How far would you go?

Yesterday....all my troubles seemed so far away.....

I had pawned my kids off to their adoring Oma for the day, and The Hubs and I were on a mission.

How far would YOU go to make some cash to buy a new swing set for your kids?? .... welllll, as fate would have it...yesterday, I was asking myself that very question, over and over.

There we were standing knee high in rusty metal, evaluating the type...be it copper, cast iron, steel, tin, or the coveted stainless steel and aluminum. We were given the okay by The Hubs parents to scavenge the farm for scrap metal to bring to the junkyard. Any money made would be put towards a brand spankin' new wooden swing set.

I was in my glory.

Yesterday I reached the true pinnacle of red neck-edness. There I was sporting my sketchers shoes, a pair of The Hubs work pants, an old maternity shirt, and a filthy pair of work gloves. My eyes were likened to a blackbird, looking for anything shiny that I could toss in the pick up truck. I was ropin' down loads, guiding the tractor, and pointing out the mice that would run from the old pieces of junk.

The Hubs and I would congratulate each other on a 'good find' ... discovering an old aluminum pipe was like finding a be-jewelled scepter. We would high-five each other then move on to the next rusted treasure.

We rode to the junk yard, sucking back cold Cokes as our arms hung from the windows. As we waited in line for the enormous magnet that picked up the heavy farm implements and metal bits from the bed of our truck, we'd pull down the tailgate and sit with our legs swinging....watching the hairy men move the piles from here to there. Then I'd climb back in to my seat and The Hubs would back us up to the magnet and I'd feel the truck rock as the treasure was pulled out.

We crossed over the scales in our empty truck and had it weighed again to get the final tally on the weight of the metal. The Hubs would then run to the office and pick up our cold hard cash....by the end of the day his front pocket was burgeoning from the wad.

After a full day of junkyard journeys, we made our way to the Amish man who furnishes beautiful rustic cedar furniture. We told him our plans for a swing set and made basic little drawing, and he stood there with his brimmed hat and long black beard nodding his head in approval. He went over the pricing with The Hubs and it fit perfectly in our junkyard budget.

As The Hubs was talking to Mr. Amish, the little Amish children were running around in their dresses and overalls..it was so adorable..if only I could have taken pictures for you..but that it frowned upon in their religion....so instead I'll paint you a mental image.

The littlest boy was sporting his blue button up shirt and a pair of handmade navy overalls with little black boots. His dark hair was shaped in a bowl cut, and he wore a hearing aid that was tethered with a string to his overalls in case his over-activity caused it to loosen from his ear.

He stared at us worldly folk with awe, he backed further in the un-lit barn while still keeping his eyes on us. The goats were maa-ing and Mr. Amish was milking them by hand with a head lamp on.

Once we had been laughing and talking with his father for a while, he became more comfortable, and was beginning to show off his skills on the little red wagon. He would use one leg to propel himself about, and the other sat beneath him on the wagon. His hands used the handle to steer...and there he and his sister (sporting a bonnet and dress) went...up and down the lane.

He got closer to the van and walked around it, keeping one hand on the cold hard metal, feeling it's power.....he gawked at it, as though it were a rocket ship from outer space. ...I wanted so badly to show him the VCR .....now that woulda' blown his mind huh?

He was sorry to see us leave and waved as we backed the rocket down the lane way...

As we were driving home, we saw a little Amish girl in her long dress, jumping up and down on an old trampoline... she had the biggest smile on her face and not a care in the world. It was beautiful.

We hit our beds last night with a great feeling of satisfaction, and an awareness of our blessings... I thanked my Father for the day ...and the beauty in it all.