Hometown

Today I am grateful for some family time to celebrate my step-daughter Emily's birthday yesterday and for warm clothes and working heat as we brace for some very cold weather.

 

The last "H" word is hometown. When I was visiting over the holidays, I took this picture of the current water tower in my hometown of Ossian, Iowa. I grew up on a farm a couple miles out of town. The 2010 census says that Ossian has 845 residents. That number hasn't changed drastically in decades.



 

 

 

 

This water tower has already been around for years. The water tower I grew up with was silver with a red top if my memory serves me. It has since been dismantled.

 

For the heck of it, I googled Ossian and found a couple surprises. Below are two YouTube videos with pictures of Ossian. They share some of the same photos, but both also are unique. This one I will call Ossian 1 was set to Pat Metheny music and includes parade photos and homes around town. This one I will call Ossian 2  had aerial views and pictures of the old water tower being dismantled. It was set to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."  What do you make of that? Any locals or former locals may appreciate viewing the videos if they haven't done so already.

 

I especially appreciated seeing the pictures of the old water tower being dismantled. It looked pretty rough by the time it was dismantled.That's what happens when something is no longer in active use.There's a lesson in that. It was a sentimental series of pictures as well. How time flies.

 

I saw an old school bus driver, the ball diamond many of my siblings and I played ball games on, and some still do. I saw the changing main street, but also businesses that have been around for generations.

 

My hometown may be small, but I think it is vibrant and persistent. I appreciated the stroll down memory lane this morning.

 

What do you appreciate about your hometown?