Hello from Iowa

For the last couple of years, Cliff has been on this Oliver tractor kick; that's why there's a behemoth green tractor in his shop , taking up half the space in there.  
So there's this huge Oliver tractor gathering at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and Cliff just had to see all the green, red, and even purple Olivers.  So here we are in Ottumwa, Iowa (home of Radar O'Reilly), forty-five minutes from the show.  Because all closer motels were full of other tractor-loving folks.  
I love the Mt. Pleasant Labor Day show, with lots of steam engines, and sorghum-making, and all kinds of old-timey goings-on.  This Oliver show?  Cliff is going to enjoy it, but it's pretty much of a yawner for me.  After you've seen dozens of 1800 Olivers, some of them showroom shiny and some in their work clothes, you figure you've seen enough.  
Anywhere we go on a vacation, Cliff always tells me, "I'm only here because of you; I'd rather be home."  
Makes a girl feel really special.  Not.  
But now I think I can relate.  
I intend to make lemonade out of the lemons, though:  There are a couple of tours of historic places I may try to catch, and I know I'm going to walk to the square and look at the flea market and craft items.  Cliff and I have our cell phones, so we can keep in touch.  I brought my trusty chair-cane, so I have a seat any time my knees give me fits.  And of course, we'll have to opportunity to eat out several more times before we hit home.  No cooking for me!  
I dreaded leaving Iris at the kennel, but she acted excited to see all the dogs there, and not worried about my leaving at all.  I warned the people working there that she tries to kill small dogs, and they said they'd be careful.  I hope she comes through her stay happy and without incident, because we're going on another little road trip before long, one to which I look forward; a trip that involves a motorcycle and no tractors.  I want to know she'll do OK.  
Back to the subject of Oliver tractors:  After Cliff had used the little Ford tractor we bought in 1968 for a couple of years, he had the opportunity to step up in the world:  a friend of his restored an Oliver Super 55, making it look like the later model 550 Oliver in the process (a detail that caused us some problems when we tried to sell it later on).  For old time's sake, I want Cliff to buy one of those, since he's so into Olivers lately.  It's a smallish machine, and wouldn't take up much room at all.  I happen to know he has plenty of money in his tractor fund to buy one.  We even know of such a tractor, stored in a shed not far up the road from us.  It needs work, but hey, my husband likes a challenge.  
I'll try to have a few pictures for my next entry.  There's a story behind the purple Oliver tractors that I'll share.