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<title>When Retirees Go Rural</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/when-retirees-go-rural/2025/01/02/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/when-retirees-go-rural/2025/01/02/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Pat Raia]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
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<p>When Karen Sicner and her husband John made the decision to relocate from metro Atlanta to build a new home on a two-acre homesite in rural Sylva, North Carolina, moving closer to their daughter and her family in Tennessee was a major factor. Since then though, they’ve discovered that there are other perks connected to […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/when-retirees-go-rural/2025/01/02/">When Retirees Go Rural</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?w=2048&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=760%2C570&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=1296%2C971&ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=1536%2C1151&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=600%2C450&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=200%2C150&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=1568%2C1175&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=2000%2C1499&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?resize=706%2C529&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/27085750365_057c78d74f_k.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>When Karen Sicner and her husband John made the decision to relocate from metro Atlanta to build a new home on a two-acre homesite in rural Sylva, North Carolina, moving closer to their daughter and her family in Tennessee was a major factor. Since then though, they’ve discovered that there are other perks connected to trading city life for the county living that have nothing to do with getting geographically closer to family.</p><p>“I’ve been downtown (Atlanta) today and it’s going to take me an hour or more to get home and it’s only 20 miles away,” Sicner said. “I won’t miss the traffic and the congestion and who knows, it might be cheaper to live in the country, too.”</p><p>The Sicners are among those seniors who are increasingly swapping their homes in urban or even suburban areas for ones situated on anywhere from two to ten rural acres in the Carolinas, Maine, Missouri, Texas and elsewhere.</p><p>And while it seems that this is a tactic for elders to avoid high costs, high crime and over development, those who keep an eye on who moves where in America say it has been happening off and on for decades.</p><p>According to University of New Hampshire researcher and senior demographer Kenneth Johnson, the relocation of older adults from urban areas to rural locales began in the 1970s, waned in the 1980s, enjoyed an uptick in the 1990s and after slowing in during the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, picket up again in 2010 and beyond.</p><p>“We don’t have good data on age specific migration patterns after 2020, but, all the data I have looked at suggests a significant increase in migration of older adults to rural recreation and retirement areas since 2020,” Johnson said in an interview.</p><p>Where they went had to do with places they had been before, he said. “In many cases, the older adults have prior experience in these areas either from vacationing there or having seasonal homes.” </p><p>That’s exactly what Andy Mooers has seen for the better part of 45 years spent matching retirees with real estate in northern Maine.</p><p>“People start with a vacation home here and then begin to ask how they can live here full time,” he told The Daily Yonder. “People come from Florida, Texas, Georgia or from Illinois in an effort to avoid the traffic and the high taxes -and some people are buying a farm and hope they will have a piece of land for their kids.”</p><p>According to Mooers, some of his clients make the move from the city to rural Maine just to escape the stuff of urban life. “This is Mayberry,” he said. “We don’t have the traffic and we don’t have the crime and we don’t have (high) cost of living, either.”</p><p>In fact, the prospect of stretching retirement funds indefinitely can tip the relocation scales for seniors who ponder making any move.</p><p>“Say your house in the urban area sold for $400,000 plus and you buy one for $100,000 in small town Maine or in the country somewhere, it’s the right move to the right location,” Mooers said.</p><p>Add to that lower costs of everything from car insurance to property taxes to some groceries, and the move to the country seems the obvious choice.</p><p>It’s exactly the choice that Mary Eaton Campbell and her husband Rich made when they relocated from Loomis near Sacramento, California, to a house in a 31-home development in Nixa, Missouri, then to a 10-acre homestead in West Plains, Missouri, in January 2021.</p><p>“The community mailbox was right next to my house,” Eaton Campbell recalled in an interview. “Basically, all we did was change our zipcode.”</p><p>So the couple searched for a homesite further into the country and found themselves purchasing a home built in 1977 on 10-acres of pastureland, featuring a workshop for Rich and a mining shed that Eaton Campbell turned into a She-Shed.</p><p>“Neither one of us ever had property like this before,” she said.</p><p>Eaton Campbell immediately subscribed to the local newspaper and her husband undertook the care of the property. In between, the pair began to connect with other members of the community.</p><p>They quickly met and became friends with the neighbors, and learned about the church and social groups from another woman who also became a friend. Meanwhile, Rich connected with members of a local Amish community who offered to bush hog the property for the hay that grew on it and who helped connect with others around.</p><p>“We have closer relationships to our neighbors than we ever did in our subdivision,” she said. “When you are in a metro area or a subdivision, there are so many people that you become invisible.”</p><p>What is not always close is certain quality medical care and those who choose a rural life must be prepared to travel to get it.</p><p>“For example, my dentist is about an hour away in Mountain Home, Arkansas,” Campbell explained. “But it’s a beautiful drive and when I go I make a day of it shopping, too.”</p><p>In fact, the availability and proximity of quality medical care is something Eaton Campbell researched early on and that Sicner also considered when she bought her North Carolina homesite.</p><p>But that’s just one of the things that gerontologist Nancy Schier-Anzelmo, principal in Alzheimer’s Care Associates, a California-based counseling practice specializing in senior care, recommends that  retirees research before making their move.</p><p>“Make sure you research your options,” Schier-Anselmo advised in an interview with the Yonder. “As we get older it’s hard to make new friends and that’s why it’s important to find your tribe – those people who are at the same stage of life and have the same life experience as you do.”</p><p>Even so, seniors who move into smaller, rural communities are not the only ones who benefit from the move, researcher Johnson told The Daily Yonder. The communities at large experience an increased economic activity as newcomers purchase supplies and other products from local retailers, support local cultural, church and charitable organizations, purchase medical and other services and even boost housing and land prices.</p><p>“An additional benefit that many non-metro areas get from a stream of older migrants is the considerable expertise and experience with large corporate and government bureaucracies that many migrants have from a long career,” Johnson said. “Many local nonprofit organizations and even government units can benefit from this expertise given the shortage of staff and limited resources that many organizations in rural areas have.”</p><p>For Mary Eaton Campbell though, the benefits of her new rural home are more than economic.</p><p>“I have no regrets,” she said. “One of my greatest joys is waking up in the morning, having my coffee on the porch and looking out on our land – at this point in our lives, we better be living our best life.”</p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/when-retirees-go-rural/2025/01/02/">When Retirees Go Rural</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<title>Thank you for Supporting The Daily Yonder</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/thank-you-for-supporting-the-daily-yonder/2025/01/02/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/thank-you-for-supporting-the-daily-yonder/2025/01/02/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jan 2025 10:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[From Our Team]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?w=1140&ssl=1 1140w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?resize=760%2C507&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?resize=706%2C471&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>Dear Daily Yonder readers, Happy New Year! We’ve officially reached the finish line of our annual donor campaign. And we owe you a huge thanks for helping us get here. This financial support goes directly into the publication of more important rural stories. It supports our growing team of writers, photographers, illustrators, audio and video […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/thank-you-for-supporting-the-daily-yonder/2025/01/02/">Thank you for Supporting The Daily Yonder</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?w=1140&ssl=1 1140w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?resize=760%2C507&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?resize=706%2C471&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-7.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>Dear Daily Yonder readers,</p><p>Happy New Year!</p><p>We’ve officially reached the finish line of our annual donor campaign. And we owe you a huge thanks for helping us get here.</p><p>This financial support goes directly into the publication of more important rural stories. It supports our growing team of writers, photographers, illustrators, audio and video editors, reporting fellows, and more. It allows us to keep expanding and experimenting, to make 2025 our best year yet.</p><p><strong>Truly, we can’t say it enough: thank you for supporting our rural newsroom.</strong></p><p>Whether you donated a lot, a little, or simply read and shared Daily Yonder stories with your friends and family throughout the year, we remain deeply grateful for your interest in our work.</p><p>We don’t take for granted the ways you welcome our newsletters into your inboxes, interact with our social posts in your feeds, or add us to your shortcuts and bookmarks. Even the way you sport your own <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/support-the-daily-yonder/#merch">Daily Yonder merch</a>.</p><p>2024 was a busy year for us, with more rural news, rural stories, and rural podcasts than ever before. Take a look at some of the stories that you loved to read in our <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-year-in-review-best-of-2024/2024/12/27/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>best rural stories of the year</strong></a>. We can’t wait to put in the work to build on this success and earn your continued support over the next year.</p><p>And while our annual donor campaign has ended, <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/support-the-daily-yonder/#donate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>our donation box remains open</strong></a>. If you see something you love, we gratefully accept reader donations all year long.</p><p>Thanks again, and cheers to you in the new year, from all of us over here at the Daily Yonder.</p><p><strong>Let’s keep it rural in 2025!</strong></p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/><div
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</div><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/thank-you-for-supporting-the-daily-yonder/2025/01/02/">Thank you for Supporting The Daily Yonder</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<title>2024 Rural Writing Contest Best Essay: ‘Rebounders’</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-rebounders-don-stewart/2025/01/02/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-rebounders-don-stewart/2025/01/02/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Don Stewart]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jan 2025 10:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Arts and Culture]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Rural Life]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=221570</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?resize=760%2C428&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?resize=400%2C225&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?resize=706%2C397&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>In 'Rebounders,' author Don Stewart reflects on the newfound joys of country living in rural Alabama.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-rebounders-don-stewart/2025/01/02/">2024 Rural Writing Contest Best Essay: ‘Rebounders’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?resize=760%2C428&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?resize=400%2C225&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?resize=706%2C397&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-essay-rebounders.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p style="font-size:16px"><em>Editor’s note: The second annual “Best in Rural Writing Contest” was presented by the rural literary journal The Milk House with promotional support from the Daily Yonder. Judge Dr. Chea Parton selected ‘<a href="https://www.themilkhouse.org/contest-rebounders-by-don-stewart/">Rebounders</a>‘ by Don Stewart for best essay and ‘<a href="https://www.themilkhouse.org/contest-blood-brother-by-jeremy-haworth/">Blood Brother</a>‘ by Jeremy Haworth for best short story. Readers can help decide which of these entrees is awarded the top prize by voting <a href="https://www.themilkhouse.org/contest/">on the contest website</a>. Voting is open until January 7, 2025, midnight GMT. We are celebrating the contest by republishing both finalists here on the Daily Yonder, for you to read or listen to below.</em></p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Rebounders by Don Stewart | 2024 Best in Rural Writing Contest | Best Essay" width="780" height="439" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bllQRnZdAxw?start=4&feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An audio narration of Don Stewart’s ‘Rebounders’ (via The Milk House on YouTube). </figcaption></figure><p>I’m pleased to report the wild ground cherries that recently popped up in my front lawn survived a rough separation from what turned out to be a shared taproot, and have after some delay been happily transplanted into the vegetable garden. They are now thriving next to a tangled mound of blackberries and an aging parsley bush, already reduced to half its size by a handful of swallowtail caterpillars.</p><p>Nearby, an orange cloud of gulf fritillaries swirls above our maypop arbor, a shady, woven arch of bolted autumn olive branches cut from bushes introduced to the property decades ago. The butterflies take turns flirting and flitting between the purple passion vines and a six-foot bouquet of native sunflowers erupting not far from where I discovered the ground cherries.</p><p>These aren’t things we would have seen before the move. Not that these plants were unheard of at our last address. They just weren’t welcome. I can sympathize.</p><p>At an age when I expected to be retiring in the city, instead I’ve found myself a denizen of the pastoral South, again. I’m a rebounder. A prodigal son. A semi-voluntary repatriate to the countryside.</p><p>Aware that I too am a conspicuous addition to this rural setting, I take pains to share my appreciation for unconventional floral decor with my new neighbors, and the strangers who wander down our street, the one that connects at both ends to the same county road. I think they’re getting used to me, even if my colorful personality falls short of the beauty of our new surroundings.</p><p>Thirty miles up the Interstate, the regular application of weed eaters and herbicides would have prevented such suspicious natives from interrupting the clean lines of our former neighbors’ manicured lawns, or drawing attention away from the seasonal rotation of potted pansies, mums, poinsettias and Boston ferns highlighting their porches at the appointed time, each in its proper turn.</p><p>Tradition is strong in the South. Community rules must be leaned upon, not against – lest they be bent, or, Lawdheppus, broken. Acceptable garden additions may be found at the local nursery or the fancier grocery stores, not in the empty corner lot.</p><p>Dandelions may be a brighter yellow than daffodils, but the two cannot be allowed to share a bed. Snow peas among the clematis? Perhaps, so long as no one notices, or if passers-by can be convinced these peas are of the acceptable, decorative variety. Cantaloupes beneath the boxwoods? Never. Poor people may be forced to grow food in their yards; respectable folk have no need. (And <em>no</em>, one does <em>not</em> make pie from the decorative pumpkins crowding the front steps from Hallowe’en to Thanksgiving.)