Just a Little Corny

Two things that go together in summertime – besides salt and my watermelon – are corn on the cob and dental flossers! If you know, you know!

Growing up out in the country, we had maybe a third-acre garden that felt like the size of three football fields when we had to weed it. But we had fresh corn on the cob, green beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, you name it. Very helpful with a family of 8 kids!

I was talking at lunch with 2 girlfriends the other day and wondered wasn't it weird to have Mom say "We're having corn on the cob for supper," and that was it. Our meal. We didn't grill up steaks to go with it.

We just picked it and shucked it and boiled it up for dinner. I think this picture is more like prepping Mom for her canning phase. We were not preparing to have 4-8 cobs per person for supper. Ha. 

But Mom would wield that electric knife and can bags and bags of fresh sweet corn that still tasted good in the winter! (Side note: The 3 siblings on the left of the picture all had braces at some point so she also did that cob-clearing for many meals over the years! Even the best dental flossers are no match for braces!)

And while we were talking about corn on the cob – because that's what you do at lunch when you're over 50 – my friend said she had some really good honey-dipped corn recently. I could not grasp the concept. Do they dip the cobs in honey?

No. I'm sure you can but it seems they can "engineer" the corn to have that extra sweet taste like it really was dipped in honey.

So then I was on a farmers market mission! We do buy good sweet corn from the neighborhood farm but I wanted to see what the honey hype was about.

Saturday I scored a half-dozen cobs (let's not be greedy until we taste test it) at the farmers market downtown. I shucked it yesterday and tonight after my much-needed chiropractor appointment, I cooked up a cob. (If you don't want to grill or boil, you can microwave for 4 minutes. I also learned that at lunch. LOL.)

Then I cooked up a second cob!

So sweet and good. Just a different summer treat that also doubles as a VEGETABLE!

Look at me, Mom. I had corn on the cob for supper and was completely satisfied! Miss you. Again.

A Bit of Corny Fun

There's this unincorporated wide spot in the road that we call Kellner. I didn't know it was so popular until I attended my first Kellner Corn Fest Parade yesterday!

There were people lining both sides of 80th Street/Country Trunk W for the half-mile-ish parade route.

It was fun to see our neighborhood farm and "pumpkin shed" have float. The theme this year was something about the wild west.

Got to see our friend Bob (aka Jingles) – the clown in the middle.

I had to laugh a skeletons representing the beauty of the House of Glam!

Our nephew Colin had his race car in the parade too! His wife and kiddos were throwing the candy.

Colin also delivered a few toy cars to kids in the crowd. That's pretty cool!

On the way home, we just happened to follow our neighbor's float! I don't think seat belts were invented in the old west, so Trevor here is perfectly legal, right?

That was pretty much our excitement for the weekend. Worked on some raffle basket things yesterday. We both had church. I had a senior photo shoot tonight for a boy named Carter – so you have to love him!!

He didn't necessarily love to smile. But I loved the challenge of trying to get him there! I might have used up all my CORNY (to stick with the theme) charming material for the week! Good thing I've got love-to-smile girls in my foreseeable future. 

Though I'm sure Carter had the super model vibe down by the end of our session. Just don't tell his friends!

Veggie Tales

If you're like me and you have two black thumbs, you really appreciate people who not only grow all the garden goods of summer – but sell them, too!

Thankfully, we only have to walk less than half a block for access to fresh pickings. All summer long.

Here's my neighborhood public service announcement:

Produce season is upon us! Come check out the produce wagon and you will find: onions, red potatoes, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi. Peppers are just starting to be available. Gladiolus bouquets, too. We also have honey and jams and jellies! Self serve. Thank you to all those who stop out!

Just travel in the town of Grand Rapids to Deer Road and 70th Street and you'll find the delicious, super reasonably priced selection! 

You can tell them Jimmy and Robyn sent you. It won't get YOU a discount, but WE might end up getting a sweet deal on that corn later this summer!

Just Poppin' Around

This is so fitting today. First because the temperature was 88 degrees or so and the humidity was 880% or so! Oh, and also, we had our first corn on the cob for the season. 

You know you're a non-farmer from Wisconsin when you buy your corn off the back of a pickup truck parked at a saloon. And yes, we recommend what they're selling at Johnny's. Good and sweet. Yum!

I really am surprised I didn't see corn popping today. So hot and humid! I think I mentioned that. 

When I saw the weather forecast this morning, though, my biggest concern was seeing the 100% chance of rain pretty much all day Sunday. So after going to the funeral visitation for my friend's 20-year-old son (heartbreaking as expected), I got to rearranging the rest of my weekend schedule. 

Stock car races were canceled for tonight before noon so we knew we weren't going to Wausau to watch Colin tonight. Looking to Sunday evening when it's still supposed to still be raining, I had a senior photo shoot on my schedule. Luckily, the boy was able to do it last minute late this afternoon and we beat the rain. Almost melted, but we beat the rain.

And it wasn't a bad way to spend 90 minutes. I swear all these senior boys this year could be models. I think I mentioned that before, too. Ha. Tough job. Glad I'm the somebody who's gotta do it.

