My Home Town – a New Meme
Yes, I know, I know; already written this week about life in Robinson, Illinois. That post was intended to help us realize just how interesting that place called where we are really is.
But you know how it is, right? Writing it got me to thinkin’ (that grinding noise you hear) about the many places I’ve been. Funny, isn’t it, how the very act of writing about something triggers even more stuff to write about. Wow, I can feel the ol’ gray cells firing away up there (oooh, lookit all the pretty lights).
Well, here’s something Mrs. MZM and I still wonder about to this day…
After we’d settled into small town life (a humongous change from our life in the bustling metropolis of Houston, Texas), we finally had the chance to explore the town and the surrounding area. It wouldn’t take long; after all, Robinson is only about a mile across in both directions, so there’s really not that much to it.
Well, let’s see… there’s a couple of schools, two main industries (the Marathon refinery and the Heath chocolate factory), a Farm King (great deals on work clothing, or if you happen to need a cattle chute), 7 eateries (see the link above), an abandoned movie theater in a somewhat lonely downtown, the usual town square… the ordinary elements of small town life. Although we found the inevitable mansions spotted here and there, the general population was mostly blue-collar working class folk.
And speaking of mansions, there were four (count ‘em – FOUR) Illinois State Lottery winners living there, too. Ordinarily I would have considered that fact to be amazing enough all by itself, but here’s the really odd part – two of them lived in Robinson before winning and stayed, while the other two winners moved there on purpose AFTER winning! Interesting, and possibly even strange, but true nonetheless.
Mrs. MZM and I spent plenty of time exploring the area within 100 miles of the place, and one of the things we noticed about the houses was that there seemed to be a preponderance of, well, lawn decorations. You know, the concrete figures you see in lawns everywhere, right? Deer, gnomes, bird baths – you name it, we probably saw it in somebody’s lawn. Of course, some lawns had more than others.
Then there was this one place that (I would swear it – except my momma taught me not to swear) had a statue of virtually every Disney character known to man. You think I’m kidding? Nope, they had the entire cartoon pantheon, from Mickey Mouse to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and then some (at least a hundred figures in all!) was represented, all in concrete and painted up beautifully. It was a sight to behold, I’ll tell ya!
But by far the most common item were those concrete geese. And it wasn’t just the fact that (and I’m really not kidding here) about 25% of the population seemed to have a pair flanking their doorsteps. It’s the clothes they were dressed in that really caught the eye!
The photos you see here are from a small area fair we visited once, and allow me to assure you, this is merely the barest touch of the beginning of the start of the tip of the iceberg. There were clothes of every type imaginable, from Star Wars characters to super models. It was the most memorable thing, in my humble opinion, about life in Robinson.
So what’s that about? Whatever on Earth prompts people to do that?
Don’t you just love the diversities of lifestyle we enjoy? One of the most rewarding things Mrs. MZM and I have experienced in our travels are the “little” idiosyncrasies (and some ain’t so little, either!) such as these, literally everywhere we’ve been (and believe me, we’ve been a few places – see the About Yours Truly page up there). Every single place has its own personality, its own lifestyle; literally a flavor of its own. That’s what’s so fun about traveling around the country, and yes, around the world.
So here’s the thing…
Introducing a new meme: My Home Town
I would LOVE to know about YOUR town! So… let’s throw this one out as a meme, shall we? Sortof whack it against the wall and see what sticks. I’ll start by tagging a few of my favorite folks (purposely choosing some from around the world), but if you aren’t tagged and feel like jumping in, by all means, go for it!
William Tully (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Robyn McMaster (East Koy Four Corners, New York, USA)
Joanna Young (Edinburg, Scotland)
markk (Melbourne, Australia)
Karin H (Kent, U.K.)
So here’s the question: What, in your opinion, is or are the most amazing, unusual, strange or just plain weird things about where you live?
Now, all you have to do is write a post answering the above question, then tag a few folks (choose your own number).
Don’t limit yourself to just one thing, either – in fact, the more, the merrier. PLEASE include photos as appropriate (to amaze us all, and, you know, prove you’re not kidding – we all know what a picture is worth, right?), but remember – the more memorable, the better!
NOTE: Just so you know, I have a personal interest in everyone’s answers (read on), so when you link back to the person who tagged you, please (make that, “Oh, please, please, please!”) also link to this post as well so I can read it, too.
My plan (he said gleefully, chuckling maniacally to himself) is to eventually collect them all into one grand post. So as I said, please (make that – well, see above) help me out. (Besides, not only will it make great reading, but you’ll get an extra trackback link as well.)
Also please note; this is not a contest or a competition (a sortof “My place is weirder than YOUR place” kind of thing, because that would be, uh, weird). No, it’s an opportunity to share, talk about, and yes, celebrate the grand diversity that makes up this wonderful ol’ world we live in.
OK folks, let’s see what’cha got!