</p><p>To be truthful, we’re not living all the way out in the country, but a hard rock’s throw in three of the four cardinal directions from our back porch will get you near there, and probably within shouting distance of a person who is both respectable and hungry, at least some of the time. With fewer folks of either sort to judge, the rules are a little more relaxed here. I’m fine with that.</p><p>On close inspection, I might be reckoned a rule or two shy a full load of respectability myself. I’m fine with that, too, rules being made the way they always have been – for people, and not the other way around.</p><p>Back in the city, there are parades to celebrate the azaleas’ annual effusions of pink and white, festivals devoted to magnolia blossoms. Yet okra’s golden hibiscus, or the profusion of lavender trumpets that decorate our sweet potato vines enjoy no such fanfare, despite both being lovely, and delicious besides.</p><p>Neither do the dozens of native wildflowers that bloom incessantly from March to December in one part or another of our half-acre yard, if I don’t mow them away. Redbud, Rose-O-Shar’n, milkweed, boneset, elderberry, elephant’s foot, goldenrod, and an endless variety of asters from fleabane and desert chicory, black- and brown-eyed Susans and Jerusalem artichokes rise from our ragged lawn, happy for the chance to stretch up and show out.</p><p>I’m grateful for the chance do the same. Those parts of me lacking in rulesmanship may be taken up with wildflowerishness.</p><p>The son of a college administrator, I was raised on the fringes of ranchland in Texas and Oklahoma before charting my own academic course in big city Birmingham, Alabama. My wife, a rural physician’s daughter from East Texas, spent most of her time in Houston and Dallas, but never strayed far from family roots buried deep in cattle country. We both have a nostalgic appreciation for fields of prairie clover and lush bluebonnets, evening primrose and fiery Indian paintbrush stretching wide toward the sunset. And while we became thoroughly acclimated to the suburbs, we also never lost the proud sense of self-reliance fundamental to life on the southern prairie.</p><p>For twenty years we ran our own art studio in the middle of the Birmingham Metroplex, saving to purchase our rented home in the quiet community where we raised our children, where we planned to retire. Our only mistake was choosing to live in a suburb that lately decided to recreate itself into an exclusive, upmarket destination.</p><p>Exclusivity is a beast with two faces, smiling warmly on the favored few, glowering on the rest who fail to make the cut. By design, it shuts people out, and turns them away. After years of chasing escalating housing costs, many of us who assumed we belonged in our town suddenly felt the sting of alienation, and the prospect of an uncertain future.</p><p>Like so many others, the course of our lives was altered by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Flush with PPP allowances, our studio landlord informed us that we would not be celebrating our twentieth anniversary in the building he owned. Intending to renovate the property for his own use, he preferred that we vacate the premises, immediately, along with the other tenants in the building.</p><p>With the post-Covid real estate surge in full swing, we suddenly found ourselves searching far from home to find a suitable workspace. For the first time in decades, we were obliged to commute away from the city, struggling to rebuild our business in a new location after more than a year of lockdown. We did our best to take the change in stride, noting with some pleasure that we were now actually closer to many of our customers, and as reverse commuters, we never had to suffer the effects of rush hour in our daily travels to and from the bustling metropolis.</p><p>A few months later the other shoe dropped, kicking us even harder than the first on its way down. The popular movement to renovate and escalate spread from the downtown retail center out into the surrounding neighborhoods, wiping away hundred-year-old bungalows that gave our town its historic charm, replacing them with lawnless, hotel-ish superstructures designed to accommodate the appetites of the new uber riche.</p><p>Inevitably the trend found its way to our address, where we received another notice: By summer’s end we would have to relocate, or face a dramatic increase in rent.</p><p>The housing boom had already quintupled home prices in our neighborhood, pushing the possibility of ownership completely out of reach. The prospect of slowly draining our savings on rent with no return on our lifetime investment was devastating. Still working to get our business on track from a distance, we now had no choice but to look even farther afield for a new place to live.</p><p>That’s exactly where our search led us, through rolling fields and limestone glades, the folds and bunions of the Appalachian foothills’ weather-worn toes, to the tasseled fringe of an historic rural college town. Host to a small liberal arts university, a classic Main Street and an expansive park bordered by a long, lazy creek, the area was also an established art community – an unexpected perk that was immediately appealing to both of us. We felt at home before we even found a place to settle.</p><p>Moving away from the metropolis didn’t mean we’d left the housing shortage behind. Covid’s displacement of workers from office to home meant people across the country were suddenly free to leave the city, commuting electronically from anywhere. Many made a mad dash to the countryside, hoping to lower expenses and improve their quality of life. Small town housing suddenly became a popular commodity.</p><p>It’s a good thing we’re old, the Missus and I, and seasoned, and cut from country stock. We weren’t looking for new and shiny. All we needed was sturdy and serviceable. While most buyers at the time tendered competing, escalating bids on brand new homes in upscale developments, we asked our realtor instead to hunt for an ugly duckling – something with strong bones and lots of potential. Curb appeal was secondary, if it mattered at all. We weren’t looking for a manicured lawn, we told her, or the rules requiring us to maintain one.</p><p>What she found was a hand-wrought battle tank of a red brick ranch, old and staid, offering little in the way of design features to tempt the younger work-from-home set. But much about the house was familiar to us, something our parents or grandparents might have considered a half-century ago, with cabinets and fixtures we both recognized from our childhoods, still in fine working order. Solid roof. New paint. Decent plumbing. Working appliances and light switches. And not a thing had been done to the yard in thirty years, other than the occasional, random passage of a lawnmower, an effort to keep the surrounding woods in their place. We placed an offer immediately; thirty days later were moving in.</p><p>Ironically, we wound up commuting the same distance to the studio, only now in the opposite direction, with less traffic and nicer scenery. The Missus delights in counting the cows, horses, and driveway dogs, watching the enveloping seasons alter the passing landscape week after week.</p><p>I enjoy naming the flowers that decorate the fence rows and borrow ditches that chart our route to work. She has learned to wait patiently while I stop to gather berries and seeds, hoping to add them to the topography of our lawn, so I can point them out one day to the neighbors and the strangers who wander down our street, the one that connects at both ends to the same county road.</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/2024-best-in-rural-writing-contest-rebounders-don-stewart/2025/01/02/">2024 Rural Writing Contest Best Essay: ‘Rebounders’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<item>
<title>Observations of a Fire Lookout</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/observations-of-a-fire-lookout/2025/01/01/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/observations-of-a-fire-lookout/2025/01/01/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rick Freimuth / Writers on the Range]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[repub]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=220865</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="768" height="1024" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=570%2C760&ssl=1 570w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=972%2C1296&ssl=1 972w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=600%2C800&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=450%2C600&ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=300%2C400&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=150%2C200&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=400%2C533&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=706%2C941&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>This story was originally published by Writers on the Range. The writers Edward Abbey, Gary Snyder and Norman McLean all staffed high-elevation fire lookouts in the West—their experiences rich fuel for their work. But Jack Kerouac’s reaction makes me smile.  After he searched for smokes from Desolation Peak Lookout in Washington during one summer in the 1950s, Kerouac complained that his brain was “in rags.” He added, “I thought […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/observations-of-a-fire-lookout/2025/01/01/">Observations of a Fire Lookout</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="768" height="1024" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=570%2C760&ssl=1 570w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=972%2C1296&ssl=1 972w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=600%2C800&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=450%2C600&ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=300%2C400&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=150%2C200&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=400%2C533&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?resize=706%2C941&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rick-and-Linda-Freimuth-courtesy-Rick-Friemuth.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p class="has-text-align-center"><em>This story was originally published by <a href="https://writersontherange.org/observations-of-a-fire-lookout/">Writers on the Range</a></em>.</p><p>The writers Edward Abbey, Gary Snyder and Norman McLean all staffed high-elevation fire lookouts in the West—their experiences rich fuel for their work. But Jack Kerouac’s reaction makes me smile. </p><p>After he searched for smokes from Desolation Peak Lookout in Washington during one summer in the 1950s, Kerouac complained that his brain was “in rags.” He added, “I thought I’d die of boredom or jump off the mountain.”</p><p>I couldn’t disagree more. My wife Linda and I have worked for the last seven years at Benchmark Lookout on the San Juan National Forest, a fire tower in the southwest corner of Colorado, and we love being there. </p><p>We’re on the job from mid-May until mid-September and mostly alone—except for the abundant wildlife, rare visitors and firefighters who get to see our side of the combined effort to thwart wildfires. The fire crews look forward to examining this huge swath of the West that’s their firefighting turf.</p><p>We start our trip in southern Colorado, leaving the town of Dolores and driving 30 miles on rough gravel up to the tower at 9,264 feet. We haul our own food for 10-day stretches, with four days off. Linda brings wool to spin, we both choose lots of books, and I spend the days scanning the land and the sky above.</p><p>We think we’re suited for the job, never finding the isolation a problem. Because once we climb our timber tower at season’s start, we become eyes-in-the sky for the vast Four Corners area, looking for what we don’t want out there—smoke indicating wildfire.</p><p>I usually spot smoke out of the corner of my eye, or when doing dishes or even while reading a book. Vigilance gets built in during a workday that usually lasts as long as there’s daylight. </p><p>Everything stops while I plot the location of the smoke on the 80-year-old Osborne Fire Finder and on maps. Then I radio in my find to Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch. This is my 15 minutes of calculated frenzy in an otherwise quiet existence.  Dispatch uses the information I supply to send engine crews, helitack crews or aircraft to the fire.</p><p>Some days I spot two smokes, once five, more often none—though after a rain, mist rising out of canyons can mimic smokes and try to fool you.  We call them waterdogs.  What’s always entertaining is the weather itself. </p><p>Out of thin air, clouds seem to materialize right above Benchmark Lookout, and with our 360-degree view, thunderstorms here are dramatic and loud. Once, a lightning bolt hit so close that the hair on our arms stood straight up.</p><p>We’re often asked why we staff a fire lookout. Our reasons aren’t easy to convey. Most of the time, our quick reply is “we like being alone” or “we enjoy being in a remote spot.” That’s too simple and doesn’t reflect how we and many other fire lookouts feel about their jobs.</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="585" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=780%2C585&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-220874" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=760%2C570&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=600%2C450&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=200%2C150&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?resize=706%2C530&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Firefighters-plotting-out-their-day-photo-courtesy-Rick-Freimuth-1296x972.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Firefighters plotting out their day. (Photo courtesy of Rick Freimuth)</figcaption></figure><p>For one thing, we know we’re still necessary, not yet outmoded by satellites and aircraft. Our job isn’t just fire detection. We provide critical weather and fire behavior observations to the fire crews on the line.  </p><p>Looking out, our view encompasses Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients, Bears Ears National Monument, Shiprock, the San Juan Range and much more—a four-state area where Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico meet.</p><p>Our view is ever-changing as the sun makes its arc and the weather makes its moves. And time seems to slows down when manmade distractions disappear. Our tower has been visited by horned lizards, elk, mountain lions and a mama bear with two cubs.  </p><p>Hummingbirds fly thick through masses of wildflowers beneath us, and we see flickers, swallows and turkey vultures. Sandhill cranes, white pelicans and the odd osprey also fly past. Quiet surrounds us as we have this magnificent view to ourselves. </p><p>Winter is deepening now as I write this. We’re already dreaming of next year’s fire season atop our 42-foot-tower.</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p><em>Rick Freimuth is a contributor to Writers on the Range, <a href="http://writersontherange.org/">writersontherange.org</a>, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He is a former wildland firefighter and carpenter, now retired. He lives in Paonia in western Colorado.</em></p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/observations-of-a-fire-lookout/2025/01/01/">Observations of a Fire Lookout</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">220865</post-id> </item>