Have a great Sunday, everyone. The thunder is rumbling now so I know my flowers are starting their happy dance! 

Be careful out there.

Getting Cheesy AND Corny

Had a full and fun family day today. Had to show these Minnesota kids what a good time in small town Wisconsin is all about.

But first we had a few more gymnastics in the front yard – with my good camera...

Doesn't this shadow look like the Air Jordan logo? I think so. And this is what a back flip looks like...

That air time is crazy!!

Then I taught a little photography class with my camera securely fastened on top of a tripod. They each got a turn taking a picture or two of others... Say "cheese"!

After that, it was time to go rural fun and check out the Kellner Corn Fest. Yup, they were convinced we'd just be in the middle of a corn field but the little wide spot in the road known as Kellner had a some games (including BINGO, which we did not win), a dunk tank, some bouncy houses, and... corn!

Caryn was the only one to dunk someone!

Why yes, that is a tractor-shaped bouncy house!

I need some sunglasses! But so nice to have a sunny day with temps in low 80s.

Some of the fundraiser was for the South Wood County Humane Society.

CORN!!

After a grueling round of mini-golf at White Sands Beach, I took them to my favorites spot!

We've got new King Cone fans! Who wouldn't be?

The crew headed back to the Twin Cities tonight. Such a nice visit! Love all the branches of my family!

And this old lady is also exhausted. But a good kind of tired.

Cold Turkey

You gotta call "same seats" in this neighborhood. Otherwise, when you're off flying around practicing your V formation someone's going to take your spot. Like these jive turkeys who are squatting in the field – just brooding – while our wintering Canadians went out to lunch.

Thanks to a little of sunshine and crunchy snow, I couldn't sneak up them. So most of my shots (camera, no guns) were focused on the corns stalks by accident. Still, I got a few decent shots.

Mass exit here. Yes, turkeys can fly! Maybe it wasn't the goofy photographer they were fleeing. They might have heard the Canada geese returning. They can't resist that "Honk if you love corn" bumper sticker. It gives them away.

They were definitely once again the "geese a-laying" in the field when I walked by after work. We'll see who shows up tomorrow when they might have to dig through some snow. Supposed to get 3-5 inches here overnight but if the local birds haven't taken flight, I'm skeptical.

Plus, like my feathered friends, I don't have any place to go anyway!

Pretty A-maze-ing

It's pretty cool that our friends' farm and dairy store was selected for the Thank You Farmers Project corn maze sponsored by Culver's. Now that I see the overhead view, I don't think the group of us going through it this afternoon got through the whole thing. I mean we came out alive (spoiler alert), but I don't recall sauntering through the word Culver's or FARMERS. Still dang cool though.

A-MAZE-ing actually!

It was actually an out-of-office bonding experience for a half dozen of us from our marketing department. With so many new faces coming on board (I'll be there 2 years this month!), we don't always get the time or take the time to get to know people. So that was fun.

Thankfully it wasn't the haunted maze, which will take place the last weekend in October.

Not a fan of Children of the Corn or anything scary. Not. At. All.

So no need to get anxious when we took a wrong turn to a dead end or walked in circles. It was still daylight, the rain held off, and there is safety in numbers. Right?

When we were done, we rewarded ourselves with some cheap entertainment.

Which is my typical idea of fun anyway! An a-maze-ing or a-maize-ing afternoon "meeting" for sure.

If you're interested in checking out the maze and other fun at Feltz Family Farms and Dairy Store in Plover, the maze is open until Oct. 24, Monday–Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. And it’s only $5 for those 12 and under, $7 for everyone else! Plus, they have pumpkins for sale and yummy treats (including King Cone ice cream year-round) and the haunted maze Oct. 25-26. Check it out!

Hope for Farmers

After rain last night and this morning and again this afternoon, I couldn't believe the headlines. Wisconsin farmers are being asked to help North Dakota farmers struggling with the drought.

A drought?

Apparently, when we have chances of scattered thunderstorms, Mother Nature takes the "scattered" part to heart. Drought in the Dakotas and saturated earth in Wisconsin. A mixed blessing, depending who you talk to, too.

When I saw the end of a rainbow after this evening's shower, I grabbed my camera to see if I could do anything artsy by the nearby farm field. I really must have spied it too late.

You can see there probably was something resembling a double rainbow. Or maybe it just never fully developed tonight.

I was hoping by finding the angle that put the end of the rainbow on the farm, it would bring good luck. I was talking to ladies who run it and they hope so, too. They don't mind rain if it could spread out a little bit more. They mean days, not hours.

While we were talking, I just kept clicking away, capturing the culprits who wake us up at the crack of dawn.

Maybe earlier.

When this guy sarcastically muttered, "Oh goody. She's got a new camera," I decided it was time to moooove on. (You know I couldn't resist.)

That, plus the mosquitoes. If the rain has brought one thing, it's a bumper crop of skeeters. I sure hope the rainbows are a promise of good things to come for the farmers who have more important crops to contend with.