Labor Day

We slept in.

Labor Day followed the day we spent at the fair.

Labor day was supposed to be a day of rest.

Wrong.

I have a wonderful Niece.  Her name is Ashley.  She lives about 1 mile from me.  She has a little 3 year old boy, who is named Hagen.  And they totally made my Labor Day.

OK, I better start early in the morning on Labor Day. Since we got home late the night before.

Not long after I woke up on Monday, Labor Day, I checked the phone for messages.  The blinking light indicated that I had a message.  It was Ashley. She said she wanted to pick corn on Monday morning.  She said to call her if we wanted to go with her.  So I called her.  I told her that some of our house dwellers were still sleeping, but I would check with them and call her back.  Which I did.  We decided she would drive to my house at 10:30 am and we would follow her to the field where the corn was. 

The field is about 7 or so miles from my house.  It didn't take us long to get there.  I was taking pictures before we arrived.

Being out in the fresh cool September air just makes me want to get going and do something.  It is so refreshing.  And being near these sprinklers is truly something to get my heart pumping.  Water shoots out of the spouts so far...and sounds so wonderful.  Farms are a magical place and I love being near them.  But I was supposed to be here to pick corn....although I had two helpers to do that, and I would click the shutter on my Nikon as fast as I could.

Now that V is here with me, I just can't quit looking at him.  I have an "empty V bucket" from our rather long separation, and I am working on filling that V bucket up.  He may try to hide in the corn field, but I can find him.  If he wanted to hide he should have worn green, not beige.  But I think I could have still found him.  I am good at that.  He can't hide from me.  I have the nose of a "tracker" and I am track'en that man down!

My darling niece, Ashley is so much fun to be around.  She is extra high on my list today because she is sharing the corn field with us.  She is such a good mother to Hagen and handles that little guy so well.  I wish I could have been the kind of mother she is.

If I was the type of mother  Ashley is, then this darling daughter of mine might not have been the same darling daughter that she is today, so I guess I will accept the type of mother I am and be very thankful that I have this wonderful specimen of a daughter to remind me of my long ago efforts.

We had carried 2 laundry baskets into the field and a bucket.  In about 3 minutes the containers were full.  I know you are really wondering why "laundry baskets" so I will tell you why.  But first, I have to ask, "why not".  The baskets are sturdy.  They are strong plastic.  They are easy to clean.  They hold a bunch of corn.  They have two handles so it is easy to lift when they are full.  They hold a bunch of corn.  So, yes, we took laundry baskets.  And a 5 gallon bucket.  That is sturdy.  It is easy to carry and it holds a bunch of corn, as well.

The wonderful green ears of corn are just sitting there waiting for us to pick them.  Kind'a like in the show Shrek, where the silly donkey is jumping up and down shouting "pick me, pick me".  Yes, the corn is kind'a like that.  The ripe corn can't be seen in the high corn stalks, so we have to stoop a little and find the ears of corn and twist them off the corn stalk.

The laundry baskets were filling quickly.  But I wanted it to take longer.  The air is so clean here.  The sun is hot and the shade is cool.  It was a brisk 55 degrees when we were picking (well, some were picking and some where behind a lens) and it felt wonderful!  There is no way possible to really tell you you what it is like to stand in a corn field and pick fresh corn.  However, if you have ever read the book "Children of the Corn" you pick much faster!

The tassels on the corn let us know the corn is nearly ready.  They are one of autumns signs that the harvesting needs to be done.  The tassels get ripe as the corn grows. 

Enjoying the warm sun and the clear blue sky makes this seem like play instead of work.  The real work will be husking all the corn and then preparing it to be frozen or canned in the pressure cooker.  The best part of husking the corn will be doing it with V and my daughters and my niece and her little boy and my grandson.  We will all be gathering on my patio to do this.  Because when you husk the corn, the silk from the corn gets everywhere and I would rather it not be inside my house.

On the edge of the corn field the weeds were waist high, but that didn't slow any of us down.  Weeds like these grow quickly and can be annoying.  However, I find they keep the moisture in the soil by shading the dirt.  So, even noxious weeds have a use.  Well, that is my story and I am sticking to it.

Even a few hardy sunflowers can grow in the weeds.  They give a beautiful splash of color to the green field.  They seem to be saying "pick me, pick me", however, I won't.  I love to let them bask in the sunshine and grow more.  To see the textures, the colors, the dept of the vegetation in the farm fields is a joy to me and fills my soul.

This is just one more reason to love September.  I don't need another reason, but if I had to pick a few more to add to my list, I would add picking corn with the love of my life.

Tomorrow I will share some photos of the processing of the corn.  But for now, just close your eyes, and imagine being with me in the corn field.  You will have a wonderful time as you're imagining the smell of the fresh warm earth, and listen to the stalks crackle and rustle, as we walk up and down the rows of corn.  You will be able to  hear the click click click of the water sprinklers in the distance.  You will feel the warmth of the sun on the back of your neck.  Yep, you will enjoy the time you spend with me in the corn field.