Tuesday, July 05, 2011

A Farmers Jihad

I have to admit I'm a bit of a terrorist sympathizer, a piece of me is anyway.  Because one of my favorite games, can only be described as terrorism.  I should explain...

Kerri (my soon to be wife) and I spend lots of time together.  Even though I love that woman to death, sometimes when you are stuck in a confined space for long periods of time, death doesn't sound like a bad option.  Luckily, Kerri and and I learned that creating entertaining games is a much better option to act on.

Driving has become our preferred method of travel, allowing us to sample quiet corners of the nation that are otherwise flown over and forgotten.  Still, during these long drives, a car can take on that tight, confined space feeling.  The radio gets old, conversation becomes stagnant, the endless road tiresome; something is needed to break up the monotony of the journey.  That's how one of my favorite games evolved.  It all started with fresh cherries.

Stopping at a roadside farm stand is both a good pit-stop and a nice way to enjoy some local treats, my favorite being cherries.  However, any fresh produce will do.  Once back on the road the game begins.  I prefer cherries because spitting the pits out the window is liberating.  Tossing an apple core, strawberry tops or even (dare I admit) a banana peal is equally fun.  Releasing this non-native*, usually seed baring, material is an act of eco-terrorism .  Sure, it's all organic and has little or no chance of actually taking root, but that is not the point.  In my head, it is a game of hit and run.  Eco-bombing the highway landscape is mischievous and littering is bad.  Still, I do it anyway just for the thrill.  I'm not proud of my terrorist tendencies but I'm learning to be honest about my flaws.

*if obtained from a local farm stand wouldn't it be native food?  Not always, in fact rarely, since most plants have been brought to the region for growing.  Further more, food is never a "native" part of a modern roadway.

2 comments:

Susan Hawkins said...

My weapon of choice on long drives is the sunflower seed. I am self-proclaimed as a master seeder - separating the seed from the shell, spitting out the shell onto the landscape, and eating the seed with both hands on the wheel.

I consider this act beautification. On subsequent drives I look forward to beautiful sunflowers with their bright yellow petals dotting the landscape.

Judy said...

I enjoy a good road trip, and thinking the end of August might be a good time to take one. As this would be the first one without my son, who has 'aged out' of the family road trip, we are going to need some new things to do - this sounds like an excellent game!

And I think I will follow in Susan's thought process and consider it beautification, rather than eco-terrorism! :+)