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<title>In Remembrance: Janie Ekere, 1998-2024</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/in-remembrance-janie-ekere-1998-2024/2024/12/31/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/in-remembrance-janie-ekere-1998-2024/2024/12/31/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Dec 2024 18:20:57 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[People to Know]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=221632</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1000" height="667" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?resize=760%2C507&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?resize=706%2C471&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>Janie Ekere, who was a Daily Yonder Rural Reporting Fellow in 2023, was a tenacious young journalist who strived to give the underdog a fair shake. Janie died in her sleep December 10, 2024, at the age of 25, according to The American Prospect. At the time of her death, Janie was the John Lewis […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/in-remembrance-janie-ekere-1998-2024/2024/12/31/">In Remembrance: Janie Ekere, 1998-2024</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1000" height="667" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?resize=760%2C507&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?resize=706%2C471&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dayen-Ekere-obit-121724.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>Janie Ekere, who was a Daily Yonder Rural Reporting Fellow in 2023, was a tenacious young journalist who strived to give the underdog a fair shake.</p><p>Janie died in her sleep December 10, 2024, at the age of 25, according to <a href="https://prospect.org/culture/2024-12-17-remembering-janie-ekere/">The American Prospect</a>. At the time of her death, Janie was the John Lewis Writing Fellow at the Prospect.</p><p>Janie was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a political science degree in 2022. Besides working for the Daily Yonder and The American Prospect, she also interned with the North Carolina Green Party during college.</p><p>Janie’s journalism career was tragically brief. But from her foreshortened body of work, it’s possible to see the patterns in Janie’s interests. </p><p>At the Yonder, Janie took every opportunity to report on people who were trying to make their communities better and more just. She <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-tapping-the-dormant-energy-in-rural-dirt-road-organizing/2023/08/01/">wrote about</a> topics such as the power of community organizing in rural America, the <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/organizing-against-culture-wars-trying-to-reshape-of-public-schools/2023/09/19/">efforts</a> of small-town residents to protect public education in her home state of North Carolina, and the role of <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/lack-of-local-news-can-intensify-the-communitys-disengagement-in-public-life/2023/08/22/">local journalism</a> in enlivening democracy. She also assisted with audio production for our weekly radio news program, the Yonder Report. </p><p>At the Prospect, Janie wrote about the difficulty of running for office without <a href="https://prospect.org/politics/2024-07-12-hardships-of-working-class-candidate/">personal wealth</a>, state efforts to <a href="https://prospect.org/economy/2024-06-13-continuing-struggle-reform-payday-lending/">reform </a>predatory lending, the potential of Black congregations to play a role in <a href="https://prospect.org/environment/2024-10-28-pews-to-polls-save-planet-climate-revival/">climate justice</a>, and more. </p><p>Like the rest of the Yonder staff, Janie worked remotely. She was a quiet but regular presence in our frequent newsroom online huddles. We were all able to enjoy her company face to face in two staff gatherings held during her tenure here. Besides her journalism skills, she was the person you wanted on your team at a trivia contest, according to our staff.</p><p>Janie’s death is a harsh reminder that none of us can predict the future. Janie’s courage and personal values are obvious in her work, so we can perhaps see some indication of how the arc of her professional life might have played out. We are all poorer for her loss.</p><p>Our hearts go out to Janie’s family and friends, to whom we offer our deepest sympathies. </p><p>A <a href="https://www.regionalmemorialcremations.com/obituary/Janie-Ekere">celebration of Janie’s life</a> will be held January 11, 2025, in Greensboro, North Carolina. The family has established a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-fund-janie-ekeres-final-farewell">fundraising campaign</a> to help pay for funeral expenses.</p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/in-remembrance-janie-ekere-1998-2024/2024/12/31/">In Remembrance: Janie Ekere, 1998-2024</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">221632</post-id> </item>
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<title>Economists: Rural Uninsured Rates Likely to Rise if ACA Premium Tax Credits Expire</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/economists-rural-uninsured-rates-likely-to-rise-if-aca-premium-tax-credits-expire/2024/12/31/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/economists-rural-uninsured-rates-likely-to-rise-if-aca-premium-tax-credits-expire/2024/12/31/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liz Carey]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics and Government]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=221011</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="713" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C713&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C529&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C902&ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C535&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1069&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1426&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C835&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C713&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1092&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1392&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C278&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C492&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C713&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>The number of rural residents who aren’t covered by health insurance is likely to rise if the premium tax credits associated with the Affordable Care Act expire at the end of 2025. Researchers with the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that those who opt to continue to carry health insurance even […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/economists-rural-uninsured-rates-likely-to-rise-if-aca-premium-tax-credits-expire/2024/12/31/">Economists: Rural Uninsured Rates Likely to Rise if ACA Premium Tax Credits Expire</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="713" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C713&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C529&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C902&ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C535&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1069&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1426&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C835&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C713&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1092&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1392&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C278&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C492&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AP15479324403-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C713&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>The number of rural residents who aren’t covered by health insurance is likely to rise if the premium tax credits associated with the Affordable Care Act expire at the end of 2025.</p><p><a href="https://www.rwjf.org/en/insights/our-research/2024/12/household-spending-on-premiums-would-surge-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire.html">Researchers with the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation</a> found that those who opt to continue to carry health insurance even after the tax credits expire would see their premiums skyrocket, in some cases more than doubling.</p><p>For residents in rural communities across the country, those rising prices could mean not having access to health insurance anymore.</p><p>“Research continues to show the profound health and economic fallout that will occur if Congress allows these tax credits to expire in 2025,” said Katherine Hempstead, senior policy adviser at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “At a time of persistent elevated prices and tight household budgets, allowing the credits to expire will further force families to make difficult choices between healthcare coverage, housing, food, and transportation.”</p><p>The 10 states where farmers are the highest share of the labor force had the highest enrollment rates in the ACA and Medicaid, Hempstead said in an interview with the Daily Yonder. Rural communities also have higher healthcare costs, making insurance more important, she said.</p><p>“The three most expensive states in the country (for healthcare) are Alaska, Wyoming, and West Virginia,” she said.When insurance is really expensive, then the tax credits become super important.” </p><p>President-elect Donald Trump promised to repeal the ACA on the campaign trail. Now, as the Trump Administration prepares to take office, he and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson have signaled that the program that provides tax credits in the form of premium assistance is on the chopping block.</p><p>Originally passed in 2009 during President Barack Obama’s administration, the ACA lowered the cost of health insurance by increasing subsidies available for eligible people to buy insurance in a nationwide health insurance marketplace. For some people with lower incomes, the tax credits reduced net premiums to zero.</p><p>In 2022, enhanced tax credits for households making 400% of the federal poverty level were part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Officials estimate that more than 20 million people have purchased health insurance through the ACA’s marketplace.</p><p>If those tax credits are allowed to expire in 2025,<a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/four-million-people-will-lose-health-insurance-if-premium-tax-credit-enhancements-expire"> the study released December 9</a> found that enrollment is expected to decrease by 7.2 million people. For those who opt to remain enrolled, premiums would likely increase significantly.</p><p>The analysis found that allowing the credits to expire would increase out-of-pocket healthcare spending in every state, in every income group, in every age group and for every ethnicity. </p><p>Those increases would vary per state, however. For people with incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level (roughly $37,000 per year), the average increase would be $587 per year, ranging from $193 per year in New Mexico to $924 per year in Alaska. For those making more than $37,000 per year, premiums would increase an average of $727 per year, ranging from $119 per year in West Virginia to $1,434 in California.</p><p>“Incomes tend to be lower in rural areas, so it’s unlikely they’d be able to absorb that change,” said Tim McBride, economist and co-director with the Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy & Economics Research at Washington University in St. Louis. “I would expect that you would have a bigger impact on the number of people enrolled in rural areas.”</p><p>The premium increases would be higher for those making more than 400% of the federal poverty level, or roughly $60,000 per year for an individual or $125,000 for a family of four. If the enhanced PTCs expire, the individual or family will lose all subsidies and households would have to pay the entire premium instead of a maximum 8.5% of their income. While the premiums would vary by age and location, the average family would see their premiums go up by more than $2,900 per person annually, the study found.</p><p>And the premiums would go up substantially for older adults. The study found that the average Marketplace enrollee who is 60 with an average premium and an income of $60,241 per year would have to spend 20% of their income on health insurance premiums, or roughly $11,832 per year, up from $5,120 per year with the enhanced taxcredits.</p><p>Before the ACA was enacted, McBride said, about a quarter (24%) of rural residents did not have health insurance. Now, just over a dozen years later, that number has dropped to just over 12%, he said.</p><p>“Rural people are much less likely to be covered by employer-provided insurance, and they are probably going to have lower wage jobs. So increases in the premiums will be pretty unaffordable if they don’t have the (tax credits),” McBride said.</p><p>However, the impact won’t just hit consumers, but insurance companies will feel it as well, McBride said.</p><p>“If you think about an industry losing 7 million paying customers, that’s significant,” he said. “I can’t imagine them not lobbying to stop the cuts.”</p><p>Fewer rural residents with health insurance would negatively impact rural hospitals, too.</p><p>“These enhanced PTCs are saving rural enrollees an average of $890 per year, about 28% more than their urban counterparts according to a<a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/6056484066506a8d4ba3dcd8d9322490/rural-health-rr-30-Oct-24.pdf"> recent study by </a>(the Department of Health and Human Services),” Carrie Cochran-McClain, Chief Policy Officer for the National Rural Health Association, wrote in an email interview with the Daily Yonder. “Despite decreases in uninsured rates among rural adults, rural areas continue to have higher uninsured rates than urban areas, meaning expiration of the enhanced (tax credits) would have a disproportionate impact on rural areas throughout the country. </p><p>“Rural Americans, who already navigate some of the most challenging access barriers, will be significantly impacted by the expiration of the (enhanced tax credits),” Cochran-McCLain continued, “meaning that rural areas will once again contend with soaring premiums and limited choices, as hospitals close and provider networks thin out in vast stretches of the country.”</p><p>She added that  the NRHA’s member hospitals are concerned about the impact to their bottom line.</p><p>“Given that 50% of rural hospitals across the country are operating on negative margins, NRHA members are extremely concerned about the potential loss of coverage for their patients if Congress does not act to extend the (tax credits),” she said. “Tools like the premiums tax calculator both at the<a href="https://americanscovered.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9acdc3bec2050cecb95d66999&id=66f09f0726&e=87030e65c1"> state/district</a> and<a href="https://americanscovered.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9acdc3bec2050cecb95d66999&id=97f79b94a0&e=87030e65c1"> personal level</a> are powerful tools to capture the impact on the individuals and families impacted by the change.”</p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/economists-rural-uninsured-rates-likely-to-rise-if-aca-premium-tax-credits-expire/2024/12/31/">Economists: Rural Uninsured Rates Likely to Rise if ACA Premium Tax Credits Expire</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">221011</post-id> </item>
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<title>Last Chance to Support the Yonder in 2024</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/last-chance-to-support-the-yonder-in-2024/2024/12/31/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/last-chance-to-support-the-yonder-in-2024/2024/12/31/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Dec 2024 10:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[From Our Team]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[newsmatch]]></category>
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<p>Our matching challenges end when the clock strikes midnight and the year comes to a close.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/last-chance-to-support-the-yonder-in-2024/2024/12/31/">Last Chance to Support the Yonder in 2024</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="537" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/newsmatch-2021-daily-yonder.png?fit=1024%2C537&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/newsmatch-2021-daily-yonder.png?w=1286&ssl=1 1286w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/newsmatch-2021-daily-yonder.png?resize=760%2C399&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/newsmatch-2021-daily-yonder.png?resize=768%2C403&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/newsmatch-2021-daily-yonder.png?resize=1200%2C630&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/newsmatch-2021-daily-yonder.png?resize=1024%2C537&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/newsmatch-2021-daily-yonder.png?resize=400%2C210&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/newsmatch-2021-daily-yonder.png?resize=706%2C371&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/newsmatch-2021-daily-yonder.png?fit=1024%2C537&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><div class="wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex"><div class="wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100 has-custom-font-size has-normal-font-size"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-primary-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-text-align-center wp-element-button" href="#donate">Donate Before 2024 Ends</a></div></div><p>Daily Yonder readers,</p><p>Today is your final chance to give to our annual donor campaign.<strong> If you’ve been waiting to donate, now is the time. </strong>When the clock strikes midnight, our matching challenges — which multiply every dollar we receive — will come to an end.</p><p>Thanks for staying with us as we’ve filled your inboxes with fundraising messages over the past two months. You’ve <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/tag/newsmatch/">heard from some of our team and our supporters</a> about why our work here at the Yonder is important. You’ve learned about matching grants from generous organizations and, of course, Dee Davis and Mimi Pickering’s match challenge <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/from-the-start-our-readers-made-the-difference/2024/12/03/">in honor of Joe and Helen Pickering</a>.</p><p>More than 200 readers have donated and we’ve raised over $25,000 this year, but <strong>we still need your help</strong> to maximize our matches and beat last year’s totals.</p><p>We’re fewer than 50 donors away from that goal. Plus, with just <strong><strong>a dozen more first-time donors</strong> </strong>and about <strong><strong>$2,000 in total donations,</strong> </strong>we’ll be in position to take advantage of every match and bonus from our funding partners<strong>.<strong> Can you chip in to get us there?</strong></strong></p><p>We believe that the Daily Yonder is an essential part of the media ecosystem, and this campaign is about much more than just the bottom line. Your support signals that our work is making a difference for rural communities across the country.</p><p>Let’s end the year on a strong note. <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/newsmatch/#donate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Donate today</strong></a> and help make our rural journalism possible.</p><div class="wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex"><div class="wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100 has-custom-font-size has-normal-font-size"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-primary-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-text-align-center wp-element-button" href="#donate">Help Us Hit Our Goal</a></div></div><p>From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for continuing to support us this year. <strong>We wouldn’t be here without readers like you.</strong></p><h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="donate">Make Your Donation</h2><div
