Independence Day Thoughts

As we celebrate our independence day (2 days late from history but this is traditional :-) ) our town is having the annual Cherry Days event. This year there are actually cherries. Some years they have frozen, some they are later and some years like this one they are perfect. Sweet Black Bings (never shipped, only on for about a week) blushing Ranier's, regular Bings, and the pie cherries. We always eat too many and get sick and love it.

Sadly today we missed the Fireman's Pancake Breakfast, a fund raiser for the local volunteer fire department, and the parade (half the town is in the parade while half watches). High School reunions are traditionally at Cherry Days and each class holding a reunion rides in the parade on a float or car or wagon or whatever they can get. Everyone with a riding horse is in the parade and there are a lot of horse drawn buggies and wagons. Usually the ranchers who use horses to feed the cattle bring out the hay wagons and give rides.

We went in to town in the afternoon. I'm on the Historical Society Board and this is our one and only fund raiser, an ice cream social at the museum. There are cookies, ice cream and lemonade for a small fee and we have the museum and old Bowie schoolhouse open for visitors. We have no paid staff, it's all volunteers.

There is a carnival in the park, and music and the crowning of the high school Cherry Day King and Queen. The old tractors are on display (if they are not out in the fields working) and the old cars.

No fireworks this year. They have a habit of getting out of control making for a rather more exciting fireworks display than desired.

Small town, rural Fourth of July events, probably repeated all over this country today.

But because farming doesn't obey human calendars our hay guy was out there all afternoon baling. This is our small field and he got it all done before dark.


Hay Field Ready to Bale


Baling Hay

Hope you had a good day.

Happy Birthday America