Dear Friends,

I’m always in awe at what one finds on the side of a road. Our highways, byways, and even gravel roads are littered with an astounding clutter of things. Junk you’d never notice while driving brings you to a halt when you’re walking and see them up close.

Take this tube of toothpaste lying next to a tooth brush on a gravel road. How the heck does that happen? By accident? By design? What’s the story here?

I fantasize several possibilities as I walk on, leaving this bizarre tribute to dental hygiene behind for the next walker to ponder, fully aware that “the next walker” may amble along weeks, if not months, if not years from now.

For fun: How would you caption this photo? Go ahead, give it your best shot. I’ll publish some of the more clever quips in a future blog.

As you can see, I’m not immersed in the serious work of saving democracy every minute of every day. That’s good. We can’t plod through these trying times — or any trying times for that matter — without taking a moment to smell the roses, or admire something as frivolous as roadside rubbish.

On a serious note, I am in awe at the hundreds of wind turbines I walk past in Adair County. I’m told that, while there was some opposition during the development phase, most people are content with how it’s come together. That view is tempered with an understanding that Adair County now has enough turbines.

My gracious host in Orient tonight is Pastor John Van Nostrand. We talk about the growth in wind turbines, the decline in church attendance, and the importance of maintaining the viability of small-town Iowa. I’m grateful for his hospitality and our wide-ranging conversation. I enjoy a good night’s sleep and feel refreshed for tomorrow’s 13-mile march to Creston.

— Ed Fallon