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</div><p style="font-size:14px">Thanks to support from the Wyncote Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rural Partner Fund, the Roundhouse Foundation, Dee Davis and Mimi Pickering, and other generous donors, contributions from individuals are eligible to be matched up to $1,000 per donor from November 1 to December 31, 2024. Monthly recurring donations are matched at the 12-month value of the donation, up to $1,000. For more details about eligibility <a href="https://support.newsmatch.org/article/559-which-donations-are-eligible-to-be-matched-by-newsmatch">see NewsMatch guidelines</a>.</p><p style="font-size:14px">The Daily Yonder is a project of the Center for Rural Strategies, a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization. Gifts may be tax deductible; consult a tax adviser for more information.</p><div class="wp-block-group is-style-border has-light-gray-background-color has-background"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"><div style="height:5px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Another Way to Give</h2>
<p>There’s another way you can support the Daily Yonder, and it doesn’t cost a penny. We’re looking for reader testimonials to use in future messages during our donor campaign. If you want to help, <strong>send us a short comment about why you read the Yonder, what value you see in the content we produce, or the way the Yonder helps you understand rural America</strong>. Submit your comment using the form below or email us at <a href="mailto:news@dailyyonder.com">news@dailyyonder.com</a>. </p>
<div class="wp-block-jetpack-contact-form"><a href="https://dailyyonder.com/last-chance-to-support-the-yonder-in-2024/2024/12/31/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Submit a form.</a></div></div></div><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/last-chance-to-support-the-yonder-in-2024/2024/12/31/">Last Chance to Support the Yonder in 2024</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">221437</post-id> </item>
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<title>Study: Obstetrics Units in Rural Communities Declining</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/study-obstetrics-units-in-rural-communities-declining/2024/12/30/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/study-obstetrics-units-in-rural-communities-declining/2024/12/30/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liz Carey]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Reproductive Health]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=221043</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="681" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C681&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C506&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C862&ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C511&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1022&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1363&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C798&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1043&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1331&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C266&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C470&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C681&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>According to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of obstetric units across the country is falling. Without them, the health and life of rural mothers and infants is in danger, said Katy Kozhimannil, lead author for the study and a professor at the University of Minnesota School of […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/study-obstetrics-units-in-rural-communities-declining/2024/12/30/">Study: Obstetrics Units in Rural Communities Declining</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="681" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C681&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C506&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C862&ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C511&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1022&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1363&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C798&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1043&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1331&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C266&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C470&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cdc-Nqak6ZKyOho-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C681&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2827543?guestAccessKey=ac30e1b3-5c77-48e0-a293-5e9261a566d1&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=120424">According to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association,</a> the number of obstetric units across the country is falling. Without them, the health and life of rural mothers and infants is in danger, said Katy Kozhimannil, lead author for the study and a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.</p><p>“Just because the obstetrics units close, doesn’t mean those communities stop having babies,” Kozhimannil said in an interview with the Daily Yonder. “It just means they have to go farther and face more challenges in having a successful delivery.”</p><p>The research found that <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/provisional-maternal-deaths-rates.htm">maternal mortality rates in the U.S.</a> are consistently higher than those of other high-income countries, and that maternal mortality rates are higher for people in rural areas as well as for people of color. </p><p>In 2021, the rate in the United States was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, while other countries such as Australia, Austria, Israel, Japan, and Spain had rates between 2 and 3 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. </p><p>Closures of hospital obstetric units further impacts the situation, the study found.</p><p>The study, conducted by researchers in Minnesota, Boston, and Philadelphia looked at the changes in access to obstetric care in U.S. hospitals. Using data from the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey and from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the study tracked changes in obstetric status at 4,964 acute-care hospitals, including 1,982 hospitals in rural counties.</p><p>Between 2010 and 2022, 52% of rural hospitals lacked obstetric services, compared to 36% of urban hospitals, the researchers found. Overall, 238 rural hospitals discontinued obstetric care, compared to 299 in urban areas. Only 138 hospitals across the country added obstetric services. Of those, only 26 were located in rural counties.</p><p>The loss of obstetrics services means rural residents face more dangerous situations when it comes to child birth, Kozhimannil said.</p><p>“When a rural community loses obstetric services, it means more births outside of hospitals and in emergency rooms,” she said.</p><p>Rural mothers have to drive longer distances to get to a hospital that provides obstetrics services, scheduling a C-section, or giving birth in an emergency room where births are not a specialty, she said.</p><p>“When a hospital decides the risk is too high to continue offering obstetric services in that community, the risk doesn’t go away. The risk stays in the community even if it goes away for the hospital,” she said. “People will continue to have babies. Hospitals will make their decisions, but that is not the story’s end.”</p><p>It also affects the health of the mother after giving birth, and the health of the newborn.</p><p>“Maternal mortality is a tragedy for too many families, and the consequences reverberate for generations. Closure of obstetric units and further limiting access to quality health care is only going to make the problem worse,” Kozhimannil said. “Without targeted resources and policy interventions focused on equitable access to maternity care for all, including people of color and geographically-isolated folks, this public health crisis will only get worse.”</p><p>While many apply the term “maternity care deserts” to areas with no obstetrics services, Kozhimannil said that term is misleading.</p><p>“A desert is a naturally occurring phenomenon. A place without certain medical services is not naturally made,” she said. “Using that term obscures the deliberate decisions that were made to take those services away from a community.”</p><p>Kozhimannil said the time period of the study was a decade during which a tremendous amount of time and attention was given to maternal health. However, between those 12 years, the country experienced a net loss in hospital-based obstetric care, in both rural and urban settings. Maternal mortality has more than doubled and women face more risk than ever, she said.</p><p>That doesn’t bode well for the future, she said.</p><p>“We’re more than a decade into a severe maternity care crisis and we are still seeing obstetrics units close,” she said. “Unless things change, I think access will continue to decline and we will need to stop being surprised at the results.”</p><p>Recent legislation, like the Rural Obstetric Readiness Act, and the Keep Obstetrics Local Act could help turn the tide, she said.</p><p>Introduced earlier this year by U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-Illinois) and U.S. Representative Young Kim, (R-California), co-chairs of the Maternity Care Caucus, along with Dan Meuser (R-Pennsylvania) and Kim Schrier (D-Washington), the<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4079/text"> Rural Obstetric Readiness Act</a> would direct the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health to create an obstetric emergency training program for rural health care facilities, as well as establish federal grants for rural health care facilities to purchase obstetrics equipment, and direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to study maternity ward closures.</p><p>“One’s ZIP code should not determine one’s access to health care. Unfortunately, many women in rural areas face additional hurdles to receive maternal health care,” Kim, the sponsor from California, said in a statement. “The Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act aims to bridge this alarming gap in maternal health care and provide the workforce, training, and equipment to meet patients’ unique needs regardless of where they live.”</p><p>That bill was read twice on the House floor and referred to the House Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.</p><p>The<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/5236/text#:~:text=%E2%80%94Not%20less%20than%20once%20every,amount%20accurately%20reflects%20the%20marginal"> Keeping Obstetrics Local Act</a> was introduced by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) this year and would enhance federal support for rural and safety net hospitals providing maternity, labor and delivery services.</p><p>“Too many rural communities have become maternity deserts, leaving families without access to care. It’s time we reverse this trend and offer some stability to rural hospitals so they can keep their labor and delivery ward doors open,” Wyden said in a statement when the bill was released. “This legislation will give rural hospitals the means to continue serving their communities, and ensures that large hospital chains can’t exploit the funds for profit.”</p><p>In September, that bill was read twice in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Finance.</p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/study-obstetrics-units-in-rural-communities-declining/2024/12/30/">Study: Obstetrics Units in Rural Communities Declining</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">221043</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>The Year in Review – Best of 2024</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/the-year-in-review-best-of-2024/2024/12/27/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/the-year-in-review-best-of-2024/2024/12/27/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[From Our Team]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=221286</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?w=1140&ssl=1 1140w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?resize=760%2C507&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?resize=706%2C471&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>At the Yonder we’re reflecting on another year of the stories that matter most to rural America. From citations of our articles in The New York Times and The Atlantic, to Daily Yonder pieces republished in hundreds of different local and national outlets, we’re proud to bring original reporting, accurate analysis, and compelling storytelling to […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-year-in-review-best-of-2024/2024/12/27/">The Year in Review – Best of 2024</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?w=1140&ssl=1 1140w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?resize=760%2C507&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?resize=706%2C471&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Landscape-Photo-2.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>At the Yonder we’re reflecting on another year of the stories that matter most to rural America. From citations of our articles in <em>The New York Times</em> and <em>The Atlantic, </em>to Daily Yonder pieces republished in hundreds of different local and national outlets, we’re proud to bring original reporting, accurate analysis, and compelling storytelling to the rural conversation. People across the country are taking note of rural issues because of our work. (And those of you who’ve been with us all along can claim the title of “trendsetter.”) </p><p>Here are the standout stories that defined our coverage this year.</p><h2 class="wp-block-heading">Queerness and Rurality</h2><p>In early 2024 we published a sensitive and ambitious story by staff reporter Lane Wendell Fischer. This profile of a young trans man from East Tennessee who escaped his oppressive environment to find a truer expression of himself resonated with many readers, if the notes we received in our inbox about it are any indication. </p><p>It’s a must-read if you missed it, and if you prefer to listen, there’s a <a href="https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/rural-remix/episodes/Running-Away-to-Yourself-Growing-Up-Rural-and-Queer-e2i94od">podcast version</a> too. </p><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Spotify Embed: Running Away to Yourself: Growing Up Rural and Queer" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="152" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5otny70wBGRRyZ7OmZmX84?si=0b6023c6faa54c57&utm_source=oembed"></iframe>
</div></figure><h2 class="wp-block-heading">Political Commentary</h2><p>During a divisive election year, we’ve been committed to uplifting rural voices and fighting harmful stereotypes. Some of this year’s best political pieces tackle these challenging topics. From USDA labels, to misconceptions about “white rural rage,” we’ve got the rural angle on politics you won’t see anywhere else.<br></p><p>Not just for your eyes, we did rural election coverage for your ears, too. Listen to Backroad Ballots below, <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/podcasts/rural-remix/backroad-ballots/">here</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. </p><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Spotify Embed: Backroad Ballots" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="352" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/02qn6YN9m8wtHwe18F3V1F?si=008458ac8bc549c1&utm_source=oembed"></iframe>
</div></figure><h2 class="wp-block-heading">Election Reporting and Data Analysis</h2><p>Next up in rural politics we looked at the facts and the data. How did rural voters show up to the polls compared to their urban and suburban counterparts? How did rural people vote in 2024 compared to previous election cycles? What was on the ballot and what’s at stake for various rural communities? If you like getting a little into the weeds, or enjoy a good map or two, these stories are for you.</p><p>For even more election reporting, analysis, and commentary check out our <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/vote/">Rural Election Hub</a>. </p><h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rural Prison Journalism </h2><p>With support from the <a href="https://pulitzercenter.org/">Pulitzer Center</a>, staff correspondents Claire Carlson and Anya Petrone Slepyan visited a rural women’s prison to report on a unique media project happening there.</p><h2 class="wp-block-heading">Reproductive Rights</h2><p>A not-insignificant amount of the national discourse the year revolved around reproductive health care. We looked at the issue from a rural angle. <br></p><h2 class="wp-block-heading">Environment, Conservation, and Disaster</h2><p>Rural communities are often disproportionately affected by our changing climate. This year we partnered with <a href="https://www.climatecentral.org/">Climate Central</a> to bring some of our rural environmental reporting to an even wider audience.</p><h4 class="wp-block-heading">Listen: Hurricane Helene Hits Home</h4><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Spotify Embed: Keep it Rural-Ep 19: Hurricane Helene Hit My Colleague&apos;s Rural Town" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="152" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3Q6ibdWtZYbcdd0snNG7vJ?si=ee4e8efc9ec94c8d&utm_source=oembed"></iframe>
