I do have a flip phone (yeah, I know it's outdated) but all I have to do is buy some minutes every year and I'm good. In fact, I rarely turn it on (I don't feel the need to be connected all of the time) as we have a land line as well - good especially with elderly parents and keeping in touch.

Land line here too. We have to to have internet service. Our daughter put us on her phone plan so we have just want we want. A phone that does nothing more than make a call and snap photos in the husband's pocket, lol!

You know you're from the Midwest when the tractors roll past your house in the spring :o)

Yep!!! I love watching the tractors.

Pepper,
Me too. We have some big ones go by, but I love the smaller ones pulling the old grain wagons. I don't mind being behind them. I love when they will wave you on to pass because they can see and you can't. Farmers. Good people!

... temps above 40 in January are considered a heat wave.

Cindy,
How true! I look for January thaw every year. It's usually raining and we've had to go out and scoop water to keep it out of the garage. New driveway solved that.

You know you're from the Midwest when there's a corn or bean field in your back yard, or up the road.

Ain't that the truth! I live where corn/soy fields meet steel mills.
I think the January thaw is late this year - maybe because "real" winter came late. Now it's cold and snowy until the real treat of 60s/70s in March.

We're too small of a town for mills but we do have two grain elevators. One family owned. One family owned long ago sold and sold and finally a big corporation owns it.

With grain elevators, you are right in the middle of corn fields. I used to work for a corn processor years ago and marketed the by-products. No "elevators" but big storage silos.

I don't have the elevators or silos here in my town but neighboring town to the east has the MFA which is a farmer's co-op and has an weigh deal and I think the elevator is still there. I haven't paid attention lately. Something got torn down there several years ago but I can't remember what it was.

End of my road used to be a cow pasture running north and south that was surrounded by trees and brush. Couldn't hardly see thru it. A local contractor has been buying up land for future development and bought that pasture, ripped everything out and shocked the heck out of everyone around here. The pasture is very hilly and at the time was flat out gorgeous. He burned everything and planted corn and beans. Bad thing is now my road right there has no protection from the winds and when it snows the snow now drifts onto the road blocking it. If I didn't have neighbors who have plows and a friend who also has one (and does our driveway since it's so big) we would be blocked in on that side. Only 2 ways in and out on my road.

Cindy,
Interesting job.

Pepper,
After thinking, I think one of the old owners is still a one third owner of our elevator. Big business helped them make a lot of renovations a few years ago.
Instead of the explosive gas dryer starting with a boom and rattling till the corn was dry, it's now a lot quieter.
Anti-theft locks on the ammonia tanks mean we aren't running for the house and shutting all the windows, then calling them to let them know.
They are busier than ever!
I MOURN the loss of your wild land. DD is also surrounded by land people want to buy and resell. Right now they are isolated in a big field and own a little surrounding land. But that could all change.

You know you live in the Midwest when your neighbor notices you aren't picking many tomatoes, etc. from your garden and offers you some from theirs :o)

Sat behind a tractor hauling two empty grain carts up on the hard road today... It gave me a few minutes of peace and time to be thankful I have a job (even though I really hate it some days). Our place is past the elevators and feed mill about 7 miles. But I'm harnessed to a *smart phone*, my laptop and a couple of tablets...no digibooks though. Treated myself to The Layered Garden (Culp) and love turning real pages. Tomorrow I Prune!

jersey - what are you pruning? For me, it's getting close to time to prune some clematis but I try to wait for pruning shrubs until I can see where the buds are going to break.

Cindy, I'm going to prune a couple of trees by 1/3 - small trees that look like shrubs now (Little Girl Magnolias, a Viburnum). I ought to start in the orchard but may wait until March 01. It is the January thaw here today: 40 degrees with a light breeze....

I don't envy folks that have to prune fruit trees in the dead of winter.

I hear you Cindy - my reward is hot apple cider (from the orchard) with caramel vodka and a cinnamon stick...

Now that's a great reward system!

Catherine,
We prune our apples in the fall and grapes before December. The grapes mostly so we can hang Christmas lights in loops behind the star.
I call one yard the orchard. It has two trees... I imagine you have a real orchard?
Oh my... That sounds like a great apple cider!

You know you're from the Midwest when you still see windmills, broken or turning.

Billy - our orchard has about 10 apples, two pears, a plum (birds get there first). The last couple of winters we had quite a bit of storm damage in the orchard. I planted two cherries and two peaches last summer so hopefully we'll see some in a couple of years. The orchard in Spring is one of my favorite sights






Catherine