklings in abundance only God will ever be able to count.
From a high place 25 shades of green are in view, no wait 26; who can count? Huge round bales assembled like marshmallows waiting to be smores for a hungry animal in winter.
Pheasants spring up broods of tennis balls on feet chasing mom across the road. A daddy rooster soars overhead in all his oriental regalia unaware his gene pool scoots along under the canopy of grass just below him.
Wide and far horizons reveal every red purple and gold detail the palate of color sunrise and sunset extends. Infinite distance begs the eye to find the end of it all. We never do.
Vacant farmsteads and dying small towns with structures and populations collapsing belie the beautiful ghetto that is North Dakota, betraying disappointment and promise.
Sunrises come too early and the dusks exceedingly late. Time doesn't seem to matter as much when there's more than you can spend before being spent. Pelicans gather in white pillows resting on the shore of ponds safely away. It's time to sleep and wake again. North Dakota I loved thee once. Sometimes a stirring at the hand of a better lover than I awakens a lost dream of you. Julie did. Read her post. It's beautiful.
10 comments:
"Vacant farmsteads and dying small towns with structures and populations collapsing belie the beautiful ghetto that is North Dakota"
You judge something you have no right to judge and you judge it wrongly. Your judgment is an insult to hard workers. Your judgement is an insult to those who find success there and take pride in it. How dare you tear at something othere are working hard to build and maintain?
I normally don't comment on comments because I think people should have their say. I only delete mean spirited ones.
But to the comment from ND proud. NDP could not be further from the truth. This is not a judgment, this is an observation from my youth. I saw the beauty despite the fact that people I knew and loved lived in squalor on small farms in Dickey County. I know what a ghetto looks like. That qualified.
Yes they worked hard but the disappointments from failure despite their hard work caused many of them to give up in despair or worse commit suicide and murder. I won't mention names but you know exactly who and what I am talking about. I remember Ludden, Guelph and the oddfellows hall collapsing on the corner.
Fullerton, Forbes and Merricort. The empty houses and as a teenager the hundreds up vacant farms that allowed us to be up to no good.
I well have the right to offer observation not judgment. All of what I say is not a judgment as much as a hoped for promise of what could be still. That's not judgment, that's hope.
A promise of a hope and a future--
Something I think many in rural North Dakota could use right now.
"Vacant farmsteads and dying small towns with structures and populations collapsing belie the beautiful ghetto that is North Dakota, betraying disappointment and promise."
The only ghetto around here is the one between your ears. The Ghetto of your mind is full of yourself. There are less vacant farmsteads now than there was 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Small towns around North Dakota may not be growing but they have stabilized. At least the ones with population's over 800 and most people out here would not trade for your part of the world on a dare. Speaking of dares how dare you talk about somewhere that you have left and having been running down ever since your self-indulgent blog was established.
And, on the other hand, some small towns are dying, there are lots of vacant farmsteads, lots of buildings falling in, lots of disappointment, alcoholism, and failing populations. Not all, but lots. I'm not saying I'd trade where I live, but to say these things are not present are cherry-picking success stories to use as stones to throw at Gene.
Far be it from me to encourage Gene to act as judge on North Dakota yet again, but sometimes, not every post he writes is a battle trumpet.
Now, if he'd started giving his version of "solutions" to some of these real problems, I'd have had to pull out my best word sword...and thrown my own stones.
I do want to point out that hope and a future are alive and well, sometimes cleverly disguised as "status quo."
And to think a post about one walk down the road started this yet again.
North Dakota is NOT a 'ghetto' by any definition of the word. Businesses and homes going into and out of service is common anywhere in the nation and is a natural result of family and economic fluctuations. To label as 'ghetto' or 'poor' the place where so many make a SUCCESSFUL living and lead a happy life full of pride in their accomplishments is an insult.
However, if Gene is going to make the judgement and point out the problem, it is unfair to deny him the right to comment on solutions. If one is going to go about pointing out problems to people, one has an obligation to do ones part to turn the situation around by offering positive ideas and suggestions.
To allow him the negative judgement and deny him the positive ideating is just wrong.
ah, gene is claiming his little diatribe is about the PAST even tho it uses the words "ghetto that IS North Dakota" - silly us for not getting that distinction - sure it may have been more ghetto like in the thirties and maybe some desperation ruled in the 80s, but let's be clear: Today ND is by and large thriving with jobs in the towns and farms turning profits. Albeit profits largely subsidised with the tax dollars of the rest of the nation via payments to NOT farm, but that is another issue for another day.
Careless use of language is one thing (i.e. perhaps getto was the wrong word). However, I didn't get the feel that this post was another listing of ND failures and problems, but was more a reminiscence/observational post.
That is why I disagree that I am saying "Gene can point out problems but can't offer solutions." I agree with that sentiment, but I don't agree that that's happening here. He was listing and mentioning things that came to mind from memory. It was I who listed specific problems of ND in my comment.
