A Sight for Sore Eyes

In our part of the country we have need for large storage containers. Sometimes these large storage containers stand in sentinel groups of 10 or 12. And, because they are very large and tall they can be seen for miles across the rolling hills of the prairies. The largest of these bins are called grain storage elevators and they can hold billions of bushels of ground grain or corn, or whatever else anyone wants to put in them. They are made of reinforced concrete, for the most part, and like many industrial items from the 20th century, we are seeing more of them being torn down than we see of them being built.
There are, of course, other types of storage containers in the plains states. On the smaller farms, around Kansas City, we see what we typically call silos. Individual farms have them built for silage (animal food) storage. Everyone knows what they look like. They are the tall round buildings that usually stand next to the barn. Folks constructed them of brick or maybe they even used the rocks that they found in their fields. Sometimes you can even find a metal one on a newer farm.
But, when farms are abandoned or their buildings fall into disrepair, a very unusual thing happens to silos. Silos often start out as topless tubes or sometimes the original tops collapse or blow off. Because silos are often topless, it is very likely that you might someday be driving down the road, as I did last week, and have the chance to spy an abandoned silo with a volunteer tree spouting out of it's top.
It's a very natural phenomena. Strange, but natural, and sure to bring forth a smile.
Trees will grow just about anywhere. Maybe someone should write a book about it........A Tree Grows in Kansas!

Dear Lord. May we always have a sense of wonder about your universe. We know that we will never know all there is to know or understand half of what is explained to us. Keep our eyes open to praise your wondrous works. We are forever in awe of the everyday surprises in our lives. Life is an ever changing journey and we are blessed to haveYOU traveling with us, every step of the way.