That Heartland Normalcy
We’ve been here in Ames — aka, the Heart of the Great American Heartland — for a couple of weeks now, and I’m delighted to say everything is back to normal.
I could not say that last summer — when, as you’ll recall, the coronavirus had disrupted everything near and dear to all of us. During the relatively short time we stayed in Ames a year ago, everything we had known and grown to love over previous years had either disappeared or been shut down.
Our favorite restaurants and coffee shop — closed for indoor dining. Those wonderful band concerts — at Roosevelt Park on Sunday nights and Bandshell Park on Thursdays — canceled. Fireworks for the Fourth — gone. The annual grand and glorious Fourth of July parade on Main Street — forget about it.
Even visiting friends was worrisome. Since none of us had been vaccinated, we either had to get together outside, at parks — or not at all.
And, of course, Sharon and I had to skedaddle the weekend before all those Iowa State University students made their way back to town last year. We thought they’d bring with them a load of coronavirus — and, sure enough, they did. For a time last fall, Ames was, literally, the hottest coronavirus “spot” per capita in the nation. Thanks, kids.
Well, that was then — and delightfully, this is a whole new story. For starters, those pesky ISU students are gone for the summer. I never used to believe it, but now I think it’s true: The best time in a Midwestern college town is when there are no students.
We “oldsters” have this delightful, charming place all to ourselves for the next couple of months. And we’re doing our best to take advantage of everything Ames has to offer.
Those band concerts? Yep, we’ve been there, and we’ll be going back. They are an incredibly civilized and relaxing way to spend a warm summer evening.
Dining at restaurants with friends? Oh, yes. The good folks at Hickory Park have seen us more than a few times already. Trust me — if you’re ever in or near Ames — Hickory Park’s offerings — including its amazing ice cream desserts — are well worth stopping for.
Long walks or bike rides through our historic Old Town neighborhood, with its architecturally stunning Victorians, with those giant old ashes and maples and sycamores that create a gorgeous canopy over its streets, and with all that animal life that includes squirrels and rabbits and chipmunks — and even an occasional fox? Yep. (We could take those walks and bike rides last year. But it was with reservations about meeting someone on the sidewalk or street who might — yes, just might — have the virus. We worried about that and were quite cautious.)
Shopping at those clothing and shoe stores that have long been present on Main Street? You bet. Last year — no way. Too dangerous.
Fireworks for the Fourth this year — and a traditional Fourth parade? Yes, they’re back
And tomorrow, we plan to return to Reiman Gardens on the ISU campus. We went a couple of times last summer, but it was not satisfying, considering the masks and social distancing that were required. We won’t be wearing masks — or worrying — tomorrow.
So, you ask — and thank you for doing so — is Ames without problems? Of course not. There are troubles here, as there are elsewhere. For starters, though we had a nice spot of rain today, Iowa is in a quite-bad drought. That has resulted in our lawns turning brown (we rely on rain to water our yards and gardens) — and, more importantly, our corn and soybean crops are starting to suffer. And since corn and soybeans are the backbone of Iowa’s agriculture, that is a very big deal, indeed.
On a more local level, the Ames School District has just seen the apparently forced resignation of its superintendent. She’s been here only three years, but the combination of impossible pressures caused by the coronavirus (no one could have pleased all the parents — those who wanted in-person instruction, those who didn’t) and some missteps in rolling out a Black Lives Matter teaching week proved lethal.
And the City Council is still trying — years after voters soundly rejected a bloated, multi-million dollar plan to construct a Healthy Life Center — to build it “through the back door.” Most residents have no idea what’s going on, and one suspects that, when they find out, there will be, as the saying goes, “hell to pay.”
But with all that — life is good here in Ames, and part of the reason is that, simply, life is “back to normal.” And “normal” here is, in my view, better than “normal” almost anywhere else in this grand old USA. So we’re happy to be here this summer –perhaps the last one we’ll spend around these environs.
In a week or so, we’ll interrupt our stay to fly East, to Washington. We haven’t seen Bradley or Nicole in nearly two years. We want to revisit a couple of Smithsonians, and we plan to take in hot dogs and refreshments at a Nats game. It’s a whirlwind trek, and we’re looking forward to it.
Then it will be back “home” to Ames. And, this summer, there really is no place like this particular “home.”