</div></figure><h2 class="wp-block-heading">Arts and Culture </h2><p>Whoever says rural suffers from a lack of “culture” need look no further than our <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-culture/rural-arts-and-culture/">arts and culture coverage</a>. Here are a couple 2024 highlights. </p><h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rural Podcasts, Newscasts, and More</h2><p>This year, our <a href="https://creators.spotify.com/pod/rural-remix/">Rural Remix</a> podcast feed featured a wide range of limited and ongoing series, from meth in rural America, to rural breads, a podcast spinoff of our <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/keep-it-rural-newsletter/#past-issues">Keep It Rural</a> newsletter and the third (!) year of our weekly newscast the <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/podcasts/the-yonder-report/">Yonder Report</a>. </p><h4 class="wp-block-heading">Home Cooked: A 50-Year History of Meth in America</h4><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Spotify Embed: Home Cooked" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="352" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0IiwPkXiHXUJADHaP3R443?si=8b1e2d4f86d14925&utm_source=oembed"></iframe>
</div></figure><h4 class="wp-block-heading">Keep It Rural</h4><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Spotify Embed: Keep it Rural" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="352" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/4sZL1U5AOx2zMwxFodY1sv?si=a0fcad6da5c94ecc&utm_source=oembed"></iframe>
</div></figure><h4 class="wp-block-heading">Rural Food Traditions</h4><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Spotify Embed: Rural Food Traditions: Bread" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="352" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/2ihLV9xGOcMuTwr35uKU1U?si=a73e0c14d69f4a4b&utm_source=oembed"></iframe>
</div></figure><h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Yonder Report</strong></h4><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Spotify Embed: The Yonder Report - December 12, 2024" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="152" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/show/0AE9tLxfpnLhPuweIAhelg?si=64f34968f2e14f86&utm_source=oembed"></iframe>
</div></figure><h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fan Favorites</h2><p>All the stories we’ve highlighted so far rose to the top among the nearly 600 pieces of rural journalism we published this year. But by reader interest, or the mystery of internet algorithms, these were our most-read original stories of 2024. <br></p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-year-in-review-best-of-2024/2024/12/27/">The Year in Review – Best of 2024</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">221286</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>Do You Think Global Warming Will Harm You Personally?</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally/2024/12/27/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally/2024/12/27/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sarah Melotte]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[data]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[rural index]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=221176</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="917" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?fit=1024%2C917&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?w=1240&ssl=1 1240w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=760%2C680&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=768%2C687&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=1200%2C1074&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=1024%2C917&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=400%2C358&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=706%2C632&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?fit=1024%2C917&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>Editor’s Note: This is the inaugural post of our data newsletter, the Rural Index, headed by Sarah Melotte, the Daily Yonder’s data reporter. Subscribe to get a weekly map straight to your inbox. If you had asked me six months ago whether I thought climate change would harm me personally, I would have responded with […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally/2024/12/27/">Do You Think Global Warming Will Harm You Personally?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="917" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?fit=1024%2C917&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?w=1240&ssl=1 1240w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=760%2C680&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=768%2C687&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=1200%2C1074&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=1024%2C917&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=400%2C358&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?resize=706%2C632&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/To1Ao-how-much-do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally-.png?fit=1024%2C917&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><iframe title="How much do you think global warming will harm you personally?" aria-label="Map" id="datawrapper-chart-To1Ao" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/To1Ao/3/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="539" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script><p><em>Editor’s Note: This is the inaugural post of our data newsletter, the Rural Index, headed by Sarah Melotte, the Daily Yonder’s data reporter. Subscribe to get a weekly map straight to your inbox. </em><br></p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/><p>If you had asked me six months ago whether I thought climate change would harm me personally, I would have responded with a hesitant “‘Yes,” an answer informed by an intellectual understanding of environmental catastrophe. I would have tried to come up with an abstract example. I’d probably garble some mess about food supply chains or drought or vulnerable infrastructure. Something vague, impersonal.</p><p>If you were to ask me the same question today, I’d tell you not to trust insurance maps, that a 1,000 year flood could, in fact, happen in your lifetime. I’d scoff at the idea of a “climate haven’”, a term coined to describe areas like Asheville, North Carolina, a city an hour south of me in the Appalachian mountains, that are unlikely to experience environmental crises. </p><p>I wasn’t even in town when Hurricane Helene flooded downtown Bakersville, North Carolina, a rural town near the Tennessee state line where I live with my partner. But the event left an imprint on my psyche. I came home from a reporting trip to an intact house with a small roof leak, and yet I close my eyes and see rising water. </p><p>If you live in a town that hasn’t burned, flooded, or dried up in recent memory, you might only give climate change a passing thought, or pay no mind to it at all. You might have never thought about it as a potentially personal phenomenon. </p><p>That’s what the <a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/">Yale Climate Opinion Survey</a> suggests. Researchers at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication conduct an annual survey about public opinions on climate change to capture the diversity of opinions about the environment at multiple geographic scales.</p><p>Data captured through the fall of 2023 show that rural people who live in coastal states and the Southwest are more likely to answer that they think global warming will harm them personally either “<a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/">a moderate amount’ or ‘a great deal.”</a></p><p>Take Hawaii, for example. In Hawaii a greater share of the population believes climate change will harm them compared to other Americans, which makes intuitive sense, given that the state is a small cluster of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. If sea level rise is a concern anywhere, you’d think it would be here. </p><p>About 52% of Hawaiians believe that climate change will harm them personally, compared to only 39% of Americans at large. </p><p>Rural Hawaiians are slightly less likely to believe that climate change will harm them personally, but the difference is so small that it could just be statistical noise. Approximately 51% of rural Hawaiians think that climate change will harm them personally, compared to about 53% of urban and suburban Hawaiians. I’m using the Office of Management and Budget category of nonmetropolitan counties to define rural in this analysis.</p><p>At the national level, about 38% of rural Americans and 41% of metropolitan Americans think that climate change will harm them personally either a moderate amount or a great deal. </p><p>The greatest differences in climate opinion exist between different states and regions, not rural and urban counties. It’s at least one opinion not subject to the epochal rural urban divide, the great new American faultline. </p><iframe title="Average percentage of rural respondents who said they think global warming will harm them either a moderate amount or a great deal." aria-label="Grouped Columns" id="datawrapper-chart-5Ngyc" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/5Ngyc/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="460" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script><p>Rural Alaskans and Hawaiians worry the most about climate change harming them personally compared to other rural respondents in the survey. As an aggregate, about 49% of rural Alaskans and Hawaiians say they believe they’ll be harmed (or are already being harmed) by climate change.</p><p>Only time will tell how climate opinions will shift as environmental crises become more commonplace. In the 2024 survey, will more rural North Carolinians say they think global warming will harm them, given the catastrophic flooding brought on by Hurricane Helene?</p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/do-you-think-global-warming-will-harm-you-personally/2024/12/27/">Do You Think Global Warming Will Harm You Personally?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">221176</post-id> </item>
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<title>Commentary: Just How Rural Is Bedford Falls?</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-just-how-rural-is-bedford-falls-2/2024/12/26/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-just-how-rural-is-bedford-falls-2/2024/12/26/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tim Marema]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Dec 2024 10:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Arts and Culture]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[holiday]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=85250</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="714" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?fit=1024%2C714&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?w=1266&ssl=1 1266w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?resize=760%2C530&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?resize=768%2C536&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?resize=1200%2C837&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?resize=400%2C279&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?resize=706%2C492&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?fit=1024%2C714&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>Nothing says mistletoe and candy canes like the post-card-perfect small towns that populate American holiday movies. The best small town in the best Christmas movie ever (in my opinion, of course) is Bedford Falls, the fictional city located somewhere in western New York. Bedford Falls is the centerpiece of Frank Capra’s 1947 movie “It’s a […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-just-how-rural-is-bedford-falls-2/2024/12/26/">Commentary: Just How Rural Is Bedford Falls?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="714" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?fit=1024%2C714&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?w=1266&ssl=1 1266w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?resize=760%2C530&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?resize=768%2C536&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?resize=1200%2C837&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?resize=400%2C279&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?resize=706%2C492&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stewart-sign.jpg?fit=1024%2C714&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>Nothing says mistletoe and candy canes like the post-card-perfect small towns that populate American holiday movies. The best small town in the best Christmas movie ever (in my opinion, of course) is Bedford Falls, the fictional city located somewhere in western New York. Bedford Falls is the centerpiece of Frank Capra’s 1947 movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.”</p><p>Unlike the stereotypically rural villages that prop up cable-TV movies this time of year, Bedford Falls is complicated. There’s a bustling downtown, perhaps a bit on the large side for a small town. There are plenty of sidewalks and department stores. There’s a bus line, a taxi company, a train station, and even an airport.</p><p>But there’s also poor housing stock, a tough economy, limited investment capital, and brain drain – even if the high school does have a swimming pool under the gym floor.</p><p>Bedford Falls lies in an ambiguous space. It’s somewhere between Elmira (where the bank examiner wants to spend Christmas with his family) and Buffalo (where Harry has a job in research at his father-in-law’s glass factor).</p><p>It’s somewhere between the mountains (“Why, it’s 10 miles up to Mount Bedford”) and Manhattan (where a woman like Violet can get a new start).</p><p>But just where, exactly? Or, more importantly, just how rural?</p><center><iframe width="800" height="600" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SjqZfdc_q2Y?start=56" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></center><h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Facts of a Fictional Town</h3><p>In my annual viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life” this year, I took a few notes to see whether I could answer that question. It’s fun to consider this without population figures and commuting-zone maps. Freed from the handcuffs of hard data, I tapped narrative clues to determine Bedford Falls’ rural status. It’s a delight to use a DVD player instead of a spreadsheet to come up with an answer.</p><p>So what can we tell about the “ruralness” of Bedford Falls?</p><p>First, there’s the setting. Bedford Falls isn’t close to another town of similar size, and it’s definitely not near any larger city. There’s no talk of running over to another municipality just for diversion, the way Andy and Barney speak about going from Mayberry over to Mount Pilot just for a change of pace.</p><p>The closest thing to a road trip seems to be a quick drive out to Martini’s roadhouse for a drink. But even there, small-town constraints come along for the ride. “Why you drink so much, my friend?” Martini asks our hero, George Bailey. “Please go home, Mr. Bailey.”</p><p>Sometimes you <em>don’t</em> want to go where everybody knows your name.</p><p>A little more evidence comes in hints that the outskirts of Bedford Falls are not developed. There are fields — the ones Violet refuses to walk barefoot in. And there are wildlands like Mount Bedford, where you can “smell the pines and watch the sunrise against the peaks.”</p><h3 class="wp-block-heading">A Lack of “Homecomers” </h3><p>Another small-town concern of Bedford Falls is the loss of young people, especially the college-educated crowd. Sam Wainwright, old “Hee Haw,” leaves to make his fortune in plastics. George’s brother, Harry, finds opportunity in research in Buffalo after attending college.</p><p>The single “homecomer” in the bunch is Mary, George’s wife-to-be, who returns to Bedford Falls after college for what today we’d call “quality-of-life” considerations – closeness to extended family, the chance to raise a family, and a great price on a fixer-upper, the decrepit Granville house.</p><p>But the biggest clue about Bedford Fall’s relatively remote status is the economic market. The town’s economy is small enough that one man, the evil Mr. Potter, can run the show. He’s cornered the market from one end of Main Street to the other.</p><center><iframe width="800" height="600" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O4ne13Zft9Q?start=68" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></center><p>“He’s already got charge of the bank,” George says when there is a run on the Bailey Bros. Building and Loan Association. “He’s got the bus line. He’s got the department stores. And now he’s after us.”</p><p>The “us” is the building and loan association, the only institution standing in the way of Potter’s thumb and the entirety of Bedford Falls.