Cow Calf Sculpture From the Butter Cow Lady

For over 40 years a women from Toledo, Iowa sculpted a cow from butter at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. Norma "Duffy" Lyons passed way in June 2011. She was known as the Butter Cow Lady. Her annual creation became an icon of the fair.

In 1991 she created a fiberglass with bronze patina sculpture of a cow and calf. The sculpture was erected on the hilltop at the intersection of Highways 30 and 63 and is framed by a huge Burr Oak tree. Since the summer of 2011 when the Highway 30 Tama/Toledo bypass opened, traffic at this intersection decreased. But don't let that stop you from catching the sculpture in various lights of the day and night. And, if you are hungry and want a bite of another Toledo tradition, try the Maid-Rite diner (loose meat sandwiches since 1926) just in front of the sculpture. Know that.

Pig on a Stick - Lamb on a Stick

42N country's rural areas are made up of grain farming (corn and soybeans) and livestock production - no surprise for many in the breadbasket of America. Many county fairgrounds have dedicated areas for 4H related livestock shows during the summer.

On this day the 42N crew stopped at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Vinton, Iowa. Seen in two buildings are these wooden animals on a stick with numbers. Odd. What they represent are pens for either lambs or pigs with an identification for bedding and judging. Still the thought of a pig or lamb on a stick is much like the Iowa State Fair's claim to have many forms of food available on a stick.

On a side note: while most of the 42N area farmland is nearly harvested (soybean and corn harvesting), a single stalk of green corn in the silking stage grows near the pig building. Protected by the building and a west facing direction, the corn plant probably will continue to grow for a few more weeks before the overnight frost gets colder and stays longer. A sign of the fall. Know that.