No place like home
Why Marshfield is the place to be
By Theresa Blume
Featured Columnist
October 18, 1990, I remember that day because I was in a hospital in Waupaca, and all anybody wanted to talk about was how much snow we were getting while I was busy enduring the hardest childbirth of my life. That must have been quite a season because I also remember May 10 as being the last snow of the previous spring because it was Mother’s Day. We got a big, heavy snow that covered everything, and by noon it melted.
Snow is not something notable for Wisconsinites. If it was not for those special occasions, I would not have remembered those dates. My husband and I used to make a game of it with our kids, guessing which day the first snow would arrive, a tradition that we held onto even after the kids grew up. By the way, this year the first snow was October 4, but you had to get up early to see it. Who would have guessed?
When we lived in Portage County, us six kids thought it was fun to take our shoes off and run as fast as we could through the snow from the house to the barn and back. It was sort of a test to see how tough we were. When you are a child, the more snow the better, except when Easter came early and we could not have egg hunts in the snow. Halloween was rough in winter weather too, especially trying to show off your costume with a heavy winter coat covering it up.
I have lived many places in my life. So I have had the opportunity to experience the seasonal changes in different locations. Spring in southern Texas is beautiful, and it comes early, which means hot summers also come earlier and stay longer. Of course the great food in Texas makes up for those hot, drought-ridden summers. I learned to whip up a batch of beans and cornbread for a high protein, low cost, delicious meal from my good friends in Texas.
Winter in Wyoming was harsh with winds and temperatures that plunged far below safe wind chill levels. The summers were hot and dry, and without the humidity road kill ends up as nothing but dry bones. In a state with both desert and mountains, the wildlife and scenery are amazing. I saw antelope, elk, mule deer, and prairie dogs in the Big Sky Country while venturing off the main road in a four-wheel drive pickup.
So why Marshfield, Wisconsin after trying out so many other fascinating places?
When my second son was born in La Grange, Texas, my native Texan husband and I made the decision to move back to Wisconsin.
People are kind, friendly, and generous everywhere, but I feel safer here as generations of farm families with old-fashioned values make up the bulk of the neighborhood. Marshfield displays pride and self esteem with its beautiful trees and flowers, clean stores and sidewalks, and green lawns. The graffiti on our buildings is real art and makes me proud to be an American, and family-friendly activities here give everyone great choices.
For a town this size, the culture, educational opportunities, medical care, music, art, and social gatherings are more than you would ever expect. Of course growing up in central Wisconsin has cemented my footprints here as well.
Other places are great to visit, and folks can make their homes elsewhere, but for me, even with our extreme winters and high-humidity summers, there is no place like home.
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