I've been thinking a lot about Amy from The Corn Rake Murder lately.

all the ridiculous and possibly deadly accidents I've had...especially in a pig barn. shit happens. I really do think he's innocent. Todd is a Basement Barbie. now Amy stands proudly by his side. it's tragic. she has an accident. they instantly accuse him of murder. and now The Innocence Project is looking into it. it's gotten to the point now where you need to have security cameras EVERYWHERE to document EVERY event in your life so your husband isn't nailed for murder without really any proof. very circumstantial. here's a farmer stuck in prison. kids without parents. all the publicity. the talk shows. the documentaries. the podcasts.they needed a jury of FARMERS for cryin' out loud. people who walk with one foot in the grave every time they go out to do chores.

Monday.

took the farm board down to creepy corner. did some more dragging stuff around, now I can walk around (albeit very carefully) in creepy corner. took down Brandy Gap tunnel #2 and crashed UFO. think that project is complete. threw in a couple Bigfoot for effect. hung up a couple more things. couch still needs cleaned off. transformed the Boys Town statue I found at flea market into teenage deb and toddler John. (from a distance. if you squint.) made the Avon Bride Perfume bottle into The Woman In Black. I. am. going. to. clean. off. the. kitchen. crafting. counter. got dragonfly out to bathtub (finally.) changed sheets. I am on fire! will deliver dollhouse to Izzy and plant flowers after Kevin gets home.

to greenhouse. I love looking at flowers. the possibilities seem endless in the greenhouse...

got my stuff planted. will go back for some more veggies for raised bed. trying tomato cages. I've always staked them. we'll see....getting really high tech. mowed at farm. I've been hyper aware of birds lately..... the beautiful plumage. the lyrical stylings.

found some interesting things at Flea Market.

set up new raised garden bed. Izzy hung out here while her mom and dad went on a date. mowed our yard. Kevin brush cut at farm.

Kevin had chiropractor, checked in with mom. supposed to be 4 days of no rain, they'll be back on roof tomorrow.

bought a raised bed for veggies. and my first tomato cages. with this huge an investment, I better have one hell of a veggie garden. started on my tunnel under cemetery and the farm gas tank. crumbling chimney complete. will lug the big board downstairs to set the farm up on. the big board originally came from the Place's basement in Rock Port, Kevin was cleaning it out after he took over store, and brought it home for Koren's birthday Ertl farm sets. I put on felt fields and highways and a pond. many years later I painted it for the swamp I was making for Ian. there are so many toys in kid room now that the board is leaned up against the wall.

I am woman. hear me roar. I. swept. the. garage.

I dismantled the frame I 'found' by the donation box in Trenton. I've decided I need to make a farm gas tank, a crumbling chimney, and a tunnel beneath a cemetery. I went to Leon and paid for the brush cutter.

I feel very cultured. tonight I went to the Wayne County Mastodon presentation at Chariton. very interesting.

I never went to college, but I love doing stuff like this. kind of like college lectures, I'd guess. but free. and no test after. I took my notebook.

37 volunteers. 12 days. 11,000 hours. on private property. years ago a guy we know had found a broken tusk and juvenile teeth and some other stuff on property but kept it quiet. currently at University of Pennsylvania. someone else (Jared Crossman) trespassed and found a mastodon femur bone. he sold it to Darrel (Darren? I don't listen the best) Coddington.+ (they're trying to get the new owner to donate it. so far he won't. I think if he bought it.....I mean, they could borrow it for a scan or something.) since he was trespassing, he doesn't get credit for the discovery. he did give the gps coordinates to a man he knew was on the state archeology something or other and he reported it to University of Iowa. another trespasser went to jail for unrelated charge, his wife donated bones HE'D found. the guy we know later handed over his earlier discoveries. in Iowa the land owner owns what is found on his land...even mastodon bones.

in a creek. blue clay. very sticky. state geogogists evaluated the site. in creek with 25' banks. ground penetrating radar. beavers dammed creek. 5' rib sticking out of bank. also found a knee cap. tusk. head. piece of pelvis. vertebra. they covered it up and started on funding and volunteers. another trespasser. owners live out of state but have cameras up. police were called. had to come up with supplies: tents. trailer. shovels. water. coordinate volunteers. water ran constantly. springs over mastodon. 100+ degree days.

mastodon: pointed teeth - eat tree limbs. wooly mammoth: flat teeth. juvenile teeth in same spot. stood 10' to shoulder.

preserve bones with paleo bond. prevents cracking. $100/bottle. expensive. would take 5 gallon bucket to do head. built coffer dam. half moon shaped. sand bags. water pumps. United States Corp of Engineers were in charge of dig. creek had to be restored to original condition when they were done. they also covered area in 16" quarry stone to discourage further digging. U of I says all bones found. site is done.

landowners requested that only Authorized Personnel allowed on dig. everything must be measured and photographed and documented. dig with wood utensils to avoid damage to bones. base camp. drone footage. also looking for stone tools. possible evidence of cutting on ribs. maybe butchered by native peoples? there were people in the area at time. tools must be found in, on, or right next to body to be considered as used on body. especially in a stream, where water can cause movement. have not found any tools yet. but U of I is cleaning and searching skull. lots of mud. screening box, rub dirt through screen mesh.

probe. archeologist. plaster casting. drilled under head, built a frame to support head, crane to lift out head. the site was by southern Iowa. guessing around Lineville? they didn't say. head was transported to Corydon Museum, kept wet. when U of I arrived to pick it up, the city crew loaded it into van.

femur was so big that it almost touched both sides of pickup bed. Mahaska Iowa also has a mastodon. requires special cases with humidifiers to protect bones. bones weren't fossilized or petrified. getting grants for museum exhibit in Corydon. will take a lot of $$$. there was a 6 page article about dig in Iowan Magazine. I stopped at Hy-Vee to pick one up. they were out. DNA could prove sex. archeologist named bones Dolly. expect to recieve bones back October 2026. had to keep quiet. preserve dig integrity. this was the most bones of a single animal found in Iowa. most of bones were missing. no more digging in this location. they dated bones by organic material they were in: carbon dating. (mud and vegetation.)

Amish believe the world started 8500 years ago. another unnamed religion believe 6500 years ago. so they cannot believe in mastodons. some tools were found of the era, but not close enough to mastodon.

"dig deep and donate". wow. bully much.