Corn Sax 101

Ok.......the strangest thing happened yesterday morning. There I was, sitting on the porch, in my flannel nightgown, sleepily enjoying my first sips of coffee for the day. Birds in the tree branches were chirping their morning greetings, and the cornfield in the distance was glimmering in the gentle sunlight. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was realizing that detasseling season had arrived, and I chuckled as my own memories were activated of that "fun" Iowa teenage-rite-of-passage activity, and was smugly thankful not to be part of a detasseling crew this morning!

Suddenly------and, don't ask me to explain how it happened, for I do not know------I found myself standing in the jungle of drippy cornstalks in yonder field, as if transported in a dream, still in my flannel nightgown, old clogs on my feet, and my camera clutched in my hand. Goodness gracious! Simply because I had insensitively chuckled inwardly about detasselers.........wow, one truly needs to guard their thoughts......apparently so!

Since I was there in the rustling corn environs, I decided to take a few photos for the blog, for the advantage of any readers who have arrived here from an alternate universe where corn doesn't exist.

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Pointing the camera upwards........this is the view........the cornstalks are way above my head by now, at probably eight to to ten feet tall. That would be absurdly tall for a human, but I don't think the corn will reach its normal height this year, due to late planting and adverse spring weather conditions.

Here's my paltry attempt at a close-up view of a tassel just beginning to emerge from its sheath at the top of the corn plant.

Lend me your ear.......but, don't tell anyone........actually, all this tasseling going on is connected with SAX........corn sax, that is. Yes, cornstalks have a sax life! I'm not a botanist or a horticulturalist or an agronomist, or even a plant gynecologist, but I think the tassel could be considered the male part. The tassel releases its pollen, which falls down upon the cornsilk strands, which have emerged from the stalk about halfway down the corn plant. I would say they are the female part. The strands of cornsilk lead downwards into where the ear of corn will form (in sort of a uterus); each strand of silk will produce one corn kernel on the ear of corn. I think that's how it works, anyhow. If I'm wrong........please, someone set me straight!

The silks are rather pink and pretty.........they must be female, right!!?
Well, after seeing all these amazing reproductory sights, I was ready to leave the confines of the soppy, wet cornfield.......my camera was getting dripped on. Corn plants are made to catch and hold water, which they do very well. Also, the sharp leaf edges are very apt to cause itching or slice your eyeball, so a cornfield is truly not a comfortable, safe place to spend much time in. And, if you have toddlers around.......it is one place you NEVER ever want them to end up lost in!!

The cornstalks stubbornly barred my way from leaving the field, however, and threatened to STALK me in the future, unless I promised to add plenty of "CORN-trast" to one of their photos........which I tried to do with this final scene. I hope they are satisfied!! (They erroneously assumed I have Photoshop, but really it is archaic Picture-It........I didn't enlighten them.)

I also just realized that I failed to explain what "detasseling" is all about. Well.......you can probably deduce what it involves.........removing the tassel. That needs to be done in fields where the corn is being grown for seed. Usually there are two "male" rows to every six "female" rows, if I remember right. When I detasseled as a teenager, we would walk through the "female" rows------which had already had most of their tops cut off by a machine-----pulling out what remained of the tassels. The pollen from the two "male" rows would then pollinate the silks on the "female" rows. That is how different hybrids of corn are developed and produced for seed.

Detasseling was..... well...... not exactly the most pleasant job in the world, but when you're a teenager, just being with a group of your friends is fun.......so we usually had a pretty-darn good time. We'd laugh and gossip and joke our way across the fields. Most of the seed corn fields we worked in were located right south of Waterloo, Iowa, in Orange Township. I worked on DeKalb crews, if I remember right. We made $1.50 per hour! I pulled in $150 one summer, and, wow, did I ever feel wealthy!! It was used for back-to-school shopping, though.....:(

We'd start very early in the mornings, of course, when the cornfields were sopping wet. We'd quickly be drenched, our shoes caked with heavy globs of mud. Then the sun would rise higher and hotter in the sky and the fields would get very steamy. Yuck, yuck. Porta-potties had not yet been invented back in the Dark Ages of the early 1970's (also part of that murky era before the advent of cell phones, VCR's, CD's, DVD's, iPOD's). So-----if you can imagine-----we'd have to traipse into someone's farmhouse, in our dirty duds, to use the bathroom. I don't think we went in the fields......for there were boys' crews around, too. Nowadays, the crews are mixed, and when my daughter detasseled, she came home grossed out one day because she had accidently walked up to a boy who was relieving himself in the field. I'm happy our crews were segregated, I guess.

