My phone's photo gallery feature evidently includes a yearbook, because it has been occasionally putting up reminders of what I was doing at this time last year.
At this time last year, I was in Minnesota visiting my parents, other family, and of course the Minnesota State Fair. And therein lies a bit of a self examination.
I don't really remember living in Minnesota. We moved away before I was big enough to form any memories. My first memories are of being a very small child in Tennessee. But Minnesota is where my family is from and so it gets an automatic level of fealty. I understand why you have to be a native born American to be eligible for President, I love my home state and barely know it. Imagine if I had grown up there.
And I did do some growing there, I have many indelible memories that helped firm up my current, less immature state that were formed in Minnesota.
At this time last year - last week, actually - I was touring the fair, touring the state, wandering around the Ensculptic and its grounds with my folks. And in this pandemic reality, such visits are ill advised.
Fortunately, there's YouTube. I'm watching videos of tractors, videos of people building pole barns, watching cooking and knitting videos, going through photos of family. Give it a try. It's not the real thing but it should tide us over until we can get back to life as it used to be, or something like it.
Wherever you are, be safe, remember family, and hopefully we'll all be back together again soon enough.
