Nebraska was a faraway land when I was a little boy, full of excitement and untold mysteries I had not yet discovered.
My parents and the parents of friends and other family members spoke fondly of the wonderful times they would spend, traveling first via the old Highway 71 and then by Interstate 29 to a place called Omaha. They told us they were going to see the horses.
“But we have horses here,” I thought to myself. Did Nebraska have horses that are different than ours in Missouri? What they really meant was that they’re going to the racetrack.
Keith Jackson was the play-by-play announcer for ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Every Saturday almost without fail, the Cornhuskers would be on, running through or over their opponent. He would offer a quick bio of the player – their height and their weight, and their hometown. With very few exceptions, it was always a Nebraska town; Crete, O’Neill, Gordon. It sounded as if giants grew up in the state to our north.
Mutual of Omaha’s “ Wild Kingdom” with Merlin Perkins was a Sunday night staple after dinner; a land of brave and adventurous souls.
The College World Series beckoned another mob of young athletes with baseball talent and ambition to make the journey.
The men who liked to hunt doves or quail, common in our area, talked wistfully of the upcoming trip they had planned; destination Nebraska. Ducks and geese and pheasant were in abundance there.
I was accustomed to riding in the back of the truck if it wasn’t too cold or sitting on someone’s lap crammed inside the cab if it was. I was one hellova good bird dog, but the invitation to travel with them never came. “It must be magical there,” I thought. “Someday, I’ll see it for myself.”
A few decades passed and Applebee’s called. They were looking to expand their market and Nebraska was next. I was hired to act as the construction liaison with their corporate office, and to hire and train the incoming staff; Omaha was home base I finally made it.
Additional opportunities presented themselves and were accepted or declined for various reasons, but the train was on the track and moving forward. I eventually found my way into a company doing consulting work, traveling the state extensively. My heart quickly grew attached and my stories to the folks back home were shared without spare.
We’re older now, my siblings and friends and cousins; a little extra time and money to relax and enjoy.
“Come on up and hang out for a spell,” I encouraged them. “Check out the Sand Hills, you’re halfway to Mount Rushmore, have dinner, spend the night, I’ll cook, take Highway 20 going west, look around, it’s beautiful!”
Be careful of what you wish for.
An email or a text is usually the first indication – followed soon thereafter by a phone call, that visitors will be arriving in the future. “Are you sure?” they ask.
“Absolutely,” we reply, “can’t wait to see you.”
And this is all true of course; entertaining the people you love and care about is not an inconvenience. It’s an honor and a pleasure to extend yourself and your humble home to whomever crosses your threshold. Hopefully the memories you create are happy ones and will be cherished for years to come.
The preparations required are not difficult; they're actually enjoyable, a quick trip to the grocery store and a fresh trim on the yard – these are fun for me. We want to have a well-stocked refrigerator and a lawn worthy of the PGA. First impressions are everlasting; in retrospect I’ve probably blown that theory a long time ago.
But the changing of the sheets and the dusting and the vacuuming; the fresh towels and the glass on the storm door, it’s a lot of work. Margaret does most of it and/or happily directs me with military precision. The guests will arrive in a few hours.
I’ve started sending possible future visitors the website links to different camper dealers in the K.C. metro area. We’ve got electricity and water available next to the garage. They can experience even more of Nebraska, just out there…to the south. We’ll see you at breakfast.