So, yes, if you weren't acquainted with the details of corn sax and detasseling before this......well, consider yourself informed, as of this reading! Aren't you lucky!! Actually, the truth is.......farms are saturated with SAX.......its all around! In the fields, in the barn, in the sheds......even the tractors get involved!! Egads.......hydraulic hoses and hook-ups on tractors have "female" parts and "male" parts. Imagine my mortification when I've been sent by Husband to get parts for the tractor and I have to speak these words across the counter to the poker-faced parts man: "I've been sent to get a male end for this hose.......do you have one that will fit?" And, yes, that's what they're called, officially......."male" and "female" ends! So, you have to say it that way!! And, people wonder why I'm so meek and quiet.

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Calf Eyelashes

Ok........guess what........I thought of a quick blog post to do. This calf was born a couple days ago. Big deal.......right........

(Yes, the flies send an ambassador to immediately welcome and get acquainted with each new farm resident!)

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What I really want you to see is the length of the eyelashes on these critters! They cover his eyes. I thought it would show up better.........maybe if you click on the picture below to enlarge it you will see the long eyelashes.

I------of the very short eyelash persuasion------wonders why on earth God blessed these fashion-consciousless animals with lovely, long, graceful eyelashes. They don't even care a bit! But, I suppose it does help keep the flies out of the eyes. Good thing the calves don't demand mascara.......we'd go broke trying to keep them supplied in that!

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Hey.........here's few links I picked up from this week's SkyWatch Friday..........that's the hazard of surfing that fascinating site........falling in love with more beautiful blogs!

The Road Less Photographed (Indiana) (I love that blog's name!)

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Country Captures (Pennsylvania)

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Photographic Memories (Indiana)

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Raboul Daily Photo (New Guinea)

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O Meu Espacinho (Switzerland)

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Of course, I could have latched onto many more links to equally excellent sites! Better yet, why don't you just surf on over to SkyWatch Friday yourself and explore the skies around the world!!

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Have a great day!!

Please Read "Silver"

Last evening I spent quite a while visiting many of the SkyWatch Friday posts from around the globe. Because traveling is not a part of my life, I appreciate being able to visit other locales vicariously through beautiful photos on the internet. But, it also means I don't get other tasks done, such as.......creating the next day's blog post. Not that that's the end of the world or anything; skipping days is certainly no big deal.

Yesterday, because of hog-calling, I ended up linking to a story on the Prairie Home Companion website.......that story being entitled, Florabelle Oxley, written by the author of the blog, rhymeswithplague. I'm honored that he frequents my blog! He has another story on the PHC site.......it is entitled, Silver..........and I wish you would read it. He's a gifted writer, in my opinion, his stories well-crafted with superb descriptions, and his wit makes my head spin!

Click here to go to the story, Silver, on the Prairie Home Companion website!

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Have a great day!

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Pearl in the Sky

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Welcome, SkyWatch Friday readers as you traverse this week's sky scenes from around the globe!

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One evening a couple weeks ago I was out driving and saw this cloud formation in the eastern sky which looked like a pearl on its shell. I'm not sure how that little round bit of cloud came to be lighted up that way........a reflection from the setting sun, somehow.

It seemed appropriate because my "Pearl" wedding anniversary was just a few days away! YES.........that's right.........I take cloud scenes very personally!! You should, too!!

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Near the spot where I stopped to photograph the pearl cloud was a patch of wispy asparagus stems entangled with some Queen Anne's Lace, whose real name is Wild Carrot. There's a cornfield in the background, too.

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Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a wonderful time exploring SkyWatch Friday!!

Florabelle Oxley

My previous post inadvertantly evolved to include the subject of hog-calling and ended with a request for readers to comment on their own hog-calling skills. The witty author of the blog, "rhymeswithplague", obliged and mentioned in his comment that he had discussed hog-calling in a story he submitted to the Prairie Home Companion website awhile back. The name of his entertaining tale there is Florabelle Oxley, and definitely is worth reading!!

Fair & Hog Calling

Here's raw footage from one of Iowa's great summer traditions.......a county fair!! Last weekend, my daughter attended a fair a couple counties away as the crow flies, in the home area of her college roommate. (My daughter is still sawing logs this morning as I swipe these photos from her camera!)