</p><p>“This town needs this measly one-horse institution if only to have some place where people can come without crawling to Potter,” George says in a speech to the association’s board of directors.</p><p>But just as one bad person can make a big difference in a small town, so too can one good person. And that’s the premise of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” One person can change everything, as George learns in miraculous fashion on Christmas Eve.</p><h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Limits of Individualism</h3><p>The power of the individual is a theme in Capra’s movies. Bedford Falls is the perfect setting for his philosophy: one pure-hearted underdog can overcome the forces of evil. </p><p>Before “It’s a Wonderful Life” found a second life on cable TV in the 1980s and ’90s, Capra’s best known film was “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” In that 1939 film, Jefferson Smith (again played by Stewart) takes on an evil-hearted senator and all of Capitol Hill.</p><p>The hero’s victory is far more believable in Bedford Falls than it is in Washington, D.C., in my opinion. The human scale of small towns makes it possible for one person to take on a cause and win. </p><p>But here I’m succumbing to a rural stereotype — namely that rural places thrive or fail solely on their own merits. The reality is that few rural problems stop at the city limits or the county line. There’s a pattern of national policy and corporate behavior that plays a big role, too. The Mr. Potters of the world are organized. The George Baileys better be, too. </p><h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Bottom Line</h3><p>So where doe this leave us?</p><p>Bedford Falls is a town of some substance, based just on infrastructure and the size of its business district and residential development. But it’s far from the next town or city, functions primarily on personal relationships, has trouble retaining its young people, and has individuals who play an outsized role in its economic success. </p><p>That puts Bedford Falls mostly in the rural category for me. </p><p>If you feel differently, you might convince me otherwise over a cup of hot chocolate or eggnog. I’m not likely to change my mind, but miracles do happen.</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p class="has-text-align-center"><em>Tim Marema is the managing editor of the Daily Yonder.</em></p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-just-how-rural-is-bedford-falls-2/2024/12/26/">Commentary: Just How Rural Is Bedford Falls?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">85250</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>‘Fiddler on the Roof’: A Rural Origin Story</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/fiddler-on-the-roof-a-rural-jewish-origin-story/2024/12/25/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/fiddler-on-the-roof-a-rural-jewish-origin-story/2024/12/25/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Anya Petrone Slepyan]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Dec 2024 10:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Arts and Culture]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[holiday]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[the good the bad and the elegy]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=119979</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="503" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?fit=1024%2C503&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?w=2532&ssl=1 2532w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=760%2C373&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=1296%2C637&ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=768%2C377&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=1536%2C755&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=2048%2C1006&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=1200%2C590&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=1024%2C503&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=1568%2C770&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=400%2C197&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=706%2C347&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?fit=1024%2C503&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>I don't know exactly how my family got from a shtetl in Imperial Russia to Los Angeles, but 'Fiddler on the Roof' offers one version of events.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/fiddler-on-the-roof-a-rural-jewish-origin-story/2024/12/25/">‘Fiddler on the Roof’: A Rural Origin Story</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="503" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?fit=1024%2C503&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?w=2532&ssl=1 2532w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=760%2C373&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=1296%2C637&ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=768%2C377&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=1536%2C755&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=2048%2C1006&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=1200%2C590&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=1024%2C503&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=1568%2C770&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=400%2C197&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?resize=706%2C347&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.53.44-PM.png?fit=1024%2C503&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p style="font-size:14px"><em>Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can </em><a href="#signup"><em>join the mailing list at the bottom of this article</em></a><em> to receive future editions in your inbox.</em></p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/><p><em>Author’s Note: My family has moved every generation since my great grandparents left czarist Russia. This has led me to believe not in a single Jewish homeland, but in the concept of ‘doikayt,’ which scholar Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz defines as “the right to be, and to fight for justice, wherever we are.” As war rages in Israel and Palestine,</em> “Fiddler on the Roof”<em> and the history it represents demand that we have empathy for every person violently removed from their home. And though Tevye is known to frequently misquote the bible, he undoubtedly would have little trouble remembering this famous verse of the </em><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Talmud"><em>Talmud</em></a><em>: “whoever destroys a life, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.”</em></p><p>Every holiday season for my entire childhood, my family drove from Kentucky to New York City in an increasingly dented 1999 Toyota Sienna. Entertainment technology advanced through the decades—my sister and I toted along discmans, Tamagotchis, many models of iPods, and, eventually, iPhones—but our minivan only ever had a cassette player. And my parents, inexplicably, only ever used it to play two cassettes, both of which I will forever associate with the holidays.  </p><p>The first was called “Songs that Won the War,” and featured WWII-themed hits from the 1940s (This is the reason I still know every word to songs like “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVQ3ourS8BI">Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition”</a>).</p><div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex"><div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:66.66%"><p>The second tape was the soundtrack from the movie “Fiddler on the Roof.”<em> </em>A movie (1971) adapted from a musical (1964) adapted loosely from a set of stories (1894-1914), Fiddler tells the story of a poor Jewish family on the outskirts of the Russian Empire as they struggle to maintain their livelihoods and traditions in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century. More than 100 years later, the Jewish world looks very different. New York is by far the most Jewish city in the world and only 4% of American Jews live in <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/young-rural-and-jewish/2020/08/12/">rural communities</a>, according to the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/10/01/jewish-american-beliefs-attitudes-culture-survey/">Pew Research Center</a>. But the stories—first written in Yiddish on a different continent—help bridge that gap, serving for many as an unofficial origin story that explains how we got from there to here. </p></div>
<div class="wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:33.33%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="1010" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=780%2C1010&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119996" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=1001%2C1296&ssl=1 1001w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=587%2C760&ssl=1 587w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=768%2C994&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=1187%2C1536&ssl=1 1187w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=1583%2C2048&ssl=1 1583w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=1200%2C1553&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=791%2C1024&ssl=1 791w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=1568%2C2029&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=400%2C518&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?resize=706%2C914&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MV5BMWZhYjQyMjQtZjdmYS00ZDg0LWIyNzQtZDYwNjExZTNjM2JjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDMxMjQwMw%40%40._V1_-1001x1296.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Movie poster for ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ (1971) (Credit: The Mirisch Production Company via IMDb).</figcaption></figure></div></div><p><em>*Spoilers ahead, but the movie has been out for 52 years, so don’t blame me.*</em></p><h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-left">Traditions</h2><p>Fiddler follows Tevye the milkman and his efforts to see his many daughters married in a rapidly changing world. Each daughter pushes the boundaries of his traditions further and further—the first marries for love, the second follows a communist to exile in Siberia, and the third breaks away from the family by marrying a Christian. The most jubilant scene in the movie—the wedding celebration of the first daughter—quickly turns to tragedy as it becomes the site of a pogrom, a violent anti-Jewish demonstration. By the end of the movie, the Jews of the small (and fictional) village of Anatevka have been forcibly ordered to evacuate with just three days’ notice. They carry what they can on their backs and leave the rest.</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="342" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=780%2C342&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-120000" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=1296%2C568&ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=760%2C333&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=768%2C336&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=1536%2C673&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=2048%2C897&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=1200%2C526&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=1024%2C449&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=1568%2C687&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=400%2C175&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?resize=706%2C309&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM.png?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-3.55.58-PM-1296x568.png?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tevye (Chaim Topol) delivers milk on his route through the small village of Anatevka in the opening scenes of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ (1971) (Credit: The Mirisch Production Company via IMDb).</figcaption></figure><p>While as a rule there are very few things we Jews agree about (arguing is one of our most sacred cultural and religious practices), it is hard to overstate how important Fiddler is for generations of Jews. Centuries of constant, often forced, migration and the loss of elders has left many families, like mine, with only the loosest knowledge of our specific familial history.</p><p>Instead, we have “Fiddler on the Roof.” We don’t know exactly where our relatives came from, but it was likely a shtetl (small town) in the Jewish<a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-pale-of-settlement"> Pale of Settlement</a> much like Anatevka, where Fiddler is set. In the saddest song of what is generally a very sad musical, the residents of Anatevka say goodbye to their village, noting “people who pass through Anatevka don’t even know they’ve been here.” </p><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Fiddler on the roof - Anatevka (with subtitles)" width="780" height="585" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RWiRetxeviw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure><blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p><em>What do we leave? Nothing much. Only Anatevka.</em><br><em>Anatevka, Anatevka. Underfed, overworked, Anatevka.</em><br><em>Where else could Sabbath be so sweet?</em><br><em>Anatevka, Anatevka. Intimate, obstinate, Anatevka</em><br><em>Where I know everyone I meet.</em><br><em>Soon I’ll be a stranger in a strange new place</em><br><em>Searching for an old familiar face from Anatevka.</em><br><em>I belong in Anatevka, tumble-down, work-a-day, Anatevka.</em><br><em>Dear little village, little town of mine.</em></p></blockquote><p>The families of the village disperse—some move within Europe, while others immigrate to the tenements of Chicago and New York. Though it is far from the main focus, this journey represents the real-life urbanization of many Ashkenazi Jewish families, like my father’s, who came from rural Eastern Europe before settling in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.</p><p>The name of the musical comes from the opening lines, where Tevye compares the Jews of Anatevka to a fiddler on the roof, “trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck.” He argues that the fiddler keeps his balance—and Jews maintain their communities—through traditions. </p><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Fiddler on the Roof (1/10) Movie CLIP - Tradition! (1971) HD" width="780" height="439" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kDtabTufxao?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The opening scene to ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ (1971) (Credit: The Mirisch Production Company via Movieclips on YouTube). </figcaption></figure><p>And though these traditions bend and change even within the timeframe of the (granted, three hour long) movie, they do not break. As Tevye and his family leave Anatevka, the eponymous fiddler follows behind them, representing the traditions that will follow them to New York. </p><p>For my family, watching and listening to Fiddler—while making latkes for Channukah, driving to see family, or even just settling on a crowd-pleaser after an intense debate over family movie night—has become one of our most important traditions.</p><p><em>Fiddler on the Roof is <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=watch+fiddler+on+the+roof+(film)&oq=fiddler+&aqs=chrome.0.35i39i355i512i650j46i39i512i650j69i57j46i340i433i512j46i433i512j0i433i512j0i131i433i512j69i61.1047j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&si=ALGXSlZafWMFySVpJl-qiz3iNccLvTcq5s7V89Q0gQNVf_afKt5gXOFxyXrXsY5sB_qlef_RezfV_mwrnPi0QBmPMRAbkn34BPJxM-e7P8SVa3takZgTjBKkbCQj9rNPntX8XgdPUYlJbkRznHM21szz6EBoIg-dfy78IY7jjWVid1j5pty-9DGQXbgA-kG5q8MNnet6vG78&ictx=1&ved=2ahUKEwj55NXy8f2CAxVFrYkEHcqvCdQQyNoBKAB6BAgREAA">available to watch</a> on a number of free, ad-supported streaming <em>television</em> (FAST) platforms and can also be rented or purchased digitally or on disc. </em></p><div id="signup" class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow"><div style="height:1px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
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<div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:75%"><p>This article first appeared in <strong>The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy</strong>, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, recommendations, retrospectives, and more. <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/contact-us/subscribe-daily-yonder/#good-bad-elegy">Join the mailing list</a> today to have future editions delivered straight to your inbox.</p></div></div>
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<div style="height:10px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div></div></div><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/fiddler-on-the-roof-a-rural-jewish-origin-story/2024/12/25/">‘Fiddler on the Roof’: A Rural Origin Story</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">119979</post-id> </item>
