I have a little bit of gypsy in me, a wanderlust that begs to be fed. This urge always rears its head this time of year; the heat of summer makes me itch to see past my beautiful hamlet. I am drawn to places of light, water, earth, and history-like a cabin nestled in the quiet mountains of Asheville or the history, art, and food of Chicago. I gratefully stood witness to the Canadian coast in a train that rocked me ever deeper into a state of flow, the immense glaciers of Montana, and the beauty of coastal Carolina, where the Atlantic differs so much from the Great Lakes you can hardly fathom that they share drops of water. Travel is incredible, amazing, astounding, and sometimes overwhelming.
But as much as I love traveling, there is no place I love as much as home. Which is why it’s frustrating to me to meet people on my travels who, upon finding out I am from Kentucky, immediately assume negative things about me (like that I am unhealthy, unintelligent, or unenlightened). When I start waxing poetic about hiking in The Gorge, the smoothest bourbons, or the unparalleled beauty of Horse Country, they generally looked confused. In my experience, all too often when you ask anyone who doesn’t live here what they think of when they think of Kentucky, they will answer, “Kentucky Fried Chicken”. Sigh. Nothing sums up what our state has to offer like a greasy bucket of fried chicken, biscuits, macaroni and cheese, and 32 ounces of tea so sweet it hurts your teeth.
To some degree, I get their point. We hail from a place that doesn’t necessarily encourage a healthy lifestyle. After all, Clark County itself is probably best known for Ale-8 and beer cheese, right?Instead of focusing on preventive medicine, we instead use our state tax dollars to fund programs that deal with the aftermath of poor choices. The common practice here is too much-too much junk food, too much alcohol, too much smoking, too much TV, too much sitting, too many drugs. According to the United Health Foundation, Kentucky ranks 47th in the nation’s healthiest states. 29% of Kentuckians smoke and over 33% of us are morbidly obese.
And yet I wouldn’t live anywhere else! Start trash talking Kentucky and I’ll put my fighting boots on! Kentucky is one of the most beautiful places on earth with the kindest, most hospitable people you will ever find. This is a place where houses have porches, people love you simply because they know “your people” (by which, they mean your parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, or cousins, no matter how far removed), and love is generally shown through huge family meals. A place where “y’all” is an actual word. We believe in bourbon, bluegrass music, basketball, and horse racing around these parts. This is a place where the soil will grow most anything and the sunrises and sunsets can soften the hardest heart. On Quisenberry Lane, on any given day, I am apt to see bison, cows, horses, chickens, deer, skunks, opossums, turkeys, hawks, squirrels, voles, groundhogs, bats, raccoons, snakes, lizards, spiders, foxes, coyotes, beavers and even the occasional bald eagle! This is my home.
And no matter where you live, wellness is your birthright. I am so proud to live in a community that, year after year, supports breathing, moving, and meditating! This week, vow to take that love outdoors. We are home to Mammoth Cave National Park, 38 state parks, and 465 lakes. We are just minutes away from amazing hiking, canoeing, and rock climbing. Or stay even closer to home and hike in Lower Howard’s Creek Nature Preserve, rent a bike from Parks & Rec to tour downtown, taste the wines at Hamon Haven Winery, come feed the bison at Blackfish Bison farms, or test your knowledge of history at the Civil War Fort at Boonesboro.
Home is what you make it. Let’s make ours amazing.
Squash Soup
I was given some fresh squash recently from a friend’s garden.
Ingredients
You’ll need about 8 cups of squash, cubed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
7 cups water
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons sugar, plus more if necessary
1/2 cup cream or almond milk
sriracha for heat, optional
Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients except for the cream/milk and sriracha in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about half an hour.
Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until silky smooth. Stir in the cream/milk and slowly bring to a simmer. Taste and add sriracha. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with more sriracha or homemade croutons.