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The highlight for them was attending grandstand concerts two nights in a row. Country singer Tracy Lawrence is literally on my daughter's mind in this first photo! She calls this scene, "Tracy Lawrence is my conscience." (My daughter is a sweetie......I really wish she could find some nice farm boy to marry.......where are they nowadays, I ask.......there's few around anymore.)

The next night's entertainment was provided by the country-rock group Lonestar:

A rainstorm thundered its way through the fairgrounds shortly before the Lonestar concert was to begin. My daughter said everyone had to go wait in the cattle building. Finally, the rain stopped...........leaving behind.........what else..........MUD!!!

Yup......mud didn't seem to bother these hardcore concert-goers one single bit!! They took it all in stride.......or betwixt their toes, at least!

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Ok, and I think this is hilarious........as a gag, my daughter's roommate signed my daughter up for the hog-calling contest! We've never had hogs on this farm, so my daughter got up to the microphone and hollered her cow call, "Come, Bossie! Come, Bossie!" She said she felt like an idiot.......DUH......YA THINK!!! She was using a cow call in a pig-calling contest!!!

When I was a kid, we did raise hogs on our farm, and our hog call went something like, "HA-WOY, PIG, PIG!"........"HA-WOY, PIG, PIG"!! And, yes, the pigs would come a-running when they heard that! Bizarre, isn't it!!??

What does your hog call sound like?

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Milkweed & Pears Book

Why, why, why........I've uploaded this photo three times and it keeps loading sideways. Thus, here's a cockeyed view of Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata, growing in our road ditch. The scientific name is intriguing........Asclepias comes from the name of the Greek god of healing and medicine, and incarnata from the Latin word for "flesh". I think this particular milkweed has gorgeous color......rivaling the rosy-est rose!! (The color in the photo is unaltered.)

Milkweeds of various sorts were used medicinally by native peoples, and also served as food. The flower blossoms were stewed and eaten like preserves. Here's a informative paragraph from Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie by Runkel and Roosa: "Milkweeds are characteristic of the prairie ecosystem. Some are exceedingly rare----the presence of these and other prairie plants gives ecologists the information needed to determine the quality of the prairie."

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"Summer breeze.....makes me feel fine"------at the bottom of this blog is a music playlist, including that Seals & Crofts song, popular in my high school days, which is playing as I type this! You can click on the songs to hear them. Cool, cool, cool! (Especially if your internet connection is fast!) By listening to certain songs on the list-----my favorites of long ago-----I can feel instantly young again!!! Its totally delusional, of course.......but, SUCH FUN, so why not indulge!!

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An afternoon spent reading a book.......on Sunday it seemed like the most pleasant activity in the world! I sat comfortably on my version of the beach-----our shady, screened porch beneath the whispering pine trees, a gentle summer breeze surrounding all.

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In the mood I was (as always) for a historical mystery set in a foreign locale, and found Iain Pears' modern-day art history tale, Death and Restoration, waiting patiently on my bookshelf. One of my many bad habits is buying books and then allowing them to age on the shelf for a couple years before reading them! Perhaps a well-aged book is better, just like fine, aged wine!

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At any rate, I enjoyed this book very much and may try to find more of Pears' books. His writing is witty and wry........and uncontroversial........I literally found myself smiling on nearly every page! A Googling of Death and Restoration turned up a good review of the book on this blog. The mystery in the book involves a Hodigitria.

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HAVE A MARVELOUS DAY!!

Bouncing Bet - Soapwort

Returning to the current local wildflower scene, here's a new gal on the block........"Bouncing Bet"..........cute name, eh?

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There seems to be more varieties of wildflowers appearing this year than usual; Husband thinks its due to the overabundance of rain we've been blessed with this spring and summer.

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If you're so inclined, go to the Prime Focus - Iowa website to learn Bouncing Bet's scientific name. That's a very lovely and informative website, but rarely comes up on a Google search.......for me, anyhow.

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Bouncing Bet is also known as Soapwort.........that name being explained on this Connecticut Botanical Society website, and on good old dependable Wikipedia.

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A few minutes ago I started to walk out to the road to take another look at Bouncing Bet, and maybe crush a bloom to see if really does result in a soapy froth. But........a dark shadow passed across the path ahead.......yikes.......it was one of those creepy turkey vultures, flying low! Oh, I don't care for them.......I don't think they would pounce on a living, moving person, but it gave me the willies and I headed back here to the house........screaming and waving my arms (not really).

