The Farmer's Wife

I thought how hard can it be! To be a farmer's wife that is. All I have to do is ride along on the tractor and look cute!, maybe open a few gates and feed the cute baby calves! Well, I wasn't so cute awhile back, actually I was down right mad! My husband had sent me to the local John Deere dealer to pick up some paper work he didn't have time to fetch himself but needed that day. So I got to be the go-fetch girl. I loaded the kiddos into the farm truck and away we went in the summer heat with the windows rolled down to let in some "air conditioning". My husband knew how I hated to go to these places (where only men seem to get service because wives don't know much) and quickly assured me that the man would be waiting for me. All I had to do was mention his name and they would have everything ready for me. RIIght! So I got to JD and bravely marched my herd into that piece of "man's world". I went to the office of our salesman and....IT WAS DARK AND EMPTY!! So much for waiting for me! After a rather embarrassing explanation at the parts desk where no one knew me or my husband's "magic" name I was sent to the front of the store to the manager's office (who happened to be the son of the owner). I could see and hear from the foyer that he and and an old farmer were talking about making hay and the rain storm approaching that evening. The manager made eye contact with me several times while I waited, and after about 10 minutes the kids were starting to get restless. I mean who wouldn't with all those wonderful green and yellow play things sitting around! Finally I said "sir?" and kinda waved my hand a little, I mean somebody was supposed to be waiting for me right!? Well, he looked up and gave me a half smile and went back to chat'n. Now, my blood is starting to heat up a little and the baby's car seat is about to cut off my arm. Suddenly their conversation turned to lawn mowers and up they came, sailing out of the glass office and out the door. I watched as they now Oohed over a green and yellow model sitting outside the door with a big SALE sign on the seat. That did it! I was hot, tired and very cranky! I marched the kiddos out to the truck and loaded everyone up. I happened to be parked a little way from the men talking and sensed that I had gotten their attention. That was all I needed to fire up that big dually truck and rather loudly roar on down the road. It felt good to burn off a little steam but by the time I got home I felt a little foolish. The memory of watching the two rather stunned men grow smaller in the rear view mirror was becoming kinda funny. What wasn't funny was having to explain to my husband where his papers were, but to my surprise he just chuckled and headed for the phone. To bad for me though that wasn't the end of the story, my husband came in later and informed me that since we were needing to run into town anyway we would just drive out of the way a little and pick up those papers. The manager really was waiting for us now!, and that meant I had to go back! How embarrassing! Well, the manager was a little embarrassed too when we got there, it seems he somehow thought I was some one's wife, (I WAS!) he just didn't pay attention to the fact I was the some one's wife he was supposed to be waiting for. He got the message about the time I loaded up all the kids and roared away. He apologized and gave the kids little toy trinkets. I apologized too and we ended up laughing about it. Hopefully, I thought, he won't remember this next time we're in here. Unfortunately he did. My husband walked in one day to get some parts and chatted awhile, as they said goodbye, the manager looked at my husband and said smiling "I'll never forget that day I met your wife!" Great! Juuuuust great! :-) Mother of 7

We are making BIG tracks!

Several years ago, my husband came home with a 10 foot tire. Yes, you read that right! I thought what in the world are we going to do with that!!! Then the wheels started turning, hehe, and soon we had the biggest sand box tire I had ever seen. My husband took his chain saw and cut out the side wall a little bigger and dumped in a couple loads of sand. Our first four children loved it and played for several years until they finally had the sand distributed all over everywhere, but no where near the sandbox. The tire was moved out of the yard for awhile but not forgotten. Early this summer our little wild man who was turning 4 in June, informed his Dad that he need a sandbox for his birthday, of course he also included a long list of items he "needed" to play with in the sandbox. We had a great time together pulling the tire back into the yard and filling it with a new load of sand topped of with shovels, trucks, buckets, and all things "needed" for great fun in the sun. Once again little heads can barely be seen above the sides of the great tire as the hours go by and great cities are built in the sand. The older kids are just as excited as the younger as they teach every sand building trick they know. One particularly hot day, the kiddos turned the sprinkler on over the tire and made their own beach. So as I sweep up sand off the floor, I think of all the fun and memories they are making in the sand and recall a time that seems so long ago when I myself sat in a pile of sand dreaming and creating in my own little world.....sigh

It's Summer!!

I love to feel that warm sunshine in the summer, especially if the breeze is blowing softly. The rustle of the large oaks and the smell of fresh cut hay fills us with that great excitement that surely something great is happening today!
Today it did get a little warm, so to help the hot part of the day go by we drove to a local second hand store to browse and enjoy the coolness of the half price sales. We really didn't need anything of course, but ended up finding some great bargains anyway. I just loved a pair of shoes my friend had on the other day, but I refuse to pay the $50 to get my own, so I was beyond happy to find a pair in a different color today for $2! My youngest daughter is right at that stage where she dribbles all food and drink somehow missing the bibs and has effectively stained most of her "town" clothes. Town clothes= clothes that are not as dirty as play clothes and not as starchy as church clothes. I found some really cute skort and shirt sets for $2. One is a sailor-ish outfit, adorable! I have always had a weakness for navy and white outfits. A couple of years ago I had ordered a "sailor" dress for me that happened to match a dress my older daughter had. So, the week before Easter I ran to town for material and ribbons and made the other two daughters matching dresses. With the "boys" dressed in navy and us "girls" dolled up in our matching dresses, we had a great Easter morning snapshot in the front yard! I'll have to find that picture, I really ought to have it enlarged and placed on the wall with our other family pictures. Trying to keep track and organize my pictures is a different story altogether! Seems the time to sit and bombard the living room with pictures just doesn't happen! Oh well!
Well, now that we are home from roaming, I really ought to start canning some of the green beans and cleaning the fresh corn. That's another favorite thing of summer! Fresh vegetables, Mmmmmmm! The kids and I have been sitting around snapping beans and shucking corn telling each other stories and riddles. Soon my husband will be home and maybe he can find room in the freezers for 14 dozen ears of corn! I'm trying to put up as much food this summer as I can and hopefully save a little in groceries in the long run! So tell me, are you gardening this year? What is your favorite canning or freezer recipes? And... what in the world can I do with all these cucumbers! I'm going to have pickles coming out our ears!! Thanks!! and have a good day!