By Mike Donahue

Moapa Valley Progress

Twenty-eleven has been a brutal year around the world; a year of extremes in which people from all walks of life, from all cultures, countries, colors and creeds have been overwhelmed and devastated by many of the terrible and horrible sides the 21st Century.

We have been awash in the extraordinary horror of the civil strife and wars in the Middle East. We have been exposed to a furious Mother Nature inflicting devastation beyond belief and without a moment’s notice with horrendous earthquakes and tsunamis, among other things. Throughout the year we have repeatedly shared firsthand the unimaginable terror caused by maniacal extremists and the mentally ill whose sole purpose for existence is apparently to kill and maim as many as possible both inside and outside our borders.

As bad as it’s been, however, it’s still possible for us to look back over 2011 and see a lot of actual positives about the year, especially about rural living in general and Moapa Valley in particular.

We are, without a doubt, lucky to live here, and share what we have with such wonderful neighbors.

Bloomberg Businessweek says Moapa Valley is THE best place in Nevada to raise kids, That puts us on a par with Delta, UT; Pendleton, OR; Moscow, ID; Vail, AZ; Rowland Heights, CA, and of course 44 other places.

Bloomberg’s pronouncement is something many of us already knew, or at least suspected, and one only has to peruse past editions of Rural Rants to confirm our suspicions.

Last January we learned about Tyson Leavitt who lives in Overton with his wife Annie and their three girls, 6-year-old Lucy, Abby, 4, and baby Phoebe. They have community ties that go back 100 years. Tyson rescued two Southern Nevada seniors who had become trapped in their car in a flooded wash in Overton after an intense winter rain storm.

On his own initiative, Tyson waded into the water and hooked up a towline from his personal truck and actually pulled the flooded auto and occupants to safety. I can’t say he is a typical rural Moapa Valley neighbor, but he certainly is the type of neighbor we’d all like to have when he’s needed.

And speaking of rural rescuers, there’s Dennis Bracken, a California AAA tow truck driver who saved a stranded Caliente woman whose niece lives in Moapa Valley.

Bracken discovered the befuddled and bewildered woman locked in her car on a California freeway. The senior was unaware of where she actually was, how she got there and how to get home. On his own dime, Bracken loaded up the stranded woman’s car on his tow truck and carted both the vehicle and the confused driver to Moapa Valley where he delivered them to the Moapa Valley relative.

There are all sorts of other good people here, the sort of people we think all rural neighbors should be.

Nancy Glazier is a world-class artist who chooses to call Moapa Valley home. Many of her paintings depict the wild, wonderful and naturally beautiful possibilities of life.

There’s the Sean and Maggie McMurray family of Logandale, which, including Calvin, 18, Kenna, 15, Brynne, 13, Ryan, 9, Iain, 6, has been teaching a lot of us about the helpful hands and hearts of 4-H all year.

Don’t forget Glen and Shirley Hardy, whose list of good deeds, actions and connections are the epitome of rural life.

The McMurrays, the Hardys and all their relatives are practically a rural community all by themselves — a magnificent example of country life at its best.

LaRue “Barney” Barnum was born in Mesquite in 1913, although he’s lived most of his nearly 100 years in Moapa Valley. He’s moved away, lived and thrived in other places, but lucky for us he’s managed to make it back here. He’s a fund of knowledge and history who continues to pay us benefits.

The lists of good things about 2011 — good neighbors and good reasons to live in Moapa Valley — go on and on, but I’m already over my limit for this week’s Rural Rants. In a nutshell, despite what’s gone on elsewhere, I think overall it’s been a pretty good year.

I’m already looking forward to next year and the opportunity to chronicle what’s good about Moapa Valley in 2012.