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Hope you're having a great day.......and weren't turned off by the cow's tongue-in-nostril trick on the previous post. The Holstein gals are quite proud of their ability to do that, and they'd been badgering me to show you!!

Amazing Cow Trick

OVERHEARD YESTERDAY AT THE FARM OFFICE WATERING HOLE:

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"Hey, Elsie.......psst.......did you read Jeannelle's blog post yesterday?

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"Yeah"........blurp......slurp.......

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"Doesn't Jeannelle know that people who go off their rocker usually do it over sax and religion?"

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"She probably don't know that. She wrote about both in her post yesterday......that's worrisome. Its plain so see she ain't got a lick of sense."

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"Hey.......hows about you and me throw a little comic relief into the blog? Not to mention a wake-up call to Jeannelle. What do you think?"

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"You want to? Or, shall I?"

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"Oh, for Pete's sake......you mean our special trick? Are you sure that's a good idea? Its sort of gross.......but, ok, ok........I'll do it. Sheesh!!"

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"Just a friendly bovine reminder, Jeannelle........keep your nose clean on the blog! Think twice about treading into controversial areas that mix religion and sax."

Pearl Anniversary

Today is the wedding anniversary of.........

No........no........NOT Mary Magdalene.....that I know of, anyway. It is the anniversary of Husband and I-----our PEARL wedding anniversary, to be exact! We'll see if someone will identify that one in the comments. (The painting posted here is from the Wikipedia article about Mary Magdalene.)

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And, you must be muttering under your breath, "What's that troublemaker Mary Magdalene doing on this post?" Well..........today, July 22, is her feast day on the traditional church calendar; certainly not something I was aware of back then on my wedding day, due to my Baptist upbringing which included complete ignorance of saints' feast days.

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In the summer of 2003, I happened to read The DaVinci Code........BEFORE the media picked up on the controversial aspect of its story. Because one of my favorite types of fiction is the historical mystery based in a foreign locale, this book looked intriguing to me; Mona Lisa's eyes on the cover drew me in. I did think it rather nervy of Dan Brown to write on the subject of a possible marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, but an author is certainly free to write about whatever he chooses. Brown's speculating did somewhat upset the Life of Christ dioramas in my mind, however. The DaVinci Code dipped into obscure aspects of Roman and European history, too, and offered avenues for further exploration into subjects I'd barely heard of before.......the Cathars, the Inquisition, witch hunts, Constantine the Great, Rosslyn Church, etc. I subsequently read Dan Brown's other books, Angels & Demons, Deception Point, and Digital Fortress, finding each one very entertaining!

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After reading the DaVinci Code, I thought long and hard about Jesus and Mary Magdalene, leading me to ask, "Why is it such a problem to swallow the idea of a possible marriage between them?" Jesus was God incarnated as a human........a human, with a physical body. Like any human, he would have eaten food, burped, eliminated, sweated, coughed, sighed, sneezed, etc., etc., etc. What is our hang-up with the idea of Him possibly being married? Is it the thought of sinless Jesus engaging in the physical intimacies of marriage? Most likely, that's it. Is physical intimacy within marriage a sin? Last I knew......NO. Did the Church, for centuries, promote a less than positive view of sex, even within marriage? Yes, I would say so. That being the case, it wouldn't be too surprising to me if the Church had centuries ago quietly swept away any references to Jesus being married. People who study Jewish traditions claim there are hints in the Gospels of a possible marriage existing between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. How would any of us know, in this day and age; we're so far removed from ancient ways, and certainly, Jewish ways. At the very least, I think its highly probable Mary Magdalene loved Jesus-----as a human woman who falls in love with a human man------even if their relationship never progressed to consummation in marriage. Why on earth could this not be possible? And, beautiful to ponder?

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Last Sunday, during our church service, as we spoke the Apostles' Creed, I noticed we jumped from saying Christ was "born of the virgin Mary".........immediately to...... he "suffered under Pontius Pilate". We covered that 33-year span in less than one breath, and I think that's how we view Jesus' life on earth.......in a short series of dioramas of well-known events from His life. Let's get real.......He lived 33 years on earth........much, much more went on in His earthly life than what is relayed to us in the Gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I certainly don't know if there was a marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, but likewise, I certainly don't know for sure that there wasn't one.

