Sunflower made from combine parts, chain links, etc

I love short road trips.  Yesterday’s jaunt was a grand total of 3 hours drive.  I had stopped at a rest area along highway 400 to wait for the hours to pass before I ventured to my friends place. Wasn’t there long when a phone call from them telling me they had no water, wasn’t going to church, etc.  So I headed on in.  The road leading to Leland and Linda’s farm brought back fond memories of driving the back roads in Alaska.  Gravel – so I took it slow. Told to take it slow over the railroad tracks and over the little bridge (which floods frequently) so I was creeping to there home. Laughing here. And further back and up and down the road I go, then the road narrows… Yeah, they live in the country. Farm country at that.

Oh my goodness, Linda hasn’t changed a bit from nursing school.  Maybe a little change in hair color (but not much!!!), but the smile is still there.  After all these years I finally get to meet Leland.  We have been corresponding at Christmas for all these years, but this is the first time to connect.  Of course, Murphy visited before I came and caused their fridge to flood their kitchen. No water, no parts until Monday. Well they had water, but not freely.  So typical…

A wee bit of visiting then I went with them to check out the heifers, get hay, etc.  A little intro and a whole lot of education happened yesterday afternoon.  Learned they have nearly 2000 acres of farm land – cattle and crops.  I had remembered years ago they had hogs and sure enough they did, but not now.  I asked all kinds of questions, and I’m sure there will be more as I learn this new language of farming.  My goodness.    I have also gotten questions answered from things I’ve seen in other parts of this country.  Such as some of the feedlots where there was no smell of manure.  Very interesting.  And about all the piles, and piles of corn sitting outside of grain elevators and next to what I now know are Ethanol refineries.   You know the ethanol that’s in our gasoline… yelp, I didn’t realize it was corn.

Looking forward to learning more today.  I am once again lucky to have electric hookup, have access to water and may have septic.  But unlike the last place, I don’t think I can run my little electric heater or my microwave. But am perfectly content to have electric. And they have me parked on a cement slab in front of their house. Pure luxury! And drumroll… constant entertainment outside my windows for the cats, as there are at least 11 cats – most are kittens playing.  Oh they are so darn cute…  I had to laugh as Norm and Tucker were acting like I was either leaving them here or I was taking in someone new. Neither happened yesterday.  My boys are huge compared to these little cats. Anyone need a cat – they are free for the taking?  Then the coyotes visited several times during the night… lots of yipping going on, but I think all the cats are still here.

I have been invited to stay as long as I want. Again, it depends on the weather, but right now, its warmer here than it was at the last place. And the forecast is looking good this whole next week.  So am off to learn and to enjoy my friends on this foggy morning.