Prairie Highway

On the road in Iowa:

Fouth of July fishing rods

I would have loved to have a purplse fishing rod when I was a little girl.

Lay's Potato Chips promotion

Lay’s Potato Chi;ps is trying to use the growing local food movement to sell its industrially produced potato chips. This is a sign of how powerful that movement is getting to be – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Iowa wind turbines

Britt, IA has been the site of a hobo convention for decades.

The glass I meant to take to Iowa for recycling

There is no glass recycling available where I live in South Dakota, so every trip to Iowa is a chance to recycle.

Today’s photo was taken at the Vermillion Community Garden. Last night’s storm restored the water in the rainwater tank, so the watering cans were back in business.

Went to the Loess Hills in Iowa last Saturday, for the Nature Conservancy’s big meeting at the Broken Kettle Reserve. Most fun part of the day was going out to see the buffalo they’ve reintroduced in Iowa.

The buffalo are up at the top of the ridge

Explaining the use of flea beetles to control leafy spurge

Conservancy staff explaining science of the preserve

Just outside the preserve, but still in the Loess Hills

Old barns on the preserve, reused for visitor events

Most sad part of the day: looking at the preserve and knowing that it would be downwind of the proposed Hyperion Oil Refinery and coal plant. The refinery and coal plant, possibly the largest industrial project in South Dakota’s history, would likely have serious impacts on Iowa, including the Loess Hills. The South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, instead of properly doing its job, appears to have deliberately encouraged the project developer to use air modeling data from the wrong city when the developer applied for a permit to pollute South Dakota and Iowa air. Using the wrong city’s data downplays the potential affects on Iowa. Did DENR think no one would notice?

Today was the 140th celebration of Swedish Midsommar in Dalesburg, South Dakota.

Think Prairie Home Companion come to life — South Dakotans of Scandinavian descent eating smorgasbord in a church basement, followed by an old-timey brass band, the raising of the Midsommar pole, and Scandinavian folk dancing.

What's a festival without a petting goat?

Raising the Midsommar pole

Real flowers adorn the Midsommar pole

Have thrifty Swedes recycled the church Christmas tree?

The crowd danced too

The Swedish flag

Garrison Keillor would swoon for these guys

Trading places

I have never seen so many blue-eyed children in one place.

My garden is expanding. Dug out another chunk of sod yesterday (would have done entire thing but my shovel foot is protesting greatly).

Gotta get more space as am getting rapidly to the last days when I can plant winter storage squash. Two that I want to grow need a good chunk of time in the field.

Once the new plot is dug, will need to expand the fence around it. Our neighbors asked us to fence the garden so their kids and dogs wouldn’t trample it. Made me think of the old days of “should the farmer or the rancher pay for the fence.”