Mid West Old Threshers... Just me... and the Kids...

This may be... my all time favorite image, of Katie, and Justin Jr. We were on the trolley... going to the Log Village... and I caught this...

Simply Beautiful... A Great Day... Me and Baby 'J'... checking out the beautiful Belgian, and her Darling Foal... This is a team of Belgians, demonstrating, grinding grain... I had a team, that looked much like these beauties.... Dad just worshiped them... Champ and Charlie... I sold them to my niece... after Dad passed away...I had a toddler, and was expecting Liz...it was one of the saddest days of my life... watching them be taken away... Here's Liz... showing her impression of the Native American, on her shirt... She cracks me up... but... she and I take very seriously, this statement... This is a shirt Nick bought... I wish I would have bought one... Turkey Legs... Oh my... this has been a tradition, for many years... The Kid's love 'em...and Baby 'J', got his first bite... and... was quite impressed! Yeah...yeah...yeah... I blew my diet... who wouldn't... Mmmm... funnel cake! Cherries... Mmmm.... and what a sweet girl...Well...all I can say is...she is...'Simply...Iowa'... Here's Justin, Katie and Baby 'J'... Justin Jr. really took it all in... He's a chip off the old block... all of them... My Dad, Justin's Dad... and Justin.... If it's got an engine... they are all over it! Dad used to take me every year, down to Mt.Pleasant.... Mom would fry up some chicken... Dad and I would jump in the car, or truck, or what ever would take us 175 miles, and we'd have a wonderful time...{Mom, didn't like to go...}we'd stay over, I'd pass out, long before Dad... He'd have to sit up and listen to the 'Old Fiddler's' contest.... I was entranced by the Draft Horses... and Pulling Teams... and, of course the wonderful Steam Engines.... When I got home, I'd be black...{No bath, for 2 days... in September..{oh my...} All of the wonderful soot, that was blowing out of all the Steam Engine Stacks...{ I would be coated...from head to toe...oh yeah... bare footed...} I love the smell of that soot... It is amazing... I started taking the Kids, when they were little... John doesn't like to go... He says, if you have seen it once... why go back...{hmmm... How have we made it, almost 30 years...} With the week, being so crazy... I thought it would do us good, to leave everything behind... and go to the 'Threshers'... and so... we did... It was great... Justin, Katie, Baby 'J', Liz, Nick and I, took it all in... Or... several hours, in... It would take a couple of days, to see it all...I'm glad we went... again... {John asked me, if there was anything 'new', at the Threshers, this year { actually, there was Much New....But...I didn't tell him...}.... I asked him... what was 'new' and 'exciting', here, at home... bet it was a laugh a minute...

Bless His Heart....} {I'm bad....}

Barb C.

{ a Special 'Thanks'... to my Kids... for sharing the day...with me... It was... Grand....

The song, I play, for lead in... well... It is how I feel... Seems... I've had to spend, much, time away, from my family...by choice?... well... some would say so... but... they would be... sadly... mistaken...

There is nothing... more important... than my family... but... to survive... I have had to spend much time away... but... I hope... they know... I Love Them... What any others may think... well... I really.... don't give a damn... }