Days of WHeat out WHest...

I took an unexpected trip out to Kansas recently. While the reasons for going were less than happy I was able to visit my family and pretend to be a simple western girl. I didn't wear make-up or nice clothes and I exchanged my quick-paced city walk for a meandering country mosey. It was a breath of fresh air and one that I definitely needed.

Did you know that Kansas has wheat fields....lots of them? Well, now you do. My sister and I couldn't resist forcing our Dad to stop the car for pictures and some "Dances With Wolves" reenactments. Who could resist? Let me tell you a few things about my experience:

1. Wheat is not soft. Looking at it blowing in the wind you think "That's what they mean by 'amber waves of grain.' It looks like a gold ocean and I'm sure it's just as soft." Wrong. It's the complete opposite. My legs were scratching for hours after standing in it for only 5 minutes.

2. I should have talked to my Grandma before stepping into that field. When we got into her house and told her what we had done she said "Oh, you don't want to be in a wheat field too long, you'll get itchy." Yes, Grandma, yes...indeed you will. City girls have no idea what will happen when we get in a wheat field...but now we do....

3. You can't help but think there have to be beasties surrounding you. Even some that you can't see coming at you. I pictured a tiger sneaking up behind us, which is a completely irrational fear because we were standing in the middle of a wheat field in the middle of Kansas. But, that didn't stop me from singing "Eye of the Tiger" in my head. Afterwards, I couldn't help but glance down my legs repeatedly expecting to see ticks or other, equally disturbing, bugs attached to my shoes and waiting to pounce - like miniature tigers, if you will.

4. The only reenacting of "Dances With Wolves" we did was standing there with our arms out, feeling the tops of the wheat, whispering "Tatanka." Then squatting, trying not to fall over, and looking for Tatanka while whispering "Tatanka." It was more epic in our heads than in reality, I'm sure...

With all of those things in mind and if you still want to venture into a wheat field you can end up with a picture like this:

I leave you humming "America the Beautiful" (if only to truly appreciate the "amber waves" in the picture above). As Horace Greeley said, "Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country," I shall endeavor to spend even more time out West as I get older.