Alrighty….raise your left hand if you like Johnny Cash. Now raise your right hand if you remember the song….Ring of Fire. I love that song. Let me tell you about my very own “ring of fire”. It’s what “farm girls” dream of at the end of a hard-working day. Come along and I’ll show you what I’m talking about………     …….and here we are. I have had this picture filed away in my brain for approximately 4-5 years. Only now has it become a reality. That’s how things work around here. It all takes time….lots of time. Patience? I have next to none. Things look so peaceful here…..but it took a lot of sweat to get to this point. Let me explain.     This is how I get a lot of my projects done. The loader tractor and Boss Man. This is a huge No-No for most people…..driving on the yard. I was not about to haul all that gravel by hand just to keep the lawn smooth. Don’t forget…..I live on a dairy farm, and the herd has marched through my yard plenty of times. It is far from perfect.      I put Candace to work helping me. She and I built this whole thing. Farm girls are determined or stubborn?! You decide. She could picture this “ring of fire” in her brain too. So that gave me the moral support I needed to finish this project.     Fair Warning! Stay out of my way. Especially when I’m carrying an axe. I was trying to “snap” a few small pieces of wood to fit inside the ring. It wasn’t as easy as I thought. The wood was “tough” and I worked up quite a sweat. I wanted to scream and send that axe flying through the air. Instead, I calmly laid it down and decided to let Michael take over. That was the “adult” thing to do. Right?      Candace likes to bring her Ukulele outside to “play” by the fireside. It is rather soothing.  Listening to the “night sounds”, the owls hooting, cows “mooing” in the distance. And then all of a sudden……all the dogs start howling. So much for “peace and quiet”.       We’ve roasted some hotdogs. It’s a nostalgic feeling for sure…….because the frying pan is so much easier and faster.      Marshmallows? They have to be roasted on an open fire. They are the best. Looks like these are going to be “Well Done”.            This was definitely worth all the hard work. We love it! Here’s the good part…..the chairs were on clearance. The plants were free. The “bricks” were also on clearance. And the firewood comes from the back pasture. I pick up all the “scrap” pieces when I go back there to feed calves. I don’t think I’ll run out for quite some time. If you all get a hankerin’ for some “hot smores”, just come on by. I usually keep important ingredients like that on hand. It’s called “emergency staples” for Milkmaids………………………Carol