Here in the country.

 Here in the country, we do things a bit differently.
We know that anything can be accomplished with a little determination and some duct tape.  Yesterday afternoon when it was scorching hot, my daughter made a dragon costume for her little wienie dog complete with wings and a hat.
 Here in the country, we know that lawn tractors can be used for a lot more than mowing lawn.  They can modified and raced.  I spent the evening with  my youngest son and felt his joy as he figured out why his tractor wouldn't start and got it started.  He also set his personal record in lawn tractor distance. 

 Here in the country, we help each other out whenever we see a need.  My husband had to go in early to work tonight and wasn't able to attend Ikey's tractor pull. . . . Ikey's second tractor pull. Ever.  Ikey knows a little bit about the construction of his lawn tractor, I know nothing.  Maybe a bit less than nothing.  As is true of every bit of Brown motor vehicles, the tractor doesn't run quite the way it is meant to run.  Or should I see, it doesn't start or stop the way it should.  For instance......most motorized vehicles require only the flip of a switch to turn off.  Not Ikey's tractor.  First you have to click your heels twice, touch your nose and spin and the you have to touch a piece of wire to a screw and hold it there long enough for the power to disconnect.  O so the first part isn't true but the rest of it is.  I wasn't really aware of the details I needed to understand about the pull.  Like you don't always start the lawn tractor, you need to disconnect the battery, you have to weigh it, measure it, etc......  But every step of the way, someone was there to offer up help - whether to help push the tractor or to tell us that the engine had flooded.

Here in the country, we live amongst the Amish.  And their beautiful gardens.  

 Here in the country, today anyway, it was dang hot!

But mostly here in the country, we are proud to be an American.  And even way out in the boondocks, out in the middle of a cornfield, with a bunch of redneck, tractor-pulling people, the National Anthem is played and everyone stands and every John Deer, International H, or any other brand hat is removed and we place our hands over our hearts and praise God for our country.