Just Far Enough Away

It is interesting to grow up in a place that is 90 minutes from major cities, 3 hours from NYC, 20 minutes to resort town beaches, yet cornfields and soybeans are all around you.

We are sort of everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
There are days when I feel like I might go crazy.
And others when I wouldn't want it any other way.

But I like my kids having a life, right here, in everywhere and nowhere land.
At some point, I want them to leave and see the what else is out there.
It was good for me. It'll be good for them.

Yesterday, we enjoyed what living in the middle of nowhere offers.
My dad taught them how to plant corn.
He never taught me how to plant it - just how to weed it and pick it.

To the garden we go!

It looks exactly like a garden should, in my opinion.

The bag of corn seed was $5.90 in case you were wondering.

Here is the goal. Nice, neat, little rows of corn plants.
But can three kids under the age of 8 accomplish this? Ha.

Pop-Pop controls the seed distribution despite the many protests from the youngest "farmer" who wanted to do it himself.

The oldest takes the lead.

Definitely a group effort.
More quality control than effort, however.

If the pictures had audio you would hear:

"Put that down"!
"No! Don't dig up the plants"?!
"If you don't stop digging the plants that are already growing, you are going in time-out"!

Life always looks better in the pictures.

He looks so cute when he's being naughty.
Don't ever tell him I said that.

Attempt to put the seed directly under the string. 

Attempt is the key word. 

And if you visit my parent's house any time after May, expect to find my dad only wearing shorts.

It is his summer uniform. 

You just get used to it. 

Lesson on how far to push the seed down into the dirt.
That far up on your pinky finger.
If you have a three year old pinky finger.

Down they go!
And that's pretty much it!
How to plant corn.

Our in-house Lassie is supervising.

She rounds out the fun with a bouquet of wildflowers from the field behind the house.

After all the excitement, the kids wanted to have dinner outside.
Obviously, we didn't have corn.
But we did have dessert!

I'm not a marshmallows in my ice cream kind of girl, but the kids were the decision makers on this one.

It's good to be reminded why I live in the middle of nowhere sometimes.
If you come visit, I can't guarantee corn planting lessons.
But I can promise cornfields and quiet just when you need it.