Rural @ MindSay 
Here’s a little example of how small town my life is:
The indoor movie theater closed for the season last weekend, and now the drive-in is opening up for the summer. This was supposed to be the opening weekend, so I called up to the theater to find out what was playing. Turns out they aren’t opening this weekend because the freezer broke down and they need to make some repairs before they start. Then the lady on the phone tells me they’ll be open next weekend. So I ask, naturally, what will be showing. And her response was: “Well, what would you like to see?”
I live in a place where the closest drive-in is an hour away and if they don’t have a movie picked out, they’ll take your suggestions. I feel incredibly country today.
COTTONWOOD, Minn. - Four students were killed Tuesday in a school bus crash in southwestern Minnesota, authorities said.
The students were in a Lakeview School bus that was hit by a van around 3:25 p.m. on Minnesota Highway 23 north of Cottonwood, Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Mark Peterson said. The bus then collided with a pickup and tipped on its side.
For full story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23243603/
Some of you are going *gasp* what a small school and my Gods, those poor families. Then there is the rest of us that live in the small rural communities in and around MN, are hugging our children rather closer than normal today. Because those 4 students that were killed and have moved on to rest in their God's arms, were not the only victim's in this crash. I laughed when I heard down in OK and TX, when people said we are a small town and the town was 30 thousand plus people and then a few thousand more outside of the town. You see I live in pretty much the same size town that suffered this tragedy. And it isn't just the family's of those injuried or killed that suffer it is the whole town and the surrounding communities.
My town is 1000 plus or minus depending on the year and another few hundred in the outlaying countryside. Towns around my town range in populations of a few hundred to maybe a few thousand. That could have been my community's bus that was crashed into. That could have been my friends' children, it could have been another towns bus and carried my realitves children, it could have been my kids' classmates' siblings that ride the bus to the public school. You see in the "larger" towns that have 30 thou or more in population you have a connection of tragedy but there is going to be someone and some family in that town NOT affected. In towns and villiages that are small rural communities like Cottonwood MN, the tragedy is felt in a larger radious because literally EVERYONE knows EVERYONE even if it isn't personally. Half the towns this size are related to each other via marriage, immideate, or distant blood ties. The towns that surround communities of this size, know people intimitly, of, and can relate to this community due to blood ties, friendships forged in highschool, and county events. This tragedy that Cottonwood MN suffered the whole area in Southwest MN, is suffering because it could have been their kids and ten to one they knew or knew about the kids injuried or killed.
Not to mention rural communites in MN not apart of this area, SD, IA, ND, and NE are all sending our prayers and our blessings to not only the families that lost their bright lights of their children but to the families of the other children and to the whole of the communites that this tragedy will affect. We will hold our children a little bit closer today and be thankful that it wasn't our children and our school buses.
Prayers and Blessings going out to Cottonwood, MN. May Anu wrap the children in love, comfort and warmth that made their way to Her, and may the Gods comfort and help ALL the families in this horrible situation.
Well I have finally have felt the effects myself of being in a midwest southern state and having snow. Actually the kids are feeling the effects also!
Even though we didn't get any snow yesterday, Randy and I thought we better listen to the radio to see if they would cancel school or be a late start. Up north the misely 4-5 inches we got Saturday wouldn't have affected the schools unless the wind was up and blew drifts. Down here we knew it would. A half hour after Randy left for work this morning (yes he is working days until we leave-thus how they screwed his schedule again) it came across the radio:
Guymon area schools: One hour late start. Okay no problem they still can ride the bus right! Also Guymon schools no rural buses! Oh sooky sooky we have a problem Huston!
See on country roads this wouldn't be a problem up in NE for me. I just call the school and say I'll have the kdis there but we will be late I have to wait for the snow plows. And up north the country roads with residents usually have their roads plowed midmorning! Saturday and yesterday all the roads were plowed but country roads down here in OK. We found out that most country roads that are NOT paved do NOT get plowed! Thus enters my problem. It is one thing to have all wheel or front wheel drive on snow and ice, another thing to have one of these drives on snow that has drifted! My lil truck can NOT bust through these drifts. And even though our landlord and Randy can get out, our neighbors with big trucks can get out, those of us with small vechiles with or with out four wheel drive have problems. Because we can get stuck!
I managed to call secruity at Randy's work and catch him and our landlord walking through it! Yay now I dont' have to be transferred all over the place! Randy no rural buses and hour late start. He goes shit! Landlord turns around and goes what's wrong? (He has been really nice and told Randy sorry about what he did with me that day-and Randy told him you don't say sorry to me you have the balls to go say sorry to her) Randy tells him to wait a minute and then tells me just call them in and tell them there is now way you can get that truck of yours out of the drive or off the country road. You will go straight into a drift because the wind is up and you will get stuck in a heart beat. Landlord is in the background going you tell her not to take that lil truck of her's anywhere she doens't need to get into an accident with those kids a half mile from the hiway! If the school is ging to get pissy about those kids of hers not being at school today I will cover for you and you can ran home and take them.
But this presents another problem! Landlord said if the run no rural buses in the morning they don't run rural buses in the afternoon. There is no gaurentee that the wind will let down and stop drifting so I am back to how am I going to get the kids. Not to mention Randy works till 8 tonight and I will def ran out of cigs by that time!
I hate living in the south midwest states. They shut down for the minor things and dont' take care of their rural residents very well! Oh well! At least back home I know my drive will be plowed the same day a snow storm comes through! My uncle keeps one of his tractors at his house during the winter to dig a lot of our hiway's residents out since the majority of them can't with their large drives and lanes! And I will just be down the drive from them. I will get dug out before even my parents now! :D
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