everyone needs a pizza farm

just as i began typing, a sparrow outside my window started singing at the top of his little lungs. he has been out there for a few days, taking dips in the birdbath, fluffing himself up, hunting stinkbugs, and singing. after his little serenade this morning, he hopped onto the screen and ran around on it for a minute, seemingly enamored with the concept of a life lived sideways. the three minutes we shared have managed to make me smile and feel happy to the bone.

i realize, looking back at the summer, i haven't really taken the time to share much about my travels here in writing. japan was summarized in photos and minnesota flew past as well. i just haven't wanted to spend my time at home in front of the computer; perhaps now that the weather is turning cooler and the days are getting shorter i will find some more time in front of the glowing screen and keyboard.

one of the highlights of my time in minnesota and wisconsin was a trip to the pizza farm. it is nestled in some hilly farmland east of the mississippi, about two hours from minneapolis, over the border into wisconsin. [oh! the sparrow is back! how does a sound so large come from such a tiny little being?] we drove along lake pepin to get there, the home of water skiing and the largest lake along the mississippi. we stopped to shop for pie and to look at some art. if i had $2,000 to spend on a painting, it would be one of the sweeping farm landscapes i saw on the walls of the gallery where we peeked around. looking at it, i felt at home. and that is what it looks like at the pizza farm - huge fields, amazing views, and enormous sky that all give me a sense i am precisely where i belong in the world.

the sign on the side of the barn sums it up. there's pizza at the farm on tuesdays in the summer. hundreds of people show up with lawn chairs, blankets, salads, drinks, appetizers, lawn games, and desserts crammed into their cars. they might leave work early to get there before the line gets too long - you can wait more than an hour after placing your order to get your pizza. but in the meantime, there is so much to do. play in the corn, chase chickens, pet goats, wonder just hot the sheep is under all that wool, or take your chances with a bull. this is a working farm and there is a lot going on. kids run everywhere, and it can be a parent's paradise, there are so many friendly people around, your kid won't get into anything too naughty. just tell them not to touch the fences. they really are electrified.

everything on the pizza, down to the dough, comes from either this farm or neighboring farms. wheat is sent to a mill, the bags say somewhere in massachusetts. sausage is made from happy pigs. the pizza will run you about $25 but it is worth every cent. it is the best pizza i've ever had, and it was eaten under the blue sky watching a real midwestern thunderstorm roll across the farmland. lucky for us, it never got close enough to cause any trouble. as we walked back to the car we could see people had parked a long way down the dirt road that leads to the farm. that night they served 250 pizzas or so. the sun set over the farmland and cast an orange glow all around. it was perfect, and i was happy to the bone.