Now Then Threshing Show 2008

I never really gave any thought to the fact that there are various strains of sweet corn. Until yesterday, when on the way back from NowThen, we stopped on the roadside to buy a dozen ears from a farmer and a regular noted, "Is this Peaches and Cream? That is so good." Today I did a vague culinary faux paux and cooked an ear in the microwave as a snack (just wrapped it in some wet paper towels). Oh man...if that's what it tastes like cooked wrong, it must sing when it's properly boiled. Why does Cub sell me that other crap? We're expanding our garden next year, so I think this is going to be something we plant.

I'm not sure where to start with the NowThen Threshing Show. We had breakfast at Kyle's and gave him his birthday present (Descent - a board game. We play tested it over pizza afterward and he killed Eryn and me, which made Eryn hide her resurrected character behind the door). It was beautiful out. Much nicer than last year when it rained on us. So we got to experience the whole Parade of Power and 364 tractors, the small, rideable train, and the full outdoor garage sale, where Kyle pointed out two rabbit candleholders for Sarah that I bought and took to her this morning. They match her other rabbit teacandle holder, so they were a bargain, even though twice as expensive as originally thought (the farmer priced them individually). I thought about buying a horribly racist Native American container that indicated it was for firewater. It was only $1. But I just couldn't imagine where I could white elephant gift it other than to Dan'l and Kyle, and that's a pretty short passing-around list. I also tried to buy Dan'l some cologne in a Coleman Lantern container. My Dad had that cologne when I was 8, so it may actually be 31 years old. But the guy wanted $12, though he yelled at me, "$10 if you really like it!" You've had it for 31 years...how much can it be worth to you? You obviously don't want to wear it, and (cheap) cologne doesn't age well. Fifty cents is reasonable you bastard. $2 might have had me at least thinking about it. Eryn walked away with a little plaster sign for the garden for $1 that said something about how wishes happen in the garden. She was torn over whether to get it, or the sign that said "Mom's Garden", and she actually looked like she felt guilty for getting the one she got.

I could NOT find my sister a "Milking Coach" t-shirt like I saw on a kid at the Threshing Show. And I am horrified that I can't even find one on the web. That's wrong. Everything should be on the web, particularly milking shirts that would be hilarious if owned by a lactation consultant.

But, I did find some directions for making the $5-$6 marshmallow guns on line, which can be mass produced with a bit of PVC for about $2 each. I've made four. Two for the nephews, one for Eryn and one for me. I'm going to make Ame one as well, although I suspect my sister may conveniently lose it. But she should think twice. Many of the instructions I found on line were from church groups who were making them as church projects. Which is creepy. They really shoot a marshmallow with some velocity. That long one is very accurate. I managed to shoot Pooteewheet in the nipple. I didn't make it extra long just so I'd look cooler than the kids, I just had that much PVC left over off my 10' pole.


I'm not going to subject you to all the pictures from the show. Suffice it to say that you can enjoy it by following this link to the set and letting your eyes gloss over with all the pictures of tractors. You can see Eryn's wooden yo yo getting branded with an N for NowThen, old tractors, new tractors, middling tractors, law tractors, modified tractors, and even a John Deere motorcycle. And further below are three videos from the threshing show, which may give you just enough virtual tractor show to satiate your every desire.

But I will post this picture of Eryn standing next to the raffle tractor we're going to win. It has a sign on it that threatens anyone who might want to touch it. The big guy is the enforcer - at least that's what Kyle told Eryn. And he raised his eyebrows and asked if she'd touched it. No way.


Noisy, heavily vibrating, John Deere


Minneapolis Thresher


Case Thresher