Little Things, Little Kids, and Big Stuff Too

66 this morning, a little hazy and humid. Got up to 86. We need rain, and soon.

The randomness of our life is sometimes funny, sometimes hectic, sometimes frustrating, but never boring. Take the past couple days.

We've been on this dryer merry-go-round. [No, that's not a dryer in the photo, that's a tractor. More about that later.] The first used dryer didn't work, but the seller, a really nice guy, said he'd take it back and refund us. The only downside was the hour drive to return it. 

Then we found another dryer, guaranteed to work, also an hour away--in the other direction. 

So yesterday we loaded up the van for the booth, taking the beautiful vanity and stool I just finished and forgot to take pictures of, a few totes of small things, and an animal trap. The trap was actually for 2 chickens. A lady who sometimes volunteers at the antique mall had these two young chickens she needed to re-home. We could use some more hens, so we took the trap with us to carry the young pullets home. We'd already told the man with the second dryer we'd pick it up in the late afternoon, so we finished at the booth, caught the chickens, and headed up the road.

The dryer man, it turned out, had 3 cute little daughters. They were entranced with the chickens, which Larry had set out in the grass--in the trap of course--while we loaded the dryer. The girls decided the chickens needed names, so we now have a red pullet named Charlie, and a black one named Chicken Cherry. The littlest girl, who was about 3, was afraid to come near the chickens by herself, so her Dad took her by the hand and led her to them. The delight in her eyes, oh my. We smiled all the way home.

Chicken Cherry and Charlie are now in the coop in a separate pen from the bigger hens, to give everyone time to adjust.

This morning we unloaded the second dryer and loaded up the first one to return. We are getting to be expert at this, I think. Another long drive, and the dryer was back with its owner and our money was back in our pockets. Since we were down there, we also found a couple small tables to paint. I am having a time keeping small occasional tables and sofa tables in stock. They sell in a week or two usually. 

On the way to return the dryer, we saw a line of tractors heading into a local park. 

Of course we had to check that out. Apparently there was a tractor parade as part of an event in the small town of Point Pleasant, WV, and the parade ended at Crodell Park, where we stopped to see them. While we were looking, a boy of about 7 walked up to Larry and said, "That old Ford is a pretty nice tractor, isn't it?" 

The boy was wearing a straw hat, boots, a sleeveless t-shirt, some pretty grubby jeans with a wide leather belt. He looked like a miniature old-time farmer. "I rode here on the Farm Museum's Farmall 1020," he added. " My Dad says it's a 1010m but I think he's wrong." Then he strolled away, thumbs hooked in his back pockets. What a little man. 

I might have got those numbers wrong, but that's the gist of his comments. I'm still smiling, remembering him. I think this boy will be a farmer one day for sure.

I'm not sure if  the Farmall above is the one he was referring to, but it's a nice one. I liked this Massey Harris too--it's actually an English tractor, I believe. I wonder how it ended up in Ohio?

This bit of what we might call make-do engineering made me smile. I bet it works just fine too.

Which reminds me of another story that popped up in my Facebook memories yesterday. This one happened in 2014. We were standing in line to get our license plate renewed, behind an older man and his grandson who was about 7. A lady came in wearing a very short, tight dress. The little boy looked at his grandpa and asked, "Grandpa, why do you keep staring at that lady?" All Grandpa could say, with a red face, was "Be quiet, boy." Grandpa might have been old, but he could still see.

We spent a little time in Gallipolis after picking up the tables. It's one of my favorite small towns, with a beautiful downtown and park. Flowers are everywhere.

I checked out a local antique and craft mall in the town. The "craft" area was mainly new, farmhouse-style decor items, although there were some nice handmade crafts there too. The antiques were, to my view, over-priced, and I came away empty-handed. I know, I'm cheap. And maybe I price too low? I don't know, but I like to see things move along to new homes, and to be affordable for the average budget.

Tomorrow we'll be up and out early to pick blackberries at a local pick-your-own place. We haven't been able to spot any wild ones, and I want berries. So off we'll go. The "local" isn't all that close, about 45 minutes away, but that's how it is here. Pretty much an hour to anywhere. It reminds me of the line in the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, when Everett says, "Well ain't this place a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere!" We're not quite that bad, but maybe kinda  close. By the way, if you haven't seen that movie, do try to find it. It's a rare treat.

Our Arizona visitors are finally heading home, after a full month here in West Virginia. They worked on their cabin, spent a lot of money fixing the road, and got many tick and bug bites. The woods in high summer are a challenge, and I avoid going into the deep woods this time of year as much as possible. I'd like to have seen their cabin but caution kept me away. They spent a good bit of time at our house, getting showers, doing laundry etc. I am hoping none of the tick bites gives them any adverse effects. There are so many strange diseases carried by ticks these days. Now they have the long, long drive back to their home, a trip I do not envy them at all. 

So, to quote Garrison Keillor, that's all the news that isn't from this small corner of the globe.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.