I posted this to Instagram last week and the comments were fun.

Both Ally Bean (hey, remember her?!) and Ilsa Rey found it amusing that I have a favorite cornfield. My first inclination was to say, “Doesn’t everyone?”…though upon further reflection, I suspect it’s just a Midwest thing.

Or maybe I’m the only Midwesterner with a favorite cornfield. I haven’t done a lot of stalking (ha) to find out whether there’s even a kernel of truth (ha-ha) to my presumption.

Regardless, I do love this particular cornfield. It’s a few minutes from my front door, so I pass by it frequently on my morning walks. It’s on a gentle slope, surrounded by trees, and because it’s located on the east side of County Road K, I frequently catch nice sunrises over the corn. What’s not to love?

I’m a little concerned that it’s May 11 and the field has yet to be tilled. Late April to early May is prime corn-planting time in Wisconsin, so ear’s hoping they’re just getting a late start this year.

Zoom, Zoom! Backyard Edition

Tara was recently showing off pics of our property to her boss, whose backyard is similar in size. She told Tara they like to race RC cars around the yard.

Did this spark an idea? You betcha. Days later, a brand new RC car arrived on our front porch. Unfortunately, Tara doesn’t research every product to death like I do before purchasing. The car she chose looked cool but was pretty slow.

“If we’re going to race cars around the yard, I want to them to race!” I declared. So, I googled Best all-terrain RC cars, pulled up some articles, scouted Amazon reviews, and found a couple that received high ratings. They were advertised as 60KPH High Speed Waterproof All Terrain RC Vehicle for Snow, Sand, Beach & Rocky Surfaces. Pretty much everything we were looking for, so I bit the bullet and ordered a pair.

In case you don’t live and breathe the metric system (‘Merica! Fist bump!), 60 KPH is equivalent to about 40 MPH. The first car Tara bought maxes out at 12 MPH. The difference is night and day.

(And yes, I added a flamingo sticker to mine so we can tell them apart. This shouldn’t surprise anyone.)

I even bought a set of miniature orange traffic cones for obstacle courses that Tara laughed at because they’re only an inch high and will probably get lost in the grass.

Whatever! Racing them around the yard is going to be a blast. They arrived yesterday, and we wasted no time testing them out. Just like Zoey, these bad boys have some serious zoom, zoom! And a 300′ range. We’ll be able to control them from our upper deck, leaning against the railing, a cold beer within easy reach. Does life get any better than this, guys?

You might think the whole thing is silly. We’re grown-ass adults who just bought a couple of toy cars. They weren’t cheap either (though not as expensive as top-of-the-line models with brushless motors that cost hundreds of dollars). We’re at a stage in our lives where one of us qualifies for an AARP membership and the other isn’t far behind, so you’d think we would be stocking up on old people products like jar openers and grab bars and reading glasses and Metamucil, instead of things marketed to people “ages 14 and up.”

What can I say about Team MarTar? We’re both just a couple of kids at heart.

“It sure is fun having adult money to spend,” Tara said while racing her car across the grass, and I totally echo that sentiment.


53 responses to “Am I a corny Midwesterner or what?”

  1. I think it might have been a character in a Marge Piercy book who defined “growing up” as “to stop growing”, so I don’t recommend growing up.

    Favorite cornfield? Of course! Here’s mine: https://halffastcyclingclub.wordpress.com/2021/09/13/not-an-ironman/ (The caption mentions contour farming.)

    And yes, the corn planting will be late this year due to record rainfall in April.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s a very cool cornfield too! I get the appeal.

      John Mellencamp famously sang, “Growing up leads to growing old and then to dying/and dying to me don’t sound like all that much fun.” I second that!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Those cars would be such fun! I’m thinking of my grandsons and my fairly large back yard. Hmmm, it’s a great idea to keep them entertained during their visits although right now, they’re more into running around and chasing bubbles. I’ve never had a favorite field! I do have a favorite view of Mount Rainier coming home to my house. Does that count?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That absolutely counts! I had a favorite view of Mount Hood too.

      I bet your grandkids would love playing with RC cars.

      Like

  3. That sounds like fun!
    And if you could manage to have Laverne and Shirley as pit crew?
    Epic.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Haha! I’d say the odds of that happening are right around zero percent, but it’s fun to think about.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. OK, I’ll admit it – I’m here for the corn puns! Or should I say I’m ‘ear for the corn puns?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Glad you could “pop” on over, Michelle!

      Like

  5. Love this:
    “I haven’t done a lot of stalking…”
    Have you heard about the Richardson Corn Maze in Spring Grove, IL (not that far away from the WI/IL border)? You can really get into all the STALKing your heart desires – comes fall, anyhow. And of course I love a good corn field. We Ohio girls know things…Ally, Ilsa…I bet they both know the expression “knee high by the 4th of July”. If the corn doesn’t get planted soon…well. You know. Unlikely to hit that goal. Keep those pics coming. I dunno how I missed it on IG. 😊💝😊

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Being an Ohio guy, I know that phrase well. Good news: the field has been tilled! They just might make it under the wire after all.

      World’s largest corn maze? Over 10 miles of trails?! Going to have to add this one to the bucket list (though I may be missing for a few weeks just trying to find my way out).

