All in a Day . . . .

Antique tractor owners couldn't have asked for a better day than yesterday to put their plows and disks to work tilling up several acres of ground at what we used to call the "Experiment Farm" on Boyer Road.

The event attracted spectators and even a few "inspectors" throughout the day.

Our family is still sampling delicious homemade cookies selected from the wide array of offerings where cash deposited in the donation jar for the planned museum facility netted your pick of the cookies.

Good trade-off, if you ask me.   

Somebody said, "There's a picture." So, I snapped, and upon seeing this family of men, young and old, I agreed. 

Talking farming, I'm guessing, or could it be motorcycles?

Whatever the case, yesterday's Plow Day offered lots of opportunities to spend time in the outdoors in a beautiful setting, discussing anything and everything. 

I call these ladies the "Tractor Queens," and I'm still trying to decide if my "outlaw buddy" Rose Marie (there on the right) could touch the ground with her feet.

 I saw a several tractor queens at various venues around the experiment farm. 

A more solemn segment of the day at Pinecrest Cemetery, which was continually bursting with more colors of remembrance. 

As usual, our Border Colllie Nation made us smile last night as Kiwi guarded the blue ball and her lieutenants provided respectful support. 

A couple of "outlaws" here:  Sig Thompson Brannon in the middle and Rose Marie Thompson, right.

Their hubbies were out working in the field aboard the Thompson John Deere fleet. 

Inspectors along the sidelines always contribute to quality assurance.

I'm sure all those tractor drivers were aware of their presence so they kept those tractors going in a straight line while digging up furrows. 

Hi, George!

Back to solemnity in yesterday's activities.

When I took a bouquet of lilacs and iris to my sister's grave, I did not have to pull out the pocket knife and dig into the grass to find her marker yesterday.

When I was cutting away the grass last year, my brother Kevin was with me.  Stunned at the scene, he  immediately suggested that we go into action to provide her a decent monument to replace the common tiny glass enclosed windows that mark so many babies' graves from the era when our sister died as an infant.

So, that's what we did as a family.  We thank Bart Casey for steering the project to a lovely conclusion.

Yesterday, Jean Marie's beautiful grave stone provided a welcome change from years past when we'd play the guessing game as to where it was located and then dig into the grass to find it.

Pretty special, indeed. 

At the end of a fulfilling and memorable day, this bunch punctuated the memory with their usual  wonderful selves.

Hard not to smile when these characters are at their best.