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Read this witty article to learn the origins of the celibate priest tradition in the Catholic Church. It didn't come from Jesus.

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Back to Mary Magdalene........her ancient connections to Provence, in southern France are fascinating. Here is a blog post with several links to Provencal Magdalene sites.

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Here....... a travel website from St. Maximin, Provence, France.

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And, here....... another blogpost showing photos of Mary Magdalene sights in Provence, France.

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Well, enough of Mary Magdalene. If it weren't for the chance fact that I was married on her feast day, she wouldn't interest me so much, probably. Sorry if any of this disrupts any deeply-ingrained beliefs. It shouldn't. We think we know so much and have everything all figured out, but there's much we're unaware of about SO many topics, especially concerning ancient history.

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You're probably just dying to know if I have any pearls of "wisdom" to share on my Pearl Anniversary! Hm-m......after that many years of residing within the Institution of Marriage.......here are a few thoughts that come to mind:

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1. Keep your spouse in your prayers.

2. Know that happiness does not come from another person (ie: your spouse).

3. Know that you can never change another person (your spouse)........what you CAN change is your reaction to that other person (your spouse).

4. Put ears to use more than mouth; listen more than you speak.

5. A wife will do well to realize the importance of the husband's vocation to him. Many years ago-----when I was still a good person and listened to Christian radio----- I heard a Focus on the Family broadcast in which the speaker was encouraging wives to realize that a man's self-image is wrapped up in his vocation, and the wife needs to step back and allow him latitude in that area.

6. Be undemanding.

7. Monitor the pulse of your husband's mood.......but, don't expect him to reciprocate. Tend your own mood yourself.

8. If all else fails........take a long walk or write a blog post!!!

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Have a great Mary Magdalene Day!!

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Rue In My Heart

"With rue my heart is laden

For golden friends I had........"

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Click to read the rest of the poem, by A.E. Housman.

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Currently, our road ditch is laden with Tall Meadow Rue, thalictrum dasycarpum. The blooms can appear light purplish or white.

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Rue is a fascinating word. It can mean "to be sorry for; regret". Or, in French......"a street". Or, "a plant of the Mediterranean region with leaves that have a strong smell and a bitter taste." (Probably, you would suffer "regret" if you tasted them!)

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That sad little poem above, "With Rue My Heart Is Laden", is familiar to me for some reason. It seems I may have sung it years ago as a solo for music contest in high school. It's title resides in the same cubicle of my mind as two other songs that I definitely recall singing:

"Sure On This Shining Night"

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"A Nun Takes The Veil".

Our vocal music teacher assigned songs for us to sing; I didn't choose these.

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Have a wonderful day! I don't know about you, but I'm shocked that we're past the middle of July already!! Where does summer go?

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Methodist Window

I've exhausted my supply of stained-glass window photos from my own church, so I must find something else to post on Sundays.

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This "window" was on display in a lighted frame in the vestibule of the Methodist church at Waverly, Iowa, where we attended a county Dairy Banquet several months ago.

The church is quite new, and its construction resulted from the uniting of two Methodist congregations. This window came from one of the old church buildings, I presume. It was very beautiful, with a light bulb shining through from behind!

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Hey, I'm curious about something........a question for any of you out there who attend a Christian church. During your Communion service, before the Distribution of the bread and wine, does your officiant pray, "May no one receive this Communion to their judgement."???

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I believe this relates to St. Paul's words in I Corinthians, chapter 11, specifically verse 29. I've read this chapter many times......it seems to me that Paul is lecturing the people because of the way their Communion service was being held. Certain people would rush in and consume all the bread and wine, leaving none for other people. I'm thinking that such a ludicrous scenario would never happen in a Christian church in this day and age. Thus, why do pastors say those words, which, in my opinion, can cause unnecessary fear for those about to partake of Communion. Are we to suppose that if we subsequently fall ill, it is due to partaking of Communion "to our judgement"?

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St. Paul speaks of not "discerning the body of Christ", which may mean two things........the body of Christ in the bread and wine, or the body of Christ, which is all members of the church. Discerning the body of Christ is a divisive issue in Christendom. Martin Luther clung to the concept of the Real Presence of Christ in the bread and wine, while other Protestant groups viewed the bread and wine as symbols of Christ's body and blood.

