Inadvertent chuckles

Anyone who's been reading my blog (or reading through the archives) will know that I have recently become involved at a new church after having left the former one. The one I'm going to now is actually in Norwalk, a small bedroom community south of Des Moines. I'm enjoying church for the first time in... well... maybe this is the first time I've really ever enjoyed church. I grew up in Oklahoma and was going to a Baptist church since before I was born. I married a Baptist minister (yes, the minister married the piano player... oooohhh... yeah, yeah, whatever) and have pretty much always either gone to the church my parents chose or the church my husband was on staff at. It actually never occurred to me that it wasn't fun; it had fun moments, and I grew up with a sincere and committed faith, but to really WANT to be at church and to feel like I just couldn't possibly wait to go back? Naah. I had come to the conclusion a long time ago that that church really didn't exist. And then I came to FCC (Fellowship Community Church) in Norwalk, Iowa.

I've also pointed out that this church is far from perfect, and that if it were, it would've ceased to be so the moment I walked through the door. I will never EVER tell you that I've found the perfect church, and I'm quite sure that FCC probably wouldn't suit everyone (although anyone and everyone would be welcome). But I am very, VERY happy there and I am always glad I went.

Now that I've qualified that, I want to talk about the town that FCC resides within. Norwalk, Iowa has a population of around 7,000. Unlike several of the other bedroom communities, Norwalk has remained fairly true to its rural roots and has remained untainted by its metropolitan neighbor to the north, Des Moines. I'm guessing this is mainly due to the westward and northward tendencies of metro expansion. Southern communities like Carlisle and Norwalk haven't been quite as transformed as have Waukee, Johnston, Grimes and Ankeny.

Well, this past week, I discovered that Norwalk has its own newspaper. And no, it isn't just a satellite of the Des Moines Register. It's a privately-owned community newspaper. I bought a copy for forty cents at the grocery store... yes, you read that right -- forty cents. Not fifty cents. Not a dollar. Forty cents. And what a delightful read it has been; well worth my forty cents, I tell you. I'm still dumfounded that a newspaper like this still exists at all. It reminds me of the small-town newspapers they used to have when I was a little girl. Read this newspaper and step back in time to the days of Mayberry.

On the front page are several articles. One caught my eye (names have been changed to protect these people):

School Board Members at Scott's Saturday A.M.

Dan Dee and Gee Whiz of the Norwalk School Board will be at Scott's Foods Deli Saturday, Jan. 22, from 8 to 10 a.m. to listen and answer questions regarding the upcoming bond issue.

The first ten people to arrive will received free coffee.

Or this one, accompanied by a large photo:

Laird Installed Potentate of Za-Ga-Zig Shrine

I won't inflict that article on you.

The lede was a sensational, highly detailed story about someone's house burning down (with photo). Also within the pages is a notice of the upcoming city election. Part of this article read as follows:

Notice to Voters: To vote to approve the question, press the button next to the word "yes." To vote against the question press the button next to the word "no."

Ummm, okay.

Anyway, there are more fun things in the paper; I'll share them with you in subsequent posts. Trust me: you're going to want to read my upcoming post about a Signature Dish at a party. Yes, you too can create the ultimate party food. Watch this space in the next day or two, and you'll be glad you did. No party should be without these.

It's too late to keep blogging, so I'm headed off to bed. See ya in the morning.