To begin: I love people from the Midwest. LOVE them! I married one and am close personal friends with many others. Just jolly, marvelous people who occasionally eat food that gives me nightmares. (Two words: lutefisk hotdish.)

But, people. People, people, people. Your vowels are one of the most confused thing on this planet. Bag, flag and nag become “beg” “fleg” and “neg”? I haven’t the slightest idea what a neg is and I don’t think I even want to know what fleg is. It sounds positively filthy!

However, I had resigned myself to your ineptitude with the short-a vowel sound.

And then.

Then I went to the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion.

Well.

At first I didn’t know what the heck we were doing because my in-laws kept talking about the “Steam Thrashers Reunion.” What are they thrashing? How does one thrash with steam? Am I expected to join in with the thrashing? Are you sure this is legal? And honestly, do I have to have that conversation with my in-laws?

My husband cleared things up by talking about old tractors. Either that or he made it a heck of a lot scarier. Thrashing tractors or being thrashed by tractors. It totally women viagra order http://seanamic.com/oil-gas-renewables/ depends on the condition of the patient. The climax will be retained for longer times. viagra uk seanamic.com It delays canadian cialis no prescription ejaculation and helps better sex. In the same study, 20% of men order viagra professional between the ages of 40 and 49 are infected. And I thought Texans were wild.

Turns out it was just a bunch of machines run by steam. It was very cool. They even had old steam shovels and we kept yelling, “Look boys, it’s Mike Mulligan and Maryann!” (And by “we,” of course I mean “me.” Everyone else looked away and pretended not to know me. Minnesotans aren’t big on literary enthusiasm. Or any enthusiasm, actually.)

It was very cool. If you ever near Rollag, MN (don’t even ask how to pronounce it) on Labor Day weekend, check it out. You can leave your thrashing equipment at home.

So, for the record: it’s short-e thresh rhymes with fresh and mesh. No thrashing, no frashing, no mashing. Just good, clean fun.