I Spy, with My Little Eye…Something PINK! Do You See?

We went to the farm to mow yesterday. The new owners, who I affectionately call Frank and Beans, have been gracious enough to let me visit and/or stay out at the farm whenever I can…which has saved me so much heartache over its sale. I told them, if they would provide me a riding mower, I would be happy to mow in exchange for their generosity. So, yesterday was mowing day.

They brought a wonderful “vintage” John Deere. Those things are heavy duty and run forever. Even so, I hadn’t used it yet, and just in case of something unforeseen, we towed our riding mower over. It turns out we needn’t have bothered because that ol’ Deere turned over on about the third crank. I couldn’t get it adjusted to cut quite as close as I like, but it is more than adequate and worked just fine. I have dubbed the old fella…John Boy. Mr. FixIt ran the push mower while I mowed with the tractor. It was 86 degrees and, as Little says, “you could see the oxygen”. Humid and sticky.

I heated up pepperoni rolls from JR’s for lunch. They’re West Virginia’s Official State Food and I think JR’s are really good. The best I’ve ever had came from the old grocery store not too far from the farm. Unfortunately, they closed a couple of years ago and that was the end of the BEST pepperoni rolls EVER. They made them there, so maybe I can get the recipe one of these days.

As we sat on the porch, I looked down and there…right at my feet…was one of those WICKED tussock caterpillars like the one that stung me a few weeks ago. Let me tell you, I dispatched that sucker toot suite, picked up his limp little body with a stick, and tossed it in the weeds where no one could get to it. They’ll still sting even after they’re dead.

I’m hoping their season is short and they’ll soon wrap themselves up in a cocoon and turn into moths. In doing some more research, I’ve found that nasty, itchy rash with the welts on my neck actually has a name…tussockosis. Clever. I try to be very careful when I mow and not brush up against shrubs and bushes where these nasty buggers can hide.

I always have to sit and enjoy how pretty the yard looks at the farm after we’ve mowed. No matter how hot it is, I’ll sit with a cold drink, take a pretty picture, and let all that farm love wash over me. But, after a while, it was time to pack it up and head back home to Marshmallow Ranch (aka the Ponderosa). I made a big pot of spaghetti for supper. Mr. FixIt left to go help a friend move some things. And I curled up in TOW-Wanda to write this.

Any day at the farm is a good day!

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“You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.”

Psalm 74:17 ESV