Bountiful harvest................

It's official, we are farmers. Yep, big time farmers we are. Well- not really big time, kind of small time. Really, really, really small time. 4 tomato plant small time. But that doesn't include the acres of squash and pumpkins we planted. Well, technically not acres. But rows and rows and rows. Alright- one row of each, one row of 4 plants each. But you do the math- that is 12 very vital, demanding agriculturally centered, fruit bearing plants. Yes sir e, and they are all mine. I mean ours. Really, the kids didn't want a whole lot to do with the planting- they let me handle that. Occasionally they will drag a bucket of water out there, and sometimes they even pour it on one of the plants. But boy- when it came time for 'harvest', Sam was all over it. Such a proud tomato picker he is. And after we had 'harvested' the bushels of tomatoes you see above (well, not bushels- but we did fill a side walk chalk bucket with these 6 beautiful balls of tomatoeness) he snuck back out and plucked out that giant green beauty. Boy- it would have been one gorgeous big tomato, had it been allowed to ripen on the vine. Whatever, we don't really even eat tomatoes. We just grow them. It's my little way of giving back to the world, one tomato at a time : ) I will keep you all posted as to our next harvest. With the size of our crop, I am considering purchasing a combine or a giant tractor of some sort- I would just love the opportunity to drive one of those things. I may even have to hire a farm hand. This life of a farmer is not an easy one- up with the chickens and working the field all day.......... no wonder I'm tired.

Obviously I might be stretching the facts just a smidge- but someday I would love the opportunity to be a real life farmer. We could raise sheep, plant wheat and sunflowers and have giant barn dances. My kids would wear boots and not be whiny because they'd be too tired from working all day and chasing those sheep, we'd enter them in the fair (the sheep, not the kids) and win ribbons, we'd have a barn- one of those beautiful old big barns you see on postcards and in mid-west living magazines. I would spend all day baking up wonderfulness and I would talk about 'going to town' and snap beans on my front porch while sitting on my swing drinking tea (sweet tea, so my good friends will come and want to visit to get some of it too). And I want a giant farm type kitchen table- and I will wear an apron. An apron with big pockets and a floral print. Somehow in my mind I have made it a simple but satisfying life. DO NOT DISAPPOINT ME AND POP THIS BUBBLE.

Thank God I'm a Country Girl (who currently lives in the city in a subdivision with a 4 foot square garden).