31 responses so far
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
Hi Bob, this was really a fun post that truly brings out diversity of lifestyle. Wow, what an exciting challenge to create a post for the meme!
You really inspire me! Keeps my dendrites poppin’.
This does sound like a fun meme. Plus I’ve been tagged for another meme as well! I’m falling behind …
Robyn, Markk; I’m looking forward to this one for sure!
One down, one to go
Regard myself rich: one home town (back ‘home’ in The Netherlands) and our adopted Home Town in Charing Kent UK where we live, work and dream.
Robert, my number two is in.
This one is definitely worth the ‘Weird’ price
Karin H.
Hi Bob, I can see why you love stories so much! What a lovely change of pace for me to switch to story mode for most of a post! Here’s the link: http://brainbasedbiz.blogspot.com/2007/07/east-koy-four-corners-my-home-town.html
Karin: Thanks, thanks! (That’s thanks twice for TWO posts!)
Robyn: All this time I didn’t know Four Corners was the actual NAME of your town! Sorry ’bout that, but thanks so much for the wonderful details about life there!
So you’re the man who keeps starting these things! You wascally wabbit!
Actually, the name of the town itself is Pike, but I think East Koy Four Corners [anyone looking for us uses all four words] is really the place since my husband says, “it’s the Center of the Earth.”
And incidentally he dubbed himself mayor. 
[...] Hruzek is the questioner. My Home Town is the new meme! I live in Melbourne, and this post is my attempt to answer Robert’s [...]
Done! Took a while, but it was worth it. The post is here:
http://myopinionsareimportant.com/2007/07/31/the-great-big-melbourne-post/
Pete: Yep, I’m guilty! guilty! guilty! as charged. 50 lashes with a wet noodle!
Robyn: I don’t know why I can’t get that straight. Obviously not using what I learned from Brain Based Biz… 50 more lashes!
Markk: GREAT art tour on Melbourne! Very nice post!
Hi Robert – you’re keeping us busy! Just got this done before the next group writing project!
Here’s the link to my post, hope you have fun collecting them
http://coachingwizardry.typepad.com/confident_writing/2007/08/no-stars-so-lov.html
Joanna
Joanna, what a wonderfully poetic contribution to my World Tour! Thanks so much!
[...] write 4 memes on Belgrade, my favourite corners or places, which idea came first from Robert from Middle Zone Musings. This is hard as each corner of the city has its own charm, and those are referred at some extent [...]
you’re welcome robert:)
i am looking forward to see the result of this special subject meme. it would be indeed nice to see and read from different geographical spot in blogosphere.
cheers,
danica
Thanks so much for joining in, Danica! I like what you wrote, and it makes a great addition to our World Tour!
Here is my entry about my hometown Abilene, Kansas.
http://blogs.jobdig.com/wwds/2007/08/06/wild-bill-ike-steve-doocy-and-kennyconradtom-et-al/
[...] Confident Writing tagged me to write about the place where I live. The original question, posed by Robert, is – What, in your opinion, is or are the most amazing, unusual, strange or just plain weird [...]
There is very little written about my area, so I had to do some serious digging for information and walk the area to take pictures. As a result, I sent 20 photos about my town to city-data.com for future posting. Would you believe, this website didn’t have photos of my town either?
Howdy, Edith! Thanks for joining us on the World Tour! You did a good thing, too – those photos are absolutely beautiful – thanks for sharing your town with the rest of us!
[...] This Meme is hosted by Robert Hruzek of http://middlezonemusings.com/my-home-town-a-new-meme/ [...]
[...] while back I started a meme called My Home Town, to help us and our readers celebrate their roots, and in the process, take us on a sortof “world [...]
[...] Group projects are almost always fun, but Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings has come up with a brilliant one – My Home Town. [...]
[...] goats and cows of Montego Bay is quite a journey. Robyn McMaster’s invitation to join Robert Hruzek’s My Home Town Meme is a lovely opportunity to reflect on 3 things that I love about Montego Bay, the tourist capital [...]
[...] and I connected through Robert Hruzek’s My Home Town group project, a meme we both participated in. Interesting how things work out sometimes! Tags: [...]
[...] generate lots and lots of link love. I think I discovered Middle Zone Musings through Joanna on his Home Town project, still one of my favorites. Bob’s a busy guy who nevertheless takes time to comment [...]
[...] My good blogging friend Joanna Young came all the way from Edinburgh to be at SOBCon08, and happily, she added a few more miles to her trip to visit me in Geneva. (Hometown background courtesy of Robert Hruzek.) [...]
Those are some fine geese or gooses lol.. whatever they’re called. It reminds me of my mothers kitchen decor in Indiana. Makes me home sick.
I personally like the ‘gooses’ label, Judy. If this makes you homesick you MUST be from the Midwest!
Thanks for dropping by!
[...] I got tagged by Robert Hruzek to write about my home town I thought it would be a relatively easy writing task. Edinburgh, [...]