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Oh, my........this is a difficult issue for me, personally, for I don't believe the Bible in any way spells out which way is correct. Jesus simply said, "This is my body, this is my blood." Honestly, that is all I think about when I partake of Communion. I don't give a thought to whether its a Real Presence or a symbol.

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Do you suppose I'm partaking "to my judgement"?

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Have a blessedly pleasant day!!

Flowers in the Sauna

I had to post this afternoon to test out my new faster DSL connection; I finally gave in and told the phone company to go ahead and upgrade my connection.......meaning $20 extra to them each month. Its a racket......they give free DSL modems and then offer you a choice of two speed levels. I started at the slower one, of course, but uploading photos was taking too long. Maybe the phone employees sit there and turn the dial to make it slow so that people will then decide to upgrade to the more expensive level. I'm paranoid, I know! The phone people are very nice.......I've known them for years......its none of my business how they run their operation.

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But, yes, thankfully, these photos loaded in less than five minutes, where before it took over a half hour.

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I don't like to complain, but if I gave even the slightest impression that this muggy weather is agreeable to me, then I would be lying big time! Walks aren't fun right now......nothing is.......sweat is our constant companion. The heat and humidity also makes me feel as if I'm 30 pounds overweight.......but, wait.......that's because I probably am!!!

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Anyhow, I tried to walk this morning without my camera, so maybe I'd keep moving. Well, wouldn't you know, there were lots of cool things to see out there, so I had to go back to the house to get the camera anyway.

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Here's a Queen Anne's Lace.......certainly not as lovely a photo as you will see on other blogs, but I wanted you to see the dark red bloom in the middle, though I had to snazz it up a bit to make it stand out. And......though I dislike bursting everyone's romantic bubble.......Queen Anne's Lace's true name is Wild Carrot, Daucus carota. Yup......so says my Peterson Field Guide to Wildflowers. Get over it.

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Here's something called Showy Tick Trefoil, Desmodium Canadense. This particular stalk comes complete with ugly copper-colored bugs, which have also invaded my raspberry patch. I don't know what they are......do any of you?

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P.S. - Also meant to say that Trefoil flowers are in the pea/bean family and thus are legumes, their roots adding nitrogen to the soil. How cool is that!!!

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And, one last scene from this morning's walk in the sauna.......this trio of Turk's Cap or Michigan Lilies, whose photo here loaded the wrong way, sadly. Turn your head sideways to see how I actually saw them this morning!

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I really hope its cool wherever you are........'cuz it sure ain't here!!!

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Cattle Chasing

Ok, not to sound paranoid or anything, but sometimes I wonder now if things happen just so I can blog about them............nah! But, maybe its becoming like an illness for me, thinking everything's about the blog!

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Thursday night around 10:30 p.m., I was at the computer, feeling smug and self-satisfied because I had published the hay raking post, PLUS, was in the process of visiting blogs and commenting. I had just left a comment on Countrygirl's

"I'm out standing in my field" post (her blogs ARE outstanding, by the way), and had surfed to Ruth's Visions & Revisions, also an excellent blog, as are all on the list to the right! Anyhow.........I had commented about Countrygirl's Hereford cow photo, and then KA-BAM......ZING!!! The receiver of the land-line phone next to my computer rattled on its cradle and blue light flashed from it, followed by bright lightning outdoors and an immediate crash of thunder. OK, I thought, meekly.......I can take a hint....... and promptly powered down the computer and unplugged all cords. I've always heard said that one should not be using a land-line phone during a lightning storm, and I may have just been shown the reason why.

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The next morning......which was yesterday......Husband got up at his usual ungodly hour, to head to the barn early to start chores. Pretty soon, the telephone rang, jarring me from my peaceful sleep, and I knew the news would not be good. Husband shouted, "Get everyone up......we've got CATTLE OUT!" Why was I not very surprised. "Everyone" means me and our overgrown daughter and son who still reside here. I burst into their murky cave rooms, shook them and shouted above the whir of their fans, "Get up......there's CATTLE OUT!" Groans and moans filled the air. My daughter muttered, "But, I'm tired", to which I kindly replied, "What a pity. Just get up!!"

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Soon, our ragtag, sleepy-eyed cattle-chasing crew stumbled from the house, ready to follow Husband's orders, which for me was to stand in one corner of the field while everyone else ran to the other end to try and coax the cattle back. The "cattle" being fifty dry cows and heifers, who escaped from their lot during the night due to an electric fence shorting out (possibly it happened during that sharp lightning hit last night).

