From Kansas, with love: like it or not, my home defies stereotypes

Getting a place right shouldn't be hard, so why does TV show Somebody Somewhere's accurate depiction of the midwest feel like a miracle?

One Saturday last fall, my husband and I bought an antique clawfoot bathtub in Manhattan, Kansas. After loading it from a stranger's backyard into the bed of our truck, we walked to The Chef, a downtown diner, figuring we might be seated quickly with half the town tailgating at the Kansas State University football game.

We drank bloody Marys on the patio among white, Black and brown diners while purple school flags waved in the autumn breeze. Our server pointed to a pile of blankets in case I got chilly.