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<title>Palmer’s House of Toys</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/palmers-house-toys/2024/12/24/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/palmers-house-toys/2024/12/24/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dee Davis]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 24 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Cool Places]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[holiday]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://dailyyonder.com/?p=22888</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="778" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/10985063_543154902491219_9080209626894531126_o.jpg?fit=1024%2C778&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/10985063_543154902491219_9080209626894531126_o.jpg?w=1253&ssl=1 1253w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/10985063_543154902491219_9080209626894531126_o.jpg?resize=760%2C577&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/10985063_543154902491219_9080209626894531126_o.jpg?fit=1024%2C778&ssl=1&w=370 370w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/10985063_543154902491219_9080209626894531126_o.jpg?fit=1024%2C778&ssl=1&w=400 400w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>At 17 I was the Santa Claus for the Walkertown section of Hazard. Rick Rosanova, the news guy at Channel 4, was Santa at the new Sears in the old bowling alley in another part of town, Lothair. And Bill Douglas was the city’s main Santa from Backwoods to Big Bottom. He had a $1,000 […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/palmers-house-toys/2024/12/24/">Palmer’s House of Toys</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="778" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/10985063_543154902491219_9080209626894531126_o.jpg?fit=1024%2C778&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/10985063_543154902491219_9080209626894531126_o.jpg?w=1253&ssl=1 1253w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/10985063_543154902491219_9080209626894531126_o.jpg?resize=760%2C577&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/10985063_543154902491219_9080209626894531126_o.jpg?fit=1024%2C778&ssl=1&w=370 370w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/10985063_543154902491219_9080209626894531126_o.jpg?fit=1024%2C778&ssl=1&w=400 400w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>At 17 I was the Santa Claus for the Walkertown section of Hazard. Rick Rosanova, the news guy at Channel 4, was Santa at the new Sears in the old bowling alley in another part of town, Lothair. And Bill Douglas was the city’s main Santa from Backwoods to Big Bottom. He had a $1,000 velvet Santa outfit (in 1968 dollars) with black calfskin boots and jingle bells on a leather strap. His fake beard was combed human hair and in addition to that he could play the harmonica and jig dance. Value add-ons at anyone’s Christmas party. I worked at Palmer’s House of Toys, a more humble operation. I had a belly pillow and a stringy white beard-wig combination that I had to enhance by putting white shoe polish on my sideburns so my hair would not show through the gaps. The outfit was thin red corduroy, and instead of boots I had plastic covers to slip over my shoes to affect an illusion of boots.</p><p>Palmer’s House of Toys was owned by Evangeline “Dang” Palmer who had been my speech and drama teacher until she got fired for telling Merrill Pelfrey he did not know his own name. “If it is M-e-r-r-i-l-l, it’s pronounced Mehr-rill. “</p><p>Mehr-rill who thought his name was Merle said, “Dammit, woman I reckon I know my own name. It ain’t Mehh-rul, it’s Murl.” She kicked him out of her class, which was just home room for 10 minutes a day, but she drew that line unrepentantly and would not let him back in even when the order came down. So the school canned her. She went straight out and bought Country Boy Feltner’s  furniture store, and then just before Thanksgiving she rented the upstairs above the old Pet Dairy across the street. Filled it with toy bins. Hired me.</p><p>Sadly, and this is no longer part of the story, Merrill Pelfrey ended up doing jail time for something like wanton endangerment.  A couple of years later the Hazard cops were following him as he walked home from the Brown Derby, a bar below the new Sears in Lothair. He was tipsy and thought they were getting right up against him with the cruiser just to mess him up. When he got to his house, he grabbed a shotgun, blasted out their tires, and put 320 holes in the vehicle (according to the following week’s Hazard Herald). At first they had him up for attempted murder, but eventually let him plead it down. He told me he wasn’t attempting anything, he was looking right at the cops and could have shot them boys anytime, if he had wanted to.</p><div class="wp-block-image wp-caption alignleft"><figure class="aligncenter"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="760" height="760" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6046-760x760.jpg?resize=760%2C760" alt="Bill Douglas, on right with beard, had the best Santa wardrobe in Hazard in 1968 -- a velvet suit and beard made of human hair. On the left is the younger Bill Douglas, Douglas' son. (Photo via Facebook)" class="wp-image-16905" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6046.jpg?resize=760%2C760&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6046.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6046.jpg?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6046.jpg?w=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6046-760x760.jpg?w=370 370w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6046-760x760.jpg?w=400 400w" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bill Douglas, on right in red with white trim, had the best Santa wardrobe in Hazard in 1968 — a velvet suit and beard made with real human hair. On the left is the younger Bill Douglas, Douglas’ son. (Photo via Facebook)</figcaption></figure></div><p>Mrs. Palmer came from Central Kentucky, horse country, and more refinement. She had studied drama at Northwestern and was a classmate there of Charlton Heston (<em>Ben Hur, El Cid, Planet of the Apes</em>, <em>Soylent Green</em> is people), a fact she found reason to mention in class at least once a week. It was a time when smart women often taught school instead of being lawyers or doctors. And Mrs. Palmer was very smart. She knew all the Greek plays by heart, the eye-gouging kings who marry their mothers and mommas who kill their babies to keep them from the clutches of trifling husbands. She would tell us the plots with broad theatrical gestures. It was as good as school gets. She talked all the time, and there was never a test. Besides recalling encounters with Charlton Heston, she would regale us with tales of her performances at Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky (<em>Lizzie and the Rainman,</em> <em>Arsenic and Old Lace</em>), and the backstage dramas in which she always seemed to triumph. We were graded on how dramatically we could read aloud, how well we could make up speeches, and for helping with the school plays that she would direct like <em>On Borrowed Time</em> or <em>Wait Until Dark</em>. Speech class had only one overriding rule, and that was you couldn’t pronounce your long “i’s” flat like you would naturally in Hazard. You had to make them sound like you were saying “aye, aye, Captain Bligh.” If you didn’t, she claimed she would fail you. Not my problem. I was good at speech. Sometimes she would tell me to stand up in class and say America.</p><p>I’d say, “America.”</p><p>She’d pause for a second, “Say America.”</p><p>Again, I’d say “America,” sounding it out like she and Charlton Heston would.</p><p>Then she’d say, “He has a beautiful voice, doesn’t he?” All followed by a chortle from the back of her throat, a sound like spit frying on a griddle that you can never unhear.</p><p>After school my friends would make fun, “Say America for me.” But then it was me she hired as Santa. Paid good money, maybe two bucks an hour, and the work was nothing, if you could belt out an imitative Merry Christmas and a Ho-Ho-Ho.</p><p>Often the store was empty, and I would play with the toys myself, racecars and gyroscopes. Other times high school friends would come by to harass me, the boys trying to get me to say something inappropriate around the kids, teenage girls who wanted to sit in my lap, whisper in my ear, and make me squirm. Occasionally a kid would get scared, tear up, run back to his minder, but if you’d let the little fellow find his own way to you, he’d generally work up some courage, get a wish in, and go home hopeful. The kids that shopped in Walkertown didn’t want that much, and the House of Toys was not high end. Mostly they said dolls and balls, toy guns and play kitchens. Sometimes boys wanted those little gas stations with an elevator for the cars to get up to the down ramp. Not fancy or electric.</p><p>Then one Wednesday I got a call to come in that night to be Santa when we were not open.  I remember that I did not want to bother with shoe polish on the sideburns. Too much to scrub out later on a school night. When I got there, Mrs. Palmer explained that there was this kid, I want to say Lucas or James, but I don’t remember, 7 or 8, and he was sick. I think it was leukemia then before all the miracle cures. His parents called Mrs. Palmer. Christmas was two weeks out, but they did not think he would make it. They told her they had taken him to Lothair to see Rosanova’s Santa, and downtown to see Bill Douglas, but after each visit he had told his folks, “That’s not the real Santa Claus.”</p><div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/wizzertop.jpg"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="433" height="418" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/wizzertop.jpg?resize=433%2C418" alt="wizzertop" class="wp-image-10489" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/wizzertop.jpg?w=433&ssl=1 433w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/wizzertop.jpg?w=370 370w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/wizzertop.jpg?w=400 400w" sizes="(max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px" /></a></figure></div><p>I went across the street, up the metal stairs, and turned on the lights to get dressed. I pressed the white beard and wig against my temples to hide my scraggly facial hair. Santa’s throne was an unsold upholstered chair in the back of the store. When they came up I could peer out over the bins and watch him see me as he began to make his own way back. Mrs. Palmer, who rarely came up the steps, was with them, the mom and the dad, and I think someone else from the family. Mrs. Palmer was a doctor’s widow. She had money. She was the kind of woman who would buy a furniture store just to show the school system that she did not need their payday or their approval. She would have given James or Isaac or Lucas every toy on display and not blinked. She told him to pick what he wanted.</p><p>The mom trailed the slight, sandy-haired boy. He was ashen. She wasn’t that much older than me. Her face was puffy from crying but also from holding it back. Her head cocked like when you’re worn down. She smiled at him with absolute pride, like watching your kid sing in the school pageant. But it was as if she was mourning him at the same time.</p><p>I met him in the bins, reached in to the toys, and handed him a rev-up top with a gyroscope inside it. I think it was yellow and cost four ninety-five. I called him by his name and whisked him up into my chair. I talked in softer Santa, asking him what he wanted and making a deep quiet Ho-Ho trying to sound like a man. He told me about his little brother and his momma, his daddy. If he wanted something for Christmas, it was not a big part of our conversation. I just remember that when he got up to go, the top he’d been holding had slipped into the side of the chair. As he walked back to his mom, I said, “Here, Lucas, don’t forget your top.” And he looked at me and said “I won’t, and I won’t forget who gave it to me either.”</p><p>We did not have a school play that year. Mrs. Palmer directed some community theater after that, and I got cast a couple of times: once as a farmer in the bi-centennial history of Hazard, another time as Vinnie, one of the poker players in <em>The Odd Couple</em>. No small parts, only small actors. The kid made it through Christmas, but not into spring. Rosanova moved away owing a lot of merchants money. And Bill Douglas is remembered in town as the greatest Santa of all time.</p><p><em>Dee Davis is publisher of the Daily Yonder and president of the Center for Rural Strategies. He’s on twitter </em><a href="https://twitter.com/iAmFlyRock"><em>@iamflyrock</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/palmers-house-toys/2024/12/24/">Palmer’s House of Toys</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<title>Crafting Community and a Della Robbia Wreath at Hughlett’s Tavern/Rice’s Hotel</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/crafting-community-and-a-della-robbia-wreath-at-hughletts-tavern-rices-hotel/2024/12/23/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/crafting-community-and-a-della-robbia-wreath-at-hughletts-tavern-rices-hotel/2024/12/23/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ali Webb]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Arts and Culture]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=220415</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="730" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?fit=1024%2C730&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?resize=760%2C542&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?resize=1024%2C730&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?resize=400%2C285&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?resize=706%2C504&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?fit=1024%2C730&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>Nestled behind the historic old courthouse in Heathsville, Virginia, population 126, stands Hughlett’s Tavern. It’s a charming white wooden structure with more than 250 years of stories etched into its wooden beams. On a crisp Saturday morning, just shy of three weeks following a tumultuous presidential election, eight eager participants gathered in the Tavern’s Community […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/crafting-community-and-a-della-robbia-wreath-at-hughletts-tavern-rices-hotel/2024/12/23/">Crafting Community and a Della Robbia Wreath at Hughlett’s Tavern/Rice’s Hotel</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="730" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?fit=1024%2C730&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?resize=760%2C542&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?resize=1024%2C730&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?resize=400%2C285&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?resize=706%2C504&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attaching-leaves.jpg?fit=1024%2C730&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>Nestled behind the historic old courthouse in Heathsville, Virginia, population 126, stands Hughlett’s Tavern. It’s a charming white wooden structure with more than 250 years of stories etched into its wooden beams.</p><p>On a crisp Saturday morning, just shy of three weeks following a tumultuous presidential election, eight eager participants gathered in the Tavern’s Community Meeting Building to learn the art of creating a Della Robbia wreath under the expert guidance of Liz Walker. Liz has a passion to pass on the tradition of wreath making that she learned from her mother while growing up in Williamsburg, Virginia. </p><p>Call it craft-therapy for some of us, it was a few hours to forget the world and focus on making something both useful and beautiful. No one talked about anything but the task at hand. And we talked lots about bow placement and the beauty of dried orange slices.</p><div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="465" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreath-base-sized2.jpg?resize=780%2C465&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-220422" style="width:702px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreath-base-sized2.jpg?w=1145&ssl=1 1145w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreath-base-sized2.jpg?resize=760%2C453&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreath-base-sized2.jpg?resize=768%2C457&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreath-base-sized2.jpg?resize=1024%2C610&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreath-base-sized2.jpg?resize=400%2C238&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreath-base-sized2.jpg?resize=706%2C421&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreath-base-sized2.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Some of the elements of the wreath: a taped wreath form, various fruits, wire, ribbon, clippers, and sturdy gloves. (Photo by Ali Webb)</figcaption></figure></div><p>A little historical context: Della Robbia wreaths draw their inspiration from the vibrant Renaissance terra-cotta sculptures of Italy. The style was later adapted in Colonial Williamsburg, incorporating fresh greenery, fruits, and decorative elements for a wreath with an unmistakable holiday flair. This style of wreath graced the homes of revolutionary Americans and stalwart British Loyalists in another fateful American era.</p><p>Here’s how the magic unfolded during our workshop.</p><div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="1040" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=780%2C1040&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-220427" style="width:353px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=972%2C1296&ssl=1 972w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=570%2C760&ssl=1 570w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=600%2C800&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=450%2C600&ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=300%2C400&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=150%2C200&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=400%2C533&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?resize=706%2C941&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/attach-leaves-vert-1-972x1296.