No man is an island
Cheryl Unruh
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
When we were in high school, one of my friends announced that she wanted to build a shelter by the river. She planned to be totally self-sufficient.
“I’m going to live off the fat of the land,” she said.
It might be fun to live off the land, but there’s something to be said for consuming and appreciating the work of others.
Our interconnectedness came to mind one recent weekend as I made the rounds in the area, stopping at different venues.
We don’t have to do everything ourselves because many of our neighbors produce food, art and entertainment. Their work enhances our lives.
On a Friday afternoon, I visited Alan Tollakson in his garage/art studio. A power grinder whined and a large fan moved around the warm summer air. Large slabs of Cottonwood limestone rested on pallets.
Tollakson and fellow stone carver Cliff Dieker were working on a commissioned project — carving a letter into each 3-foot square slab of limestone. When done, the stones will spell “Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.” These letters and two eagles Tollakson carved will go atop the new building in Kansas City, Mo.
Tollakson also carved the “We the People” sculpture standing in front of the Lyon County Historical Museum. The gift he offers is beautiful stone work, his fine craftsmanship.
My next stop, with Dave along now, was an early dinner at the Miracle Café, the new restaurant in Reading.
Afternoon light streamed through the west windows of this 1870 house while Dave and I enjoyed the day’s special: roast beef and mashed potatoes.
Wonderfully mismatched chairs scooted on hardwood floors. Tables, each one different, filled three small dining rooms.
As Dave and I ate pie, the owner, a teacher by trade, Cynthia Price Wilson, told us the story of her brand new cafe in this very old building. The economic development group in Reading cleaned and painted the café. Curtains were made, a counter built. Together they created a restaurant.
Townspeople donated furniture, plates and glasses. As a group, they brought this vital community hub into existence. The cafe now feeds the people of Reading and beyond.
In Emporia every Saturday morning (and Wednesday afternoon), the parking lot at Eighth and Merchant comes alive with vendors and shoppers at the Farmers Market.
Voices rise as friends greet each other, as money is exchanged for beets and onions, cinnamon rolls and croissants.
Vendors offer food in the colors of summer: gold and red potatoes, orange jams, green and yellow squash.
While I spend my days tending to words at the computer, weeding out unnecessary adverbs, these farmers are tending gardens, snapping beans off the vine, washing dirt from onions.
Long into the night, vendors pack vegetables, can their jellies, or bake wheat bread so that we can buy fresh food.
Meanwhile that Saturday, at Whittier Park, young girls with the Emporia Energy softball teams slugged the ball and sprinted to first.
Coaches, parents, umpires and referees provide an opportunity for girls to gain athletic skills and learn sportsmanship. And they offer this spectator sport to the community.
After watching an hour of softball, I picked up Dave and we took the Emporia Garden Tour sponsored by the Lyon County Extension Master Gardeners.
While visiting the six homes on the tour, we enjoyed the beauty of clematis, coleus, and moonbeam coreopsis. Local gardeners keep Emporia in bloom.
All around us is a symphony of activity: the stone carver who etches permanent art, the community that made a restaurant from scratch, gardeners who grow food and flowers.
We give, we take. We each have something to offer. One thing is certain: we’d all have a lot less if we had to do everything ourselves.
“Flyover People” is online at www.flyoverpeople.net.
F Cheryl Unruh can be reached at cheryl@flyoverpeople.net.
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