you see, old macdonald had this farm....

what better way to spend a weekend at home than going to visit the johnson homestead. amber and i took off on a hazy friday afternoon from iowa and headed to the beauty that is Hartford, South Dakota. we've been going to our grandparents' farm since we were no bigger than toothpicks in our mom's belly--so we are pretty much "pros" at farm life and farm chores in general.


friday evening we decided to head out "in style". my uncle, otherwise known as Big Ron, bought a limousine a couple of years ago and started his own limo service: Living Large Limos Limited. of course he does this on the side, his true heart and soul goes into cattle farming. anyway, we took the limo out for a spin and drive to the hilltop restaurant for some excellent pan-fried walleye.

amber and i volunteered to get up early and do chores with the men on saturday. we helped a lot. i think. uncle and gary (whose been my grandparents hired hand ever since i can remember) rounded up the cows we needed to deal with while amber and i patiently awaited our role: giving the cattle shots of anti-biotics in order to treat pink eye. yes folks, we did do it. and we did it well. what you have to do is insert the needle, which is about an inch and a half long, into the cow's neck. then you have to pump in the injection twice. stick the same cow again--in a different part of its neck--pump twice and repeat until all the anitbiotics are pulsing through the cow's veins. i learned that it takes 4.9mL of antibiotics for every 100lbs. interesting, no?


we felt pretty darn proud of our job. all in all we helped inoculate 20 cattle in just a little over an hour. most credit goes to uncle and gary though for doing the "hard" work and making it reasonably safe for us to do our work. after that amber and i headed back to the main house to help grandma prepare for fore-noon lunch. if you've never heard that term "fore-noon lunch" it means lunch before noon. it incorporates such dishes as open-faced ham sandwiches, cookies, and this time (since i was visiting from japan) sweet bean paste cakes! they were an instant hit among the crowd: my grandma, grandpa, uncle, and gary.


a good time was had by all. we danced with grandpa eldon to "big joe's polka show" until late into the night (10pm), repainted the Lilac Crest Charolais Farm sign, attended church in our Sunday best, and ate plenty of grandma's infamous rhubarb pie. no joke, this is the stuff of life.

life is simple here, but it sure is good

i've been at home for almost three weeks. to say the very least, it's been amazing. family has always been an important part of my life (it's shaped me to be me), but being able to hug your my mom and dad before i go to bed is just the greatest. having pillow talk with amber as we share a bed at our grandparents' farm, being anxious to see my nephew and how much he's grown (and how much fun he is first-hand), catching up with high school friends, being able to start up where you left off--these are some of my most precious moments since coming home.

i've been justifying eating and doing anything and everything that i can't get/do in japan or just plain have a craving-for-it. going to the iowa state fair was no different. where else can you find a deep-fried twinkie? or a pork chop on a stick? or get swindled into buying "the last mop you will ever buy"? (which my parents actually bought three of...hey, we watched the spiel twice, that mop is incredible!) i'd have to say that checking out the mixed vegetable plate competition and viewing the biggest bull were some of the many highlights of being in iowa during the state fair season. plus, i got to hang out more with the fam which i already mentioned above is the greatest.



my friend lydia (who is no longer a rohde, but an arevalo--congrats, again!) was so kind as to host a barbeque/camp out at her grandparents' pond. we had a few beers, shared a few stories, i spoke what little japanese i know; it was great. honestly i don't think any of us have changed that much...meaning we were pretty cool high schoolers. today i went to Dairy Queen for a breeze with my sister and her friend Robby and a group of about eight bubbly, blonde high school girls came in. listening to them made me realize that we really have grown up quite a bit. i mean, katie and ben have a kid! really though, we've come a long way.



everything here is sort of like a novelty. i don't know how many pictures of "downtown" marshalltown i took, but it just seemed so beautiful at dusk. i've always thought iowa is beautiful and i tried to capture some of its beauty with my camera, but it just doesn't compare. i love the rolling corn fields and the friendly people (people that speak my language--woohoo!) and the ice cream socials and the people i've known since i was little. this place will always be my home and i am so proud of that.



there is more to come, as i am here for another week or so. thanks mom and dad for funding my true "homestay". i love you guys!

i have bangs!

i am having an excellent time at home in marshalltown, iowa. there are many more pictures to come, i just thought this one was especially pertinent because....i have bangs!