Hay, Hay, Hay....

     "You have to make hay when the sun shines."  I think I heard that somewhere...more than once or twice.  Until I moved to Nebraska, I really paid no attention to haymakers.  But how's this for hay?

     I know, I know, the photo runs right out of the frame.  If I make it smaller, you can't see it very well.  That picture is a first for me, first inserted photo in a blog, first stitched panorama, and first photo taken from inside of a cemetery of what's outside the cemetery.  I hope you get the general idea that there's a LOT of hay in that field.  Are those just tiny bales of hay? 

     Like the hat?  I wore it just for these hay pictures, but I didn't go out and buy it for the occasion.  I actually have several straw hats, including an official Toby Keith straw hat that I bought at Cracker Barrel.  I can see that I'm getting off the subject, which never happens.  Well, it did happen once before when I was cliff diving in Kentucky, but that's another story.  Anyway, you probably guessed that those are not small bales, but just how big are they?

     Those bales are actually shoulder height to me and I'm 74" tall.  Never mind how much I weigh, but I am losing weight.
     And who took the pictures where I'm in the picture?  My darling youngest daughter, who is eligible to drive this coming Saturday, with her permit and an adult, of course.  Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

The Shortest Distance To Chinese Food....

     Before moving to Nebraska, we had friends already living here.  In fact, they were born here, but their family had moved to California a looonnng time ago.  As things happen, they moved back to Nebraska, one by one.  I guess you could call them replanted natives.
     Anyway, my wife was best friends with one of those natives and talked to her often, much to the delight of the phone companies.  What in the world they can find to talk about at least thirteen times a day I have no clue.  However, one of the things batted back and forth is the subject of eating out, as in mostly you can't in the town I now call home.  Oh, there are places to eat, one of which closes at 2:00 pm.  And another isn't open for breakfast, another has homemade doughnuts on the one morning a week that they open before lunch.  The doughnuts are good, by the way.  We also have one franchised eating establishment, Subway.  This town is not without amenities.  But no Chinese restaurant run by real Chinese, or anyone else for that matter.  So what to do when one has a hankering for Chinese food?
     In one or more of the many phone calls, our friend, my wife's best friend, says that she is going to KANSAS for Chinese!  What?!  My wife says that her friend must be crazy to go to another state for Chinese food.  I concur.
     Now I live in Nebraska.  That nice little town in Kansas is only 32 miles south of where we live; and the Chinese food is good there.  I do prefer, though, the Chinese food in Nebraska, even if it is 38 miles north of where we live.  But, they have a Wal-Mart next door, and Sonic, McDonald's, Taco Bell, and KFC within a 5-minute walk.  That's if you are in the mood for fast food, that is.  So sometimes we go clear to another state for Chinese food.  Don't ask how far we go for Mexican food.  Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

Crank, Crank, Crank Those Knuckles Raw....

     You'll just have to use your imagination for this one (I haven't gotten into posting pictures for everything like she does at countdowntoasimplerlife.blogspot.com).  My wife bought me a hand crank shredder at a yard sale or the thrift store, her two favorite places to shop.  The thing is made of aluminum, has five different cutters, and works fantastic.  This evening I shredded about a third of the zucchini sitting on the kitchen island.
     Why did I name today's post what I did?  Did I mention the cranking hand shredder my wife bought for me?  That's right--it will shred vegetables or fingers with equal ease, however, I don't usually need a bandage for the vegetables.  I made a note to myself that says basically to keep my fingers not so close to the whirling blades.  Another note is not to crank so fast so fingers can be yanked out of the way before too much skin has to be found.
     Here in Nebraska, if you can't grow zucchini, you probably drool profusely while someone feeds you.  The second easiest thing to grow in a backyard garden is weeds.  They love Miracle-Gro.  I used a weed and feed on the lawn, but the weeds thought the label said, "Feed the weeds."
     I baked a cherry pie today.  Don't get too excited.  It was from a neighbor, sort of, Mrs. Smith.  She leaves them at the grocery store here in town.  Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

The friendly hand wave....

     Have you ever been on a busy freeway or interstate interchange?  If so, you probably have had 'nice' people wave at you as you deftly squeezed in front of them or went slower than twice the speed limit.  I know you know what I'm talking about when I say you got a 1-fingered salute.  It's not really a wave, but it is usually accompanied by distorted facial expressions.
     Here in rural Nebraska people wave--just for making eye contact.  They can do it while holding a cell phone to their ears, drinking a pop (Midwest term for soda), and driving.  I don't think it's legal to do all at once, but I have never done such a thing myself.  Oh, I wave.  It makes my wife laugh.
     Nebraska, at least outside the major cities (both of them), has very friendly drivers.  And what may they be driving?  They drive things that I have no idea how they are used.  Combines.  Sprayers.  Tractors.  Balers.  Ferraris.  Okay, not Ferraris, but worth more than a Ferrari.  Most of the used vehicles for sale around here are green and yellow, both colors preceded by the words "John Deere."
     I like Nebraska and I like the small town that is now my home.  Nebraska--less people, less stress.

The first post....

Okay, I'll post first to get you started.  My name is Ed and I live in Nebraska, but I guess you could have figured that out by the name of this blog (it's not a trick name).  I'm a retired school teacher, but I enjoy being a substitute teacher here in some VERY small school districts.  If you are or ever have been a teacher, just give me a quick post.  Your comment will not be graded.  More to follow day after day.  Next time, I'll talk about the friendly hand wave.