Hello? Tap Tap...This Thing On?

Oh my goodness.

Did you know that it has been SINCE MAY 22nd since I have updated you all on everything back here? There is so much to update you all on, and truly, I might just have forgotten everything but the last day or two worth of information. I swear, those brain cells never fully return from pregnancy. (Sorry Tif and Emily...it's the sad, sad truth.)

SO I am not going to try and give the complete all-inclusive run down. I am going to just start with this.

1. We did not blow away in the tornadoes that swept across Iowa, although we know many people who had family who were affected (i.e. lost homes, etc.) Parkersburg is about an hour and a half north of us, and though we have never been there, the tragedy sent ripples through our communities as well.

2. We did not float away in the floods. The flooding here this year was...incredible. Thousands of acres underwater- whole fields that should have been corn or beans looked like lakes and ponds. And that was in the areas least affected. Levies broke, water supplies were threatened, and again, people lost homes. We knew people with six feet of water in their basement and quite a few farmers with cropland that will be considered a loss this year. The rain has lifted, hay has been cut, and many fields, thanks to the record high prices of corn and beans, have been re-planted. Though wounded, I believe many are starting to come through it all.

It has been so cool here that it still feels like spring. Which is good, because it still felt like winter through April. I was three months behind getting my garden in, and only two days ago did we savor the first red tomato of the season.

So, there is more to share, but I will start with this:

Phil has been working on this pony cart for quite awhile now. He started with a falling-apart shell of a Doctor's Buggy that was used many, many years ago. The dashboard was mere shreds, the boards were rotting and coming apart. He stripped everything off, sandblasted the metal and painted it black, and started to design and build what you see above.

I can't explain how neat I think this thing is. Let's just say that while most of you know I don't favor the idea of more animals running about our property, this cart made me long for a pony. The curved back and sides, the black-lacquer varnish, the cherry finish, the hand turned spindles and the delicate style of the cart make me swoon. I know. Strange. But truly, it was just beautiful.

None of my pictures do the curved wood justice- the sides and the back of the cart are curved (these pieces of wood sat in vices for months acquiring their new shape).

The back has a door with storage underneath for a nice picnic blanket or whatnot. Now, I know I am his wife and all, but I think that this move alone sold me on the pony cart. A place to stash my stuff! What more could a girl ask for?

Two weeks ago we delivered this cart to its owners, who (we think) were pretty happy to have it. I can't wait to see it hooked up to their pony.

You know, I have no eye for process. I can look at a board, Phil can explain to me what it is going to "do" in a piece, and still, I'm lost. Its not until he starts to piece it together that I really get the whole picture. And truly, its not until it is stained, painted, and assembled do I really understand why each part was so essential. Maybe this is why I am so bad at chess. But Phil- he sees each tiny element, how it will fall in to place, its structure and how it will add or detract from overall function and beauty way before the piece is ever cut. I think it is that same brain structure that affords him the ability to re-do our plumbing from scratch. And beat me at chess. Amazing, it is. And now that its finished, he will be sleeping for the next two months.

Ok, not really. But I bet he wishes he could.

So, there you have it. Post one of hopefully quite a few more updates on the goings-on out here in the stalks.