OH, GIVE ME A HOME.....

Hats off to Kansas! Today marks the 148th birthday of our fair state, give or take a year or two. After a few years, who keeps counting. Right? So, what better way to celebrate than digging out a picture of the Flaming Bore, far left, with long-time sidekicks Cheryl Jean and Nancy Sue, posing as 6-year-old sunflowers! We gals were part of the blooming crew seated inside a grade school Homecoming float in 1955. Did we ever think we were special, getting to shake our petals and wave to the crowd. It was much better than having to dress up as a herd of hairy buffalo, forced to snort and roam the streets of Fredonia. Our teachers had such presence of mind!

….which reminds me of the time I encountered a congregation of buffalo when touring Custer State Park, South Dakota, on the back of a motorcycle. Two creatures near the roadside were riled at each other, so a park ranger had stopped traffic for safety purposes. My partner wasn’t too thrilled about my insistence upon taking off with the camera for some up closer and more personal pictures of the battling buffs, but I made sure I was back on board when they decided to cross the road. Eventually, they headed up a hill and an “all clear” sign prompted motorists on their way again. The remainder of the herd didn’t seem phased by the parade of people that passed by them. Alas, not a single buffalo waved back at me.