A short essay on living in rural America.

(Photo: Battle of Richmond Re-enactment, by Gary R. Varner)

I have lived in many places since growing up in Iowa along the Mississippi River. Some small and some almost big. I have always enjoyed the outdoors and especially the coasts and forests of northern California and central Oregon. What constantly surprises me is the diversity of life. From plants and insects to native mammals and birds.

Currently I reside in central Kentucky in a small town with less than 15,000 human souls. Kentucky is struggling to come into the 21st century. Coal mines are closing due to the switch to alternative fuels however, little is done to retrain these miners to work in other professions or venues. Drug addiction is rampant with heroin, meth and opiates funneling into the area from Michigan. Every day people are found passed out in their cars in fast food drive through—many times with small children in the back seat.

Our Tea Party governor, wanting to be another Donald Trump, spends more effort on passing legislation to teach bible study in schools rather than in programs to feed hungry children or providing clean water and access to medical care.

Kentucky is both beautiful and caring. In any situation where people have become victims to disaster, from such things as tornados, fire or other calamity people turn out in droves to help the victims rebuild or to provide food, clothing and other necessities. Even those already living in poverty give. However the state is also home to the common red neck who flies the Confederate flag from their loud pickups and boast about voting for Trump. Kentucky is a very religious state. In my small town of 15,000 people (although stats indicate that only 40% view themselves as such or identify with any particular church) there are 35 Baptist churches and lately I have witnessed Christian zealots not only speaking in tongues but yelling in tongues casting out demons in grocery store parking lots and in the spice aisle at Walmart. Snake handlers are also here although in less numbers than in the past due to recent deaths from snake bites. City and county officials are often arrested by the state police for malfeasance and corruption or straight out criminal acts. Recently a county “judge executive” was arrested for selling narcotics out of his car trunk. Judges, mayors, jailers, county clerks and police chiefs find themselves facing prison terms. Although they may not be incarcerated for long as it seems prisoners are often able to walk away unnoticed while on work detail.

While known as horse country surprisingly few horses are seen anywhere. Lexington and Louisville however abound in horse property and gorgeous horse farms. The Kentucky Race Horse Retirement Farm isn’t for old jockeys—just old horses. It is beautiful. While Kentucky has a reputation (somewhat well deserved) for poverty it also has a large wealthy class living in opulent homes often exceeding 11,000 square feet.

One would think that due to Kentucky’s rich history that patriotism would be obvious but it isn’t. Few private residences raise the American flag even on those traditional patriotic holidays. But Kentuckians have a very long memory and still refer to the Civil War not as the War Between the States but rather the “Northern War of Aggression.”

All of that being said Kentucky does have many wonderful aspects. The lightening bugs still arrive every year during the summer and you never know what you will see on any given day. We have had a family of skunks, a very large groundhog and opossum walking through the yard. Blue Jays, bright red Cardinals, Robbins and doves daily show up at the bird feeders and it’s a real trip to watch the baby birds demanding to be fed by pestering their parents and wildly flapping their wings for attention. My neighbors are the best I have ever had. They are friendly and caring and always helpful. Few signs of bigotry are ever seen and a real effort has been undertaken to combat hatred and intolerance. Kentucky is a perplexing state striving to remove itself from the past (recently removing Confederate memorials) and embracing the future with technology and innovation. I guess Kentucky is a smaller version of the larger American experience.