Sounds of the Midwest

I visited the hometown of my youth in Middleburgh Heights, Ohio, last week. Going home triggers a mix of emotions:

joy, nostalgia, longing, and weirdness

Joy because visiting family is the very reason for the trip. I enjoyed quality time with a sister, a brother-in-law, two nieces, a nephew, a nephew in-law, and five great-nieces and nephews. All that in three days!

I felt a little weird because it is strange to drive along previously empty country roads and see them filled with fast food restaurants and retail chain stores. I guess nothing stays the same.

Weird, too, because the Southwest that has been my home the past forty-five years, differs from Ohio. The climate, topography, architecture, and local color are unique--equally beautiful but different.

Another strange phenomenon was the weather. Ohio can be anything the first week of November. My visit was blessed with 70-degree weather, pretty much the whole time. In fact, one day it was cooler in Phoenix than in Ohio. I didn't even wear the light jacket I packed.

Other than visiting with loved ones, what touched my heart most were the sounds and sites of the Midwest I remember and love:

• Falling leaves - I'd forgotten how beautiful they look when they tumble to the ground in a soft breeze. The trees seems to be whispering.
• A muffled train whistle off in the distance - it made me want to write a country western song about riding the rails. A train whistle stirs up a longing in my heart for....? What, I don't know.
• Crunching through fall leaves in a woods - my sister and her husband live on wooded property and walking through the dried leaves reminded me of my childhood. Like most children, my friends and I raked the leaves into huge piles to jump through. I remember vividly the large worms hiding in those piles. Maybe that added to the adventure.
• Deer running through the back yard. Actually, it was a doe trying to get away from two eager young bucks. (I saw 23 deer in the three days of my visit!)
• Squirrels - all 4,000 of them!- crunching peanuts left on the porch. I think squirrels are going to take over the world--at least northern Ohio.
• Squawking blue jays - I saw them as beautiful, my family considers them a nuisance.

Sounds of the Midwest are really sounds of home. I suspect every place has its special noises. My husband was raised in Chicago and he fondly remembers city noises: sirens, car horns, and screeching brakes. He even likes the smell of bus fumes! I can't even imagine.

What sounds bring back your childhood?

 

Think about your youth. What sounds trigger positive memories? Share a memory or two with your family members.

Have fun!

Preserved fall leaves from my childhood neighborhood--they remind me of my roots.