“Ragbrai” is a word, in Iowa anyway, therefore I'm not going to capitalize it.
Ginnie and I hosted two Ragbrai teams at the Empty Nest Farm, Team Checkers and Team Must Have. Before Ginnie and I were married, I hosted Team Checkers the last time Mt. Pleasant was an “overnight” town. That was in 2009. A friend of mine from Keosauqua is on Team Must Have (don't ask me what that means) so we also agreed to host them. It was a fun experience, although Ginnie just about went crazy (and me, too) in getting the house and farm ready for our Ragbrai guests. But it was a good exercise, because it forced us into some much needed clean up. You see, I'm a “stack man.” A stack man makes piles of stuff that only he knows what they contain (and I quickly lose track of that). I had three big piles, one on my desk, one on the bench beside the door where I throw my pocket stuff (and anything else I don't know what to do with), and one around my reading/writing recliner. These piles are eyesores. Not wanting our Ragbrai guests to see my piles (no pun intended), I begrudgingly addressed two of the messes, and threw everything out. Ginnie cleaned up my recliner mess. She was flabbergasted at my clean desk and bench, which she hadn't seen the top of in years.
I must admit that in the mad rush to get our two-and-a-half acre farm mowed, I pushed it too hard and rolled our zero-turn mower. Yup, on the ditch embankment. Fortunately, I wasn't hurt, and the zero-turn survived its humiliation—her underside exposed to the world! I was honestly under the impression that the zero-turn wouldn't roll. Having a 54” deck, it isn't equipped with a roll-bar or seat belt. Always before, when I put the mower into too steep an incline, the back end would slide around, keeping it from rolling. This time, however, when the back end slid, it caught on a rut and, boom, over she went! I was thrown free. God looks after fools and ex-drunks. I had to get the tractor and pull the zero-turn back on its wheels. After replacing the oil that had spilled out, she started right up, and I finished mowing—a little rattled, and a lot more cautious!
Against my will, Ginnie had a huge dumpster delivered, and we proceeded to throw junk out, like an old picnic table that was no longer safe to sit on, as well as a wooden yard glider in the same condition. The garage hasn't looked this clean since we had an open house!
Not part of our two-team, overnight guests, but a Ragbrai rider nonetheless, I arranged to interview a man and his six-year old son from China. His name is Sean Scullin, and his son's name is Lionel. Lionel is going blind, and Sean wants Lionel to experience everything he can before the blindness sets in. They are riding with Team Hope in Motion. Sean is an American from Minnesota. He traveled to China while in college, fell in love with a Chinese woman, Xiao Hong, got married, and stayed in China. He loves the Chinese people. Sean teaches English and physical education. The bike that Sean rides is made of bamboo. He pulls Lionel in a little cart that his son can also pedal, to help assist with the week long trek across the state. Sean says that Lionel's help in pedaling is much appreciated on Iowa's sweaty hills.
Sean has also run a full marathon (26.2 miles) in China, two years ago, while pushing Lionel in a cart. His time? Four hours. Impressive!
Sean and Lionel have the distinction of traveling the farthest to ride Ragbrai. They live in Chengdu, China, and Lionel is the youngest to have completed the entire Ragbrai route this year.
Sean speaks about the “American Dream” that the Chinese people have. It is of home ownership, the ability to own your own business, and the freedom of trading on the stock market. The Chinese are also big on education. They are very aware that the United States has some of the best educational institutions in the world. Sean will be meeting up with his wife and mother in Burlington. He has a blog, puthopeinmotion.org where you can follow Sean and Lionel's story and also make a contribution to the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation, if you like.
BTW: Like moles that return to your yard, the piles I exterminated in preparation for our Ragbrai guests, are starting to grow again. Ginnie just shakes her head.
Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526 or email him a curtswarm@yahoo.com. Curt is available for public speaking.
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