Hay, There! Rural Thursday

I've got something for "Rural Thursday" this week! This past weekend, while we were out running errands, I took these photos of some trucks laden with large hay bales. (Andrew was driving, so I had the chance to click away with my iPhone.) Definitely a sight I never saw when I lived in Chicago or Boston! But it's a sight I've seen a few times here in Iowa.

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Rural Iowa, Rural Thursday

Okay, here's a quick post for "Rural Thursday" - and by "quick," I mean I'm letting a photo do the "talking," because . . . well, as they say, "a picture's worth a thousand words," right? (And since I've got to read thousands of words today, I'd best lay off writing thousands of 'em.)

Rural scene, Swisher, IA, October 21, 2012.

"Rural Thursday" is co-hosted by A Rural Journal and Two Bears Farm. Please click on the rooster button below to view the rest of this week's "Rural Thursday" entries:

More Farm Photos - Rural Thursday

Okay, I saved a few of our farm photos (from our pumpkin picking/pony riding trip to Bart's Farm) for today's "Rural Thursday."

You may recognize the view of "Bart's Farm" from this past Monday's "Barn Charm." However, in this photo, I had Livie posing next to the barn (near the straw bales).

Of course, Livie HAD to get a pony ride (or in this case, a horse ride, as this guy was a couple hands too tall to be a pony). She loved the Palomino, and picked him because it looked like a Palomino Appendix Quarter Horse I used to have.

 The farm wouldn't be complete without some chickens! Livie LOVED these chickens because they were "bock-bocking" like chickens! Haha! (What else would they do, right?)

 Livie and I took advantage of this photo opportunity - there was an "autumn scene" all set up in the front yard of the "Bart's Farm" family house. When we got home, Livie helped me decorate the photo with PicMonkey. 

And, of course, Livie went crazy with the PicMonkey decorations on this photo. She's posing with a couple of the pumpkins we'd gotten from Bart's Farm, plus the awesome orange mums I'd gotten last week (and the sucker she'd gotten after her pony ride).

And yes, that's a spider plant holder (made out of metal parts)! We'd gotten it a few years ago at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market, and usually put it out every fall; this was the first year I'd actually remembered to go out and get some mums for it. 

Rural Thursday is co-hosted by Two Bears Farm and A Rural Journal.  Please check out other "Rural Thursday" entries by clicking on the "Rural Thursday" button below:

 

Rural Thursday - It's Fair Time!

Since Livie, Andrew and I were recently at the 2012 Iowa State Fair, I've got a few great photos to share with "Rural Thursday" participants!

These are various farming-related entries having been shown at the Fair this year.  The first two photos are of Iowa FFA entries (according to the signage), both showcased in the Agriculture Building.

And the last photo is in the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion (Livie and I enjoyed admiring the cow in the foreground - she had a beautiful coat, as did the cow right in front of her).

Corn, single ear entries

Various grains, nicely showcased

A cattle class in the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion

"Rural Thursday" is co-hosted by "A Rural Journal" and "Two Bears Farm." Please click on the button below to view the rest of this week's entries.

Rural Thursday - Iowa Corn

I've got some photos to share at Rural Thursday! If a field of Iowa corn doesn't say "rural," I don't know what does!

I took these photos on I-80, westbound, somewhere between Coralville and Des Moines on July 21st. Livie and I had to stop for a short break, and were actually parked near a cornfield, so I took the opportunity to take a few photos. (I think it was at a rest stop somewhere after the Amana Colonies exit).

I edited them a bit on PicMonkey.

"Rural Thursday" is co-hosted by Two Bears Farm and A Rural Journal. Please click the button below to view the rest of this week's entries:

Rural Thursday - More Living History Photos

I've been meaning to share some more photos of our Memorial Day  '12 trip to Living History Farms. What better day than "Rural Thursday," right?

Living History Farms is an open-air "museum" with plenty of exhibits. The part we visited was "Walnut Hill, IA," which represented an Iowa town, typical of what you'd find in 1875. 

Here are photos of our visit to the one-room schoolhouse, representing what a school would've been like circa 1875. These photos were all taken with my iPhone. (Can you believe today's technology?!?!)

Exterior view #1.

Exterior view #2, with Liv in the doorway.

Interior view #1.

Interior view #2; Iowa winters require those wood-burning stoves!

Livie's excited to be "an 1875" student! Check out the chalkboard tablet.

She's practicing writing.

And a final photo, which Livie thought I should include today: the photo where she's posing next to an "old-fashioned" butter churn, which, of course, wouldn't be "old-fashioned" in 1875.

In the background, you can see examples of farming tools farmers would've regularly used in the late 19th Century.

Rural Thursday is co-hosted by Two Bears Farm and A Rural Journal.

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Rural Iowa Road on "Rural Thursday"

I think I'll play along with the "Rural Thursday" theme today (considering I am in Iowa, right?!)!

Rural road near Boone, IA

I used PicMonkey to edit this photo I took last spring.

"Rural Thursday" is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by A Rural Journal and Two Bears Farm. Please check out their blogs to see other rural-themed entries.