There's no place like home...

I grew up in a tiny rural town in Indiana named Farmland. No, I'm not joking. Farmland, Indiana - population of about 1,000 is my hometown. Let's get a few things straight. Yes, the town is surrounded by farms. No, I did not grow up on a farm. Yes, it is true, there are no stoplights in town. However, there is a Pizza King, a grocery store, a liquor store, a Village Pantry (sort of like UDF for you buckeyes), a library, and 4 churches. My parents and grandmother still live in Farmland, and our children love going home. The children look for two landmarks that signal we have arrived in Farmland. The first is the water tower and the second is the grain elevator; both are pictured above.

This past Saturday was Fire Prevention Day. This day is a huge tradition in Farmland and I have participated in the event my entire life. I'm surprised no one has heard about it on CNN! Why there is a parade, cake walk, prizes given away to the kids (including his and her bikes), fire truck rides, and even a dance!

The little kids and I traveled home to Indiana this past Saturday to enjoy Fire Prevention Day. My sister and her children came home as well. We had a big 'ol day!

The parade was complete with loud sirens and candy thrown to the eager spectators. The kids were armed and ready with their bags. Next came the fire truck rides. Marco elected to pass but Ana Lucia, Gustavo, and my nephews Seth and Joel rode. Oh, and me too. The kids didn't want to go alone so up I climbed on top of the fire truck. We rode through town with the lights flashing and sirens blaring. We even passed Nana and Papa's house (my parents). They were waving proudly from the porch along with Marco. Later Gus and my nephew Seth hung out with me while they were drawing names for prizes. Seth won a remote control Jeep! We then participated in the cake walk. We had no luck winning a cake. Phooey. Ana Lucia and I tried again later in the afternoon. Participation in the cake walk is my way of supporting the volunteer fire department - one quarter at at time. My sister and I tried to get her 17 year old son to take us to the Fire Prevention Dance on Saturday evening. He declined. Hmmmm, I wonder why?

The weather was beautiful and the activities splendid! It was fun to spend the day with my sister and her kids, my parents, and my grandmother. Life in a small town seemed boring to me at times when growing up. I love the fact that my children enjoy going home and experiencing small-town America.



The cousins making their way to the parade



The first candy thrown!



Ana Lucia, Seth, and Gustavo