Things I learned in the last two weeks

--What vetch is;

--What crown vetch is;

--What elderberry bushes look like;

--How beautiful the purple bloom, the flower, is on crown vetch;

--That this weed, crown vetch, fortunately pulls away from the host plant, in this case, elderberry bushes, very easily;

--That elderberry bushes are native to our area (or so I'm told);

--That elderberry bushes and very hearty plants and can take a lot of abuse;

--What a "tractor cruise" is and why people go on them;

--Where the Kansas City, Missouri dump site for yard waste is;

--That is you're from Kansas City, Missouri, you can get great, free mulch at their dump site;

--That straw and hay, in the sunlight, really to shine like gold in the sunlight;

--That after working all day on a farm and being totally wiped out, you can do it again the next day;

--That a bad back doesn't have to keep you from being able to work, even on a farm, working on hay bales;

--What's it like to work with hay and straw, and for hours;

--That if you have a choice of working with two different pitchforks, you make sure you don't get the one with the shorter tines (well, unless you want to slough off and not really work much);

--What a sandpiper's egg looks like (stunningly beautiful and simple);

--That a sandpiper mother will work hard--and for a long time--to protect her egg.

Among other things, no doubt.

Have a great, safe, holiday weekend, y'all.