Ode to Center-Pivots and Wheel-lines

Today, Jack and I had a date. (Jack is my bright red, Giant brand, mountain bike.  He's great.)

You see, Daddy-dear just got me some brand-spankin'-new, Specialized bike shoes complete with Shimano-brand clips and pedals.  I just HAD to try 'em out. ;)  (Sidenote: They're pretty spiffy, and I love them!)

You know those times when you're running or biking along and you're just so hot?  You're burning up.  You're tired and thirsty, and running over hot, black, sticky asphalt does absolutely nothing to help.  You think briefly about calling your mother to tell her you're dying of heat-stroke...

And then you hear it.  The slow, steady chop of the ginormous rain-bird that sits on the end of a center-pivot.  Suddenly, you can see it and the huge, black, watery, and delicious spot it's making on the road in front of you.

You buck up, make that your goal, and sprint with strength you didn't know you possessed to reach that beloved spot in record time.  And you stand there.  And stand there.  Aaaand stand there in the glory of the river-water that is being hurled at you from above.  And you love it.  Don't try to tell me that you don't.

Yes, my friends.  That is why you bike in Idaho.  And if the sprinklers are on the wrong side of the road, ride on over!  Odds are, you won't see a vehicle in the time you're riding.  Refreshed, and with new-found courage, you continue on your way only to find that the path you chose to run/bike along is quite literally littered with other such places of joy and happiness created by those dear, thoughtful farmers who saw fit to position their wheel-lines and pivots to your best advantage.  ;)

You spend at least a mile of your trip running through puddles and artificial rain.  So much for heat-stroke! :]

Now if I could only find a solution for those dad-blasted dogs...

And I thought a 'think'...

Today, I realized I must have a 'think.'

Now, I knew it had to be a serious think--one I thought a barefoot walk to the barn would appease.

Well, I was wrong.

No sooner had I reached it, then I realized that this think needed to be thunk over real good.

So, I climbed astride the swather (with not a body around except the horses, sheep and rock-chucks), got comfortable, put on my best thinking face, and thought long and hard.  Don't bother about what...

And after I had thunk it over, I felt better.  And I was glad to have a place to think.

I climbed down from my thinking perch and while I kept walking, I thought some more.  About things like:

Where do people in cities go to be alone?

Why do I have such wonderful people around me all the time?

Do I deserve it?  (Answer: Prolly not...but I'm workin' on it.)

What do those poor children who don't live near a farm or have a river in their back yard do?

How lucky am I that I live in such a beautiful place!

I'm glad I can walk and be alone, or my thinking would never get thunk over.

And all other such little things in life.  And it was wonderful. :]

Just because you're special...

Hey, you!  Yes, you.  I think you're wonderful and special.
You wanna know just how special I think you are?  VERY.
You can tell because I'm going to do something that I reserve for the elite in my "Book of Special People" written by me.  I'm going to go on a walk with you--not just any walk--this is a walk through the scene of my childhood.  It will be picture-laden and memory-filled. Today is just such a beautiful day, why not?  (P.S. You can click on the pictures, so our walk is more detailed. :]  I've got you covered.)
Here we go--but first, you must abandon those dreadful things with which your feet are shod.  Yup.  No shoes are allowed.  Okay, now that you've discarded your moccasins, we can head out. :)

Here's where we start:

 And here's what you can see:

Here, you exclaim, "How beautiful!"  I say, "You wanna see more?  Yes, you wanna see more."  And I quickly grab your hand and pull you on this wonderful adventure. :]

As we walk down the dirt road in front of my house, lo and behold! Grandma has plum trees blooming!

They're lovely.  You can hear the bees in them, and they smell as wonderful as they look! ….

 The one on the right plants potatoes, and the one on the left digs them--well, used to.  Now Granny uses  the old-school equipment to adorn her lawn, and it's lovely.

This is how we get to Granny's through the trees that make her wind block:

Kind of mystical, huh?  I helped pave it.  We walk through, and Granny's house is on the left.  Isn't it cute?

As we walk through her yard, we see my great-grandparent's house.  It is also the home I grew up in.

The blue spray paint was done by....somebody....  Anyways, we keep walking, and finally we make to the paved road:

You see some odd contraptions to your right:

A dump-truck and a small tractor. :)

We keep walking, and we chat about how wonderful life is, and what a perfect day it is to take a walk.  As we do, we see this:

We have to stop, though, and follow through with the tradition:

Every time I cross this bridge (as do many of my cousins) I pick some grass, throw it into the creek, and run over to the other side to see it float under.  We've done it for years, so you, Madi, and I stop to follow through.  You laugh at my silliness as we keep walking.  We turn right onto a dirt road…

...and walk to the barn.  I've explored it many times.  Maybe, when we have more time together, I'll bring you back.

 Watch out!  There's stinging nettle in front.  You decide not to go any closer--after all, you don't want your bare feet injured!

Here we see Grandpa's horses.  The one in the middle is Mountain Walker.  We've been buds for a long time.  Too bad he doesn't remember me since I went to college...
It's okay, you can pet them, I promise.  You do. :)  Classy bites you...juuuuuust kidding!

 We head back to the road...  I'm so happy you are enjoying this as much as I am!

We gaze at the wheat field…

...and keep walking toward the river…

This is your first glimpse of the Snake.

I show you the gate Thomas Olaf made as a gift for Grandpa:

Here is the bridge.  Right there to the left of it is where we cousins don our life-jackets and enter the water for our summer floats.  They're great! :)  I push you in.  Psych!  I wouldn't do that, Silly!  Now, technically there's a gate to the bridge...but it's open, so why not go ahead?

 The sun came out :)

 There is a house on the island...which seems to be a bad idea to me.  See how high the river is?
Look how smooth the water is.  It's a perfect day for skiing, eh?

 These are the pelicans that like to hang out by the mouth of the creek.  The middle one's name is Percival.

 It was very sunny, but it started to rain!  You, being the genius you are, instantly start looking for something you know likes these kinds of weather conditions….

 A rainbow!  You found it!  Isn't it lovely!  Still, it's about time we head back…

 And we walk, and visit.  I'm sorry you're feet are hurting a little...you should build up those callouses.  It's good for you. :)

 Did you know rainbows come in pairs?  Oh, I'm sorry.  Of course you did!  You can see it right there!

 We see a lovely view of granny's house and the sheep barn.

 The creek is especially lovely at this time of year, and the sun is just beautiful!

 Here we come.  Back to Granny's!

 Some of my ancestors used to live in this cabin.  It now sits in Granny's yard.

 Here's her house.  Can you tell she likes spring flowers?  "Especially daffodils!" you say.  Look at you! You know your flowers, you sly dog.  ;)

 The front wheels to a wagon...the back wheels are across the grassy lane…

 We turn left and head back up to my house…

 We take a few last looks.  You exclaim, "How lovely it is!  I'll bet you had a fun time exploring here as a child."  Yes, my friend, I did.  And it was grand.

And look who we see on our way back to the house.  None other than Granny, Grandpa, and Anna all sitting and visiting so happily!

They're just great on their cute little swing!

 Now we are back home...but there's one last thing I have to show you...

 We have to go take one last look at where we started--in my back yard.

There!  Now don't you feel grand?  I rather enjoyed that little jaunt.  I have a feeling we shall go on many walks together in the future.  I liked walking and visiting with you!  Thank you for being so wonderful! :)