A North Dakota Prairie Pedicure

I gave myself a fresh pedicure before I returned to my native state of North Dakota to visit friends and family. I wanted to look my best for the nostalgic journey.

Both my parents grew up in North Dakota, and we lived on a farmstead when I was in high school. We never farmed, but loved country living.

When I first arrived at Janet’s farm, citified and primped like a city girl, I had to help her pick peas for hours.

OK, it felt like hours.

My makeup was melting, the Fuschia Bling Bling on my toes was getting dusty, and I was actually was sweating.

It was hard to believe that only six short years ago, I’d been a country girl. After living like a city-slicker on the West Coast, I could hardly remember how to pick peas.

I’m kinda’ used to buying them now.

Because I had to do a “farm” thing with her, she promised to do a “city” thing with me.

Janet didn’t know what she was getting herself into.

It had been in the 90’s in Dakota Territory, OK, it’s actually been North Dakota for a few years, and we had to deliver this stock tank to the pasture.

It needed to be filled up, obviously.

She looks like a fireman, because she is one – a volunteer for one of those little towns you all drive through and wonder who would live there.

Yea, she calls herself a fireman. She doesn’t need to be PC, because she’s respected for what she does.

We returned later without hubby, because he just wouldn’t understand. Besides, I think he had to check the crops, or check the weather, or something farmery like that.

The pedicure process was adapted to fit her prairie lifestyle.

Remove boots.

Don’t they look like they could just walk away on their own?

Maybe ya’ didn’t know, but a cowgirl’s boots rank right up there in affection with her husband and her horse, but not always in that order.

Soak feet.

Splash because you are having some crazy fun. Notice the horses were scared away?

Use the finger-nail clipper your city-slicker friend, that would be me, carries in her luggage purse.

Walk carefully through the pasture, making sure a lot of mud gets stuck to the bottom of your feet.

Before you go “eww” you should read up on the benefits of mud packs.

Mud is used to treat internal malfunctions, acne, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, sunburn and prickly heat, just to name a few.

On the internet, you can order mud with various mineral contents and varying benefits from exotic countries.

Or, you could save the high fee, shipping and handling, and walk through my friend’s pasture, avoiding the freshest horse doo-doo, of course.

Yes, she is exfoliating with hay imported from the mowed ditch.

It might be straw.

Not sure if I know the difference.

Exfoliation is necessary to remove older skin and promote cell growth. It also gets the manure off.

And you thought fence posts were just for holding onto the barbed wire. There may or may not have been a few trucks that drove by at this part of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Return to your office to finish process, where your friend will push back cuticles, dig out some ND permadirt and gumbo, paint on stunning color, apply decals, and top with a clear coat, so it will last through harvest.

Sit back and put your feet up on your desk and admire the Prairie Pedicure.

It’s almost enough to keep a country girl from putting her boots back on.

I said, almost.

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