Julie, your beautiful descriptive narrative should not have been turned into something ugly for the sake of a blog. Gene has a hard time finding anything positive about any subject, especially related to North Dakota. And he claims to have been a one time Dale Carnegie fellow. North Dakota has its problems just like Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. But many areas between the Wal-Marts and the Wheatfield's are doing well... very well. Energy is making some cities and counties boom. Wind power is coming to the state in a big way. Cities Like Fargo and Bismarck are using their retail success to reinvent the arts and specialty retail in their cities. Small towns have found their anchors and are cleaning up there act..... they may not be booming but they are improving their environment. Yes the very little towns are still in the spiral of the death knell but that is inevitable. Everything changes, every things passes.
I drove through this country in the Seventies and witnessed many deserted farms and dilapidated buildings. I came back in the eighties and seen even more destitution, abandonment and destruction. The attitude that it was a dying part of the world did seem to be pervasive. To a large degree people were marking time waiting around to die. When I returned in the nineties I felt and reported some hope and became more optimistic but in many ways the state was treading water. Trying to get its sea legs. Not advancing but they had stopped the hemorrhaging and people were starting to look toward the future..
When I moved back in 2003 I quickly noted a real change. People were more optimistic. They had figured out how to get rid of old buildings in town and on the farm. Ag prices were up and energy was bring money and jobs across the state. People were starting to see the advantages to living in the rural Mecca of quiet and beauty called North Dakota. Roads were good and neccesary services while not plentiful were readily available. Still a conservative state but you could see the old pragmatism was returning and the future was much brighter now than then.
You will always find dirt and dust in every city. You can go to cities in Illinois where the dark and pessimistic Gene holds court and you can find dirt, grime and despair. When you look it is there... my problem with him is that he sees what he wants.... where he lives he sees all that is wonderful and in North Dakota he looks at all that did not live up to his dreams and expectations back in a day when dreams did not always unfold the way we wanted. He never comes back to look at things in real time. He is always is looking out of his jaundiced eyes and sees only what he wants.
My Cousin's son is doing his college thesis on the home town in North Dakota where his great grand parents lived and has plans to turn it into a book. He has lived most of his life in New York and Chicago. He spent several weeks back here armed with an open mind and clear eyes. He was surprised at the friendliness, the camaraderie, the stark beauty and the optimism that he saw free flowing. While in town he ate in a little gourmet coffee shop almost every day and he thought it was as good or better than Starbucks and the their customers were much more friendly than any in New York. He was wowed by how everyone treated him like a life time resident without knowing even who he was..... He found much that is good here but then again he didn't have the old tired eyes brought to the subject by the likes of expatriate bloggers.
Sure there are problems and pockets of poverty. The average income is very low but it is offset somewhat by inexpensive services and housing and manageable taxes. Schools rate high on the national charts for both percentage of graduates and success in college. Yes, you do pay a price for living here away from the noise and insanity that is the city but every place has its costs. Most people would not change that and in the big scheme of things....... what I see makes me very optimistic..... no one can predict the future but I for one am hopeful and see many good things happening right here in our dusty little state in spite of the nay Sayers and grumpy old men like Gene.
ghet·to (gĕt'ō)
n., pl. -tos or -toes.
1. A usually poor section of a city (or region) inhabited primarily by people of the same race, religion, or social background, often because of discrimination.
The Definition Stands. Google it up.
Julie, I appreciate your support even including the dubious nature regarding any "advice" I would give. I'll give none.
Ken and the others are symptoms not causes. Your evaluations are accurate. If I said it looked like rain and there was a big black cloud they would deny it and call me a negative thinker.
SO-
I don't actually pay them much attention. In reality I have fond MEMORIES of North Dakota. But they are just that. Synaptic connections corroded by time.
I pay the sideline snipers little attention except when they need an English lesson regarding the word Ghetto.
I saw lots of Ghetto before the wall fell in Germany. It's people of a like heritage living in an isolated area in less prosperity than those in other areas. What part of Ghetto is misapplied to North Dakota according to the definition?
Don't pay us much attention, eh? You wish!
Poor section of city or region separated by discriminiation?
Since ND does not differ appreciably from SD or rural and small town MN or NE or KS or WI or IL or any number of other states, one could hardly call it separated to begin with, as the definition typically demands.
I beleive you were referring more to some sort of imagined level of poverty. Again, you can look breifly at USDA and other statistics and find no basis for calling ND 'poor'. Median income over $30K, cost of living among the lowest third in the country, poverty level hovering around 10-11%, employment rate around 3%, ND does just not stand out as a 'poor' state.
We don't need an English lesson. You need a lesson on interpretting statistics. And an ettiquette lesson in politeness and tact.
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