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So, let's look at the photos of the morning's fun.......click any photos to see them larger: There they go......two dogs and the people in this family who are still able to run.......(Its times like these when a four-wheeler would surely come in handy!):

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Oh, boy.......they did coax the cattle to turn around, and now here they come galloping in my direction! All I have to do is stand my ground!

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Well, that went well, actually........but, unfortunately there were still about thirty critters on the loose in the neighbor's soybean field! I headed across the hay field in order to follow the fenceline along the bean field. Oddly enough, the other day when I was driving the tractor for hay baling, I kept thinking that I'd like to walk out along that fenceline sometime soon and take photos. Always, always......be careful what you wish for!! Here I was, getting my wish.......but, not quite in the way I wanted it to happen!

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Pretty soon, this was the view........looks like a peaceful, pastoral scene, doesn't it!? In truth, its an alarming sight........a boisterous, unchaparoned group of bovines, headed down the gravel road towards the highway which leads into town. Goodness only knows what they might try to accomplish there.......storming the grain elevator, or the bank! Or, demanding to be seated en masse for moo-lattes at the tiny Main Street cafe! Or, trying to rent moo-vies at the convenience store! Oh, what a nightmare!

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Well, somehow, Husband managed to sneak through the ditch, to get ahead of the bunch of troublesome Holsteins, turning them about-face.......in MY direction, again! Here they come........

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Hm-m........stopped in their tracks to gaze at wildflowers in the ditch, I believe. Who'd have ever imagined such a thing?!

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I waited by the pickup which was parked crossways in the road. Finally.......finally.......the wayward lot somehow found it in their hearts to turn obediently into our farm drive.

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Oh, but wait.......we have one slow-poke. Her name is "Unique", wouldn't you know. She lags behind because she is a pet, meaning the kids have spoiled her over the years. Can't you tell by the way she and my daughter amble so companionably together?!

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Well, if you think that's the end of the story........you are so very wrong! The mass of troublemakers may have turned into the driveway, but then they headed out into another hay field where they didn't belong! To them, it probably appeared to be the perfect place to enjoy breakfast!!

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I, once again, not being a runner........kept my watch from the pickup on the driveway. Let the young ones run around......and Husband. I can walk a mean walk, but when I try to run these days, there's too much flopping and flapping going on.......you know how it goes!

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My daughter likes this photo of herself........she says it looks like she's making her way all alone in the world. We all kind of do that, I think.

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After the cattle finally were chased and herded back to their assigned pen behind the barn, this here wild ol' tomcat whispered some wisdom to me as I trudged by. I suspect he's a Buddhist, or something. He quipped, "Know thyself......and know thy opponent."

Actually, Husband did know his opponents quite well yesterday morning. He knew what the escaped heifers and dry cows truly wished for. It was to get back to where their food was. That's why he turned on the silo unloader before we started the roundup. The cattle hear the hum of the silo unloader and they know that yummy silage is piling up in the feedbunk for them to munch on.

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Needless to say, after the morning's escapades, milking ran late and everyone around here was exhausted all day! I hope that is NOT the case at your house today, but if it is, then just enjoy resting!!

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Thanks for dropping by!

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Arrow in the Sky

Welcome, SkyWatch Friday readers!!!

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"GO WEST, YOUNG MAN!".........or anyone, for that matter!!

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Is it just me, or do you, too, see an arrow branded into the sky in this photo?

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Incidently, the arrow IS pointing WEST!!!

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For anyone viewing this Skywatch Friday post from outside the United States, and you don't understand the saying, "Go west, young man!".......here is the explanation: This phrase was made famous in the mid-1800's by a New York newspaper publisher, Horace Greeley, as his advice to the unemployed in his city. The phrase was actually first used by an Indiana newspaperman, John Soule, in 1851. (So says my World Book encyclopedia.)

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SKY WATCH FRIDAY now has its own blog, spun off from Wigger's World, a fascinating blog from the U.K. Explore there if you have time!!

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A Rakish Experience

My entire afternoon was spent with my good friend, John.........Deere Old John, that is, and our tryst was sanctioned completely by Husband!

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Due to John's

importance, he wears a nametag:

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Deere John and I had a rakish time together! One of the dictionary definitions of rakish is: "suggesting dash and speed".........that perfectly describes our time together today! Raking hay requires dash and speed!

