The Land From Which I Hail

For the past week I've been visiting my parents in back country Ohio and as my trip draws to a close I would like to take a moment and clue you into where I come from. I pretend to be a city dwelling Southern Belle, but really I am a corn fed, home grown, Mid Westerner (shhhh... don't tell anyone). So here is a tour of where I called home when I was a little Sarah growing up "down on the farm."

1) Home Depot Hitching Post

Now I know I've told some of you about the buggy (as in horse and buggy, not shopping cart) parking at various establishments in my town such as the Home Depot and the Wal-mart. That's right, Erin, the Amish don't smelt their own nails either (ps. I don't even know what smelting is, but it sounded like something you would do to make nails).

2) Grandpa's Cheese Barn

So, having lived in my town for about 18 years growing up I have actually never been to Grandpa's Cheese Barn (as I don't really relish a good hunk of cheese), but it is a tourist attraction that is advertised on the major highway running through Ohio, so I thought I would include it on my tour. Many of my out of town friends have visited Grandpa's on their drives between Cleveland and Columbus and give it a thumbs up. Also, I got a shot of a real life Amish Buggy parked there. (They were selling baskets to the tourists.)

3) My Paren't Garden

Last, stop (yep it's true. We've seen my town. Cheese and Amish. Well, there is a Wal-mart too, but I figured that wasn't quite as exciting or worth my driving there to take a picture). Some of you may know my parents are avid gardeners. Now take a look at this place. Pretty beautiful right? Some where in the gene pool my gardening genes are still swimming as I kill almost everything I touch (even those indestructible bamboo plants they sell).

A few features along the tour are the play house which was once where I honed my domestic skills as a child. It now serves as my mom's garden shed.

The "eco-friendly" recycled door green house my dad built (unfortunately his harvest hasn't been great as bees can't get in to pollinate the plants. Who knew they were so important? So we have had only one Zucchini, which was found outside the door).

The garden railway that is my parent's baby. My mom does the landscaping and my dad does the cheese-scaping with the miniature houses, cars, and people all of which are at a different scale so it looks like everyone has a weird growth hormone that either makes them too short or too tall.

The frogs that live in the railway town's pond (my parents are looking to get a dog, but I say why do they need a dog, when they have a frog?)

Welcome Home!