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I forget you’re an Ohio guy, too! 🤪❤️🤪

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Proud Fairbornian here!

        Liked by 1 person

  6. I would wonder if the farmers are allowing the field to lie farrow for this season? Common practice as I understand farming after heavy use and multiple seasons using the same field, especially if they are organic farming.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Good thought, Deb. In an ideal operation I can see that happening, but I think the land is just too valuable to let it sit idly. There’s another cornfield next to the park I walk through, and they rotate the crop each year, alternating between corn and soybeans. This is a corn year, which I much prefer.

      P.S. My favorite cornfield has since been tilled!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Well that’s good! Now will it be corn or ??? Keep us posted 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I read the P.S. Oh good! That was a bit worrisome for a minute. What kept them? (I don’t expect you to know the answer to that. But, hey, if you happen to find out!)

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Probably the wettest April on record! We had over 8″ of rain and lots of flooding. The water has barely receded now, weeks later.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Ah. That makes sense. Thank you.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. It’ll be corn. This particular field is always corn (and it’s tilled in those neat corn rows (dirt, not hair).

        Like

  7. You are definitely going to need those traffic cones. SAFETY FIRST!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. LOL. It’s not like there are any RC police cars out there patrolling the back 40.

      Or are there…?

      Like

  8. It’s better to be a kid at heart than an ol’ curmudgeon!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Absolutely true! I’m much too nice to ever be a curmudgeon.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. This added two things to the visit to-do list.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. And I hope someone has already stated that your puns are corny.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. But of course they have. More than one.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. You want to race cars in the backyard and visit a cornfield?

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Big kid toys like these vehicles are so much cooler than anything we had as kids. I’ve considered getting one. I didn’t realize they had that kind of range.

    Ally Bean—yes, I remember her well. She had a fun blog.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, they are! I never had anything half as cool growing up. No wonder I’m so into them now.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. The most fun you can have is watching to French bulldogs try and catch RC cars at a park. So now you need a dog. Seriously. All that walking going to waste without a furry friend.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Haha…I can imagine the fun and frivolity that would ensue! My hands are full enough with two cats that don’t get along…sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. They STILL don’t get along? That’s so sad. Maybe they’d band together over a common enemy, like a French bulldog.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Still? I’d offer advice, but I am sure you’ve tried everything. That really sucks.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. But maybe if you got a dog, Laverne and Shirley would band together against a common enemy?

        Liked by 1 person

    2. If I thought that would work, I’d get a dog in a heartbeat. And I’m not even a dog guy.

      Like

  12. Those cars! Yessssssssss! Now that’s how you relax. A nice spring day on the deck, a couple adult beverages, and those “souped up” cars. Now that’s how you have fun. I see a few crashes … what was the name you ended up for your real life car? What’s the names of these two? Here’s two suggestions: The Pink Flamingo obviously for the one. The Black Optimus or The Mark Rider (aka Night Rider) for the other? Love the fun!!!🤪🤣🤣🤣🎉🎉🎉🎉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Zoey for my Mazda. That’s not quite as badass as the names you’ve come up with for the RC cars (err…at least Black Optimus). Tara’s planning on spray painting hers because that tiny flamingo sticker is hard to see from the deck, so any future names will ultimately depend on the color she chooses.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. The cars sound like they’re a blast and of course I’d want to name mine if I had one! All I can think of is ‘children of the corn’ which terrified me, sorry, but it is pretty. And I love to do corn mazes around Halloween and always get lost and terrified and muddy but it’s so fun.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Vicki mentioned this Richardson corn maze in her comment above. World’s largest. Over 10 miles of trails on 30 acres. We might not find you for weeks, Beth.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. i’d take snacks in with me

        Like

  14.  If we are enjoying the journey, we win.  No matter where the wind blows us.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I do love me some Steve Perry.

      Like

  15. OK, the old people products had me laughing out loud. Play on!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Here’s another fun(ny) fact: Dick used to shoot rabbits from the deck. We race cars. The older generation is a heckuva lot tougher than us!

      Liked by 2 people

  16. Our park district has an RC car track- it’s just down the street from here. Lots of fun.

    I think it’s cool that you guys do this. Life is to be lived. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, how cool! I’ve never seen anything like that before. What a great idea.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Now you can do laps up and down the corn rows. Although that might get a little hairy.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Looks like we have a new contestant entering the corny puns contest!

      Liked by 1 person

  18. I chase a beagle around my shed with a stick. Also fun. 😅

    Like

  19. Oh my goodness — your corn puns <groan>. That must be what they make corn pone out of!

    Love the RC cars! Mr D has only gotten the cheap ones so I know you’re right about night and day. You make a great point about staying young at heart. Go Team TarMar!

    Like

  20. A favorite cornfield, you say? I like any that produce the crisp white and gold ears. My grandkids love to play with our old RC cars when they come over, but the noise! Not my thing!

    Like

  21. Not tilled? Fields are all done around here. Excited to see the corn soon. My wife is not super happy to see cornfields, but I think they are what make this part of the country special.

    Like

Leave a comment

THE LATEST SCOOP