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John is a guy of many parts.........complicated, yet simple in his own way:

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Deere John and I were raking the hay into rows for the chopper to gobble up.........as it is pulled by Husband in his neon Allis-Chalmers tractor!

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Here's how the rake does its job of bringing two hay winrows together to become one larger row:

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I think the rake is cool.......almost artsy-looking:

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After John and I were finished with our raking task, I went to check on my son who was unloading haylage into the bagger. He's received a phone call from HQ, receiving instructions for me.........HURRY UP AND PUT DEERE JOHN IN THE SHED FOR IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN.......DEERE JOHN WON'T START IF HE GETS RAINED ON!

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And, yes........it rained.......heavily......and into the evening hours. I think sugarcreekfarm sent the storm our way!

Rake & Bake & I Helped!

Here's Husband, chopping hay in his orange tractor being spied on by an orange Turk's Cap Lily, many of which are blooming in the ditch right now. By the way, and this is no lie, that lily's scientific name is Lilium Superbum.

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Cryminny sakes........good gosh.......or something stronger were I a swearing person.......it is absolutely miserable here today!! We are sweltering, like in a rain forest. The air feels like what comes out of your clothes dryer vent.

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Husband wants me to rake hay this afternoon. Hey.......I'll be RAKING and BAKING, out there in the field!! How about that! Remember those old Shake-N-Bake commercials where the little kid would say, "Its Shake-N-Bake, and I helped!" Please, say you remember that.........that its not just something in my imagination!!

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I truly hope its cool and comfortable wherever YOU are!!!

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Mom-of-Groom Dress

The subject of today's post is a dress........so........any guys reading this might want to surf on to a more exciting place........right now.........go visit Iowa Grasslands or Rhymeswithplague, both great blogs, authored by guys. Scram......get lost........exit the scene!!

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Ok, ladies.........would you like to see the dress I'm planning to wear to my son's wedding in a few weeks? If not.......you'd better scram real quick, too, because here it is:

I can see immediately that the pallid green color does not photograph well........(sigh)........the style is to my liking, though. When my daughters and I were at Mall of America last month I hunted and snooped hither and yon in that humongous place, trying to find a dress for the wedding, with no success. The following week, I happened to be walking through Penneys in Waterloo, not even seriously shopping, and this dress caught my eye from the clearance rack. It was the only one like it, AND it was in my size! Hm-m.......I thought.........maybe its meant for me! Sure enough, it fit well, and I liked the short, buttoned jacket and the embroidery on the skirt. Normally, I stay away from pastel colors, gravitating to darks and jewel tones, which I feel match my skin tone better.......but.......(sigh).......the style of this dress was so right........and so was the price!! (The dress was 50% off, and with another coupon, the total came to $38!!)

Besides, isn't the mother-of-the-groom supposed to kind of blend into the woodwork at the wedding? Last summer, when my daughter got married, the groom's mother told me that the mother-of-the-groom's motto is: "SHUT UP AND WEAR BEIGE!" Which she did, actually.

The thing is.......in my son's upcoming wedding, the mother-of-the-bride is wearing beige!! Well, I figured I'd better not stand out conspicuously in a bright color, thus this sickly green will have to suffice. The style is nice, though......have I mentioned that......?

Guys......as in men......I told you to get out of here.......do it now for sure!!!

My fantasy would be to wear a dress that showed cleavage, because I've never done such a thing. Cleavage is all over the place these days, from junior high girls to brides to news anchorwomen. Why not me, too, I ask?

Back when I was in high school, those high-necked, frilly Gunne Sax dresses were in style, and that's what we wore to proms and such. Nobody showed cleavage, not even the "wild" girls. I made my prom dress when I was a junior.....yes, I actually sewed at one time......and yes, it had a high neck. And so did my wedding dress.......it had long sleeves, too.......in July......Ugh!! I don't know WHAT on earth I was thinking back then. Sheesh.

While at Mall of America......don't tell.......but, I did try on a couple dresses that revealed cleavage. Not anything drastic, but enough to be fun and feminine. Who would care on an old 50-year-old woman, anyhow?! (Sigh) Alas, I just cannot do it, though. My mother raised me right, I guess, and I'll give the proper impression in my modest, straight-laced dress.

We must always appear to be what we should be!

Have a great day!!

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