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Magnolia leaves make up the base of the wreath. (Photo by Ali Webb)</figcaption></figure></div><p><strong>Step 1: Preparing the Foundation</strong></p><p>We started with a 14-inch straw wreath form wrapped in green florist tape. A sturdy loop of floral wire, also wrapped in green tape, created a hanging hook—a practical first step that set the tone for a masterpiece in the making.</p><p><strong>Step 2: Building the Magnolia Leaf Border</strong></p><div class="wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex"><p>Magnolia leaves formed the wreath’s elegant backbone. Liz encouraged us to experiment with patterns, angling the leaves to create symmetry or going wild with asymmetry for a whimsical look, for example. The goal was to meet each leaf’s vein to maintain a consistent flow, with the result guiding us like clockwork from the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions.</p></div><p><strong>Step 3: “Greening” the Wreath</strong></p><p>Armed with two bags of lush greenery, we pinned small bundles to the wreath form, alternating placements between the top, inside, and outside of the form. A clockwise motion ensured the wreath was evenly covered, hiding the straw base. Liz’s mantra? “Wild and wooly is always a winner!”</p><p><strong>Step 4: Adding the Bow</strong></p><p>Decisions, decisions; where should the bow be located—top, bottom, or side? Liz suggested the side placement for a touch of whimsy. Once the bow was in place, its cascading ribbons dictated the placement of fruit and other decorative elements.</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="442" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1.jpg?resize=780%2C442&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-220424" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C735&ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C431&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C436&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C871&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1161&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C681&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C581&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C889&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1134&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C227&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C400&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wreathmake1-1-1296x735.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A participant attaches fruit to the wreath after adding greenery and the bow. Oyster shells come from the nearby Chesapeake Bay. (Photo by Ali Webb)</figcaption></figure><p><strong>Step 5: Placing the Fruit</strong></p><p>Lemons, apples, dried orange slices, and pomegranates took center stage. Odd-numbered groupings—three, five, or seven—created visual balance. Liz advised us to pre-arrange the fruit before attaching it, using floral wire and toothpicks for a seamless, sturdy look. She demonstrated the process with expert precision and showed us how to gently anchor each fruit without piercing too deeply, thus preserving their natural beauty.</p><p><strong>Step 6: Adding the Details</strong></p><p>Here’s where creativity truly bloomed! Yarrow, statice, nandina berries, pinecones, and even oyster shells found their way into the design. Each element was carefully wired or pinned in place, tucked snugly into the greenery to hide mechanics. Baby’s breath and additional greenery filled gaps, adding texture and pops of color.</p><p><strong>Step 7: The Final Flourish</strong></p><p>As the finishing touches came together, Liz shared tips for longevity, such as avoiding over-wiring and ensuring elements were securely fastened. A gentle shake confirmed the wreath was ready to withstand the winter winds.</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="482" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/door-wreath1-sized.jpg?resize=780%2C482&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-220419" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/door-wreath1-sized.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/door-wreath1-sized.jpg?resize=760%2C469&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/door-wreath1-sized.jpg?resize=768%2C474&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/door-wreath1-sized.jpg?resize=1024%2C632&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/door-wreath1-sized.jpg?resize=400%2C247&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/door-wreath1-sized.jpg?resize=706%2C436&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/door-wreath1-sized.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Home for the holiday, the finished wreath hangs on the front door. (Photo by Ali Webb)</figcaption></figure><p><strong>Reflections and Revelry</strong></p><p>Each wreath told a unique story—some traditional, others delightfully minimalist. Surrounded by the historical charm of Hughlett’s Tavern, we left with not only wreaths, but also a profound appreciation for this timeless art form.</p><p>Each wreath we crafted was more than a holiday decoration—it was a celebration of creativity, history, and community. The quiet camaraderie in that room, with its shared focus on beauty and tradition, felt like a much-needed balm for the soul in uncertain times. We took with us wreaths to adorn our homes and the satisfaction of creating something lasting and lovely.</p><p>At Hughlett’s Tavern, history isn’t just preserved—it’s lived and shared. Workshops like these remind us that the simplest acts, like weaving leaves and fruits into a circle, can connect us to centuries of tradition while grounding us in the present. So, whether you’re seeking a bit of holiday cheer, a new skill, or just a few hours of joyful escape, Hughlett’s Tavern offers more than a workshop—it offers a place to craft memories and community.</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p><em>Ali Webb lives on the banks of Virginia’s  Rappahannock River where it meets the Chesapeake Bay. She writes about rural life, traveling close to home and far away as The Indulgent Traveler. Her first job out of college was as a reporter for a daily newspaper; her last job was working for a major U.S. foundation. Now she combs the river bank for oyster shells and tries to be helpful.</em></p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/crafting-community-and-a-della-robbia-wreath-at-hughletts-tavern-rices-hotel/2024/12/23/">Crafting Community and a Della Robbia Wreath at Hughlett’s Tavern/Rice’s Hotel</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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<title>‘That Christmas,’ ‘Nutcrackers,’ and the Search for a New Holiday Classic</title>
<link>https://dailyyonder.com/that-christmas-netflix-nutcrackers-hulu-and-the-search-for-a-new-holiday-classic/2024/12/23/</link>
<comments>https://dailyyonder.com/that-christmas-netflix-nutcrackers-hulu-and-the-search-for-a-new-holiday-classic/2024/12/23/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Adam B. Giorgi]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[the good the bad and the elegy]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=221417</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="in a still from a movie a boy and girl meet on a snowy street with a brightly lit shop window and christmas tree behind them" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?resize=760%2C428&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?resize=400%2C225&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?resize=706%2C397&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<p>Every year a slew of new small-town Christmas stories enter the scene, aiming to put a fresh spin on a familiar formula. But will any make an impression and join the ranks of our beloved holiday standards?</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/that-christmas-netflix-nutcrackers-hulu-and-the-search-for-a-new-holiday-classic/2024/12/23/">‘That Christmas,’ ‘Nutcrackers,’ and the Search for a New Holiday Classic</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="in a still from a movie a boy and girl meet on a snowy street with a brightly lit shop window and christmas tree behind them" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?resize=760%2C428&ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?resize=400%2C225&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?resize=706%2C397&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/that-christmas-netflix-feature.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p style="font-size:14px"><em>Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can </em><a href="#signup"><em>join the mailing list at the bottom of this article</em></a><em> to receive future editions in your inbox.</em></p><p>What festive films and TV are you watching this holiday season? For most people, I’d wager the answer to that question would be familiar fare, old favorites turned to year after year. </p><p>I’ve been thinking about those old standbys lately, and a question has been sticking with me: When’s the last time we had a new holiday classic? A broadly admired standard that is welcomed into the Christmas canon? </p><p>It sure feels like it’s been a while, and it’s not for lack of new stuff. Each year, the cable channels, movie studios, and streaming services offer up a bevy of seasonal titles seeking to tap into people’s holiday spirit. But for my part, I’ve struggled to identify any that have broken through or stood the test of time. </p><p>Two selections from this year’s holiday menu may offer a case in point, the animated Netflix film, “That Christmas” and the Ben Stiller led Hulu film, “Nutcrackers.” </p><h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-left">Christmas Past</h2><p>My first theory concerning the lack of new Christmas classics was that streaming is to blame. The thinking goes: our fractured, algorithmic, on-demand media environment undermines the shared cultural experiences that are so key to what makes the holidays special. </p><p>Under this line of thinking context is as important as content. How would our old holiday favorites stand up if they had been introduced in this current environment? No delineation between the multiplex and the made-for-TV, just another thumbnail or tile in the endless scroll, competing for our attention until another, better option comes along. No predictable programming schedule or tradition of reruns; what is a holiday classic minus the power of repetition and nostalgia? </p><p>This is the landscape that awaits new holiday stories like “That Christmas” and “Nutcrackers,” both released in the last month. For someone on the hunt for new seasonal stories, these titles both acquit themselves reasonably well, checking the right boxes and bringing the appropriate spirit. But is that enough? </p><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="That Christmas | Official Trailer | Netflix" width="780" height="439" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SiCTXSwqzkw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An official trailer for ‘That Christmas’ (via Netflix on YouTube).</figcaption></figure><p>“That Christmas” could best be described as a kids’ version of “Love Actually” – itself among the younger holiday standards, having been released just two decades ago. The amiable animated film shares a writer, Richard Curtis, and an overall conceit, featuring a large ensemble and a set of distinct vignettes that eventually coalesce into one grand finale. </p><p>Adapted from children’s books also written by Curtis, the story concerns an especially stormy and snowy Christmas in a small seaside village in England, and it has all the coziness and charm that setup would suggest. Directed by Simon Otto, an animator who worked on the “How to Train Your Dragon” films, it’s a treat visually, with lovingly composed environments and distinct, expressive characters, even if the budget and production quality are clearly not on the same level as you’d expect from a Dreamworks or Pixar release. </p><p>Its emotional beats are effective, and it has a real sense of place. A few of the cultural references may not age particularly well, it relies on a couple of overused tropes, and some of the vignettes are more satisfying than others, but overall I found it hit all the holiday buttons I hoped it would.</p><h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-left">Christmas Present</h2><p>A second theory concerning the lack of new holiday classics would place more blame on the stories themselves, not the media platforms or contexts that surround them. Perhaps we haven’t seen any new standards emerge because what was once novel has become deeply formulaic. If you’re seeking the comfort and joy of a Christmas story, why not go with the original recipes instead of the many imitators and knockoffs? </p><p>If we draw this conclusion, the onus falls on our new stories to come up with some new formulas, or to transcend the ones we know so well. </p><p>“Nutcrackers” is assuredly not the standard bearer to take on this tall task, but, much like “That Christmas,” it is a perfectly pleasant holiday film. It would be fair to say that it relies plenty on holiday formulas, especially those involving rural and small-town backdrops. </p><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Nutcrackers | Official Trailer | Hulu" width="780" height="439" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5iBuf0Sq-cw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An official trailer for ‘Nutcrackers’ (via Hulu on YouTube). </figcaption></figure><p>Ben Stiller plays our Scrooge-like protagonist, Michael, a career-driven Chicago real estate man who must go to rural Ohio over the holidays to care for his recently deceased sister’s orphaned children. </p><p>Like many stories of this sort, “Nutcrackers” lays it on super thick in terms of the culture clash between Michael’s urban life and the rural spaces he’s entering. Jokes about cell service, animal husbandry, and other features of rural life are pushed to their limit, dramatized in exceedingly exaggerated fashion. This tone applies across the board at the very least, with the film holding little back in accentuating Michael’s snobbishness and exasperation at his sister’s chosen home, as well as the inherent inanity of much of his reality back in the city.</p><p>You almost certainly know where this is going. Like the Grinch or George Bailey before him, Michael will be transformed by his holiday in this town – his heart expanded and his perspective on life changed. The film bears many of the Hallmarks (pun intended) of the typical made-for-TV holiday movies, but it boasts a much higher level of polish, with more impressive location work and production design as well as higher caliber casting and cinematography. Depending on your outlook, that could sound like faint praise or perfectly in order.  </p><p>Ultimately, what carries the film is the relationship between Michael and his four nephews, and in that regard, it is an honest and heartfelt affair.</p><h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-left">Christmas Future</h2><p>I am skeptical that either “That Christmas” or “Nutcrackers” will enter any holiday hall of fame or linger long in the collective memory, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are not worthy of it. I enjoyed them both and have no qualms recommending them, particularly for those in search of something new this season. </p><p>To the original question about the lack of new holiday classics, the two films do have something interesting to offer. In both “That Christmas” and “Nutcrackers,” there are younger characters who bemoan the staleness of certain Christmas stories and traditions, and thus set out to put their own spins on them, making updates that better fit the times they know.   </p><p>It offers a reminder that any answers regarding future holiday standards can only come from the next generation. Let’s hope the young people celebrating the holidays in rural and small-town places today will have some new stories and formulas in store for us in the years to come.</p><p><em><a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81309564">That Christmas</a> is currently streaming on Netflix. <a href="https://www.hulu.com/movie/nutcrackers-335fb713-8ccb-4daa-8c20-d26c982309a0">Nutcrackers</a> is currently streaming on Hulu.</em></p><div id="signup" class="wp-block-group is-style-default has-light-gray-background-color has-background"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow"><div style="height:1px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
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<div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:75%"><p>This article first appeared in <strong>The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy</strong>, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, recommendations, retrospectives, and more. <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/contact-us/subscribe-daily-yonder/#good-bad-elegy">Join the mailing list</a> today to have future editions delivered straight to your inbox.</p></div></div>
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<div style="height:10px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div></div></div><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/that-christmas-netflix-nutcrackers-hulu-and-the-search-for-a-new-holiday-classic/2024/12/23/">‘That Christmas,’ ‘Nutcrackers,’ and the Search for a New Holiday Classic</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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