Monthly Archives: September 2010

Land of the free?

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I love my country. I love everything about it. I would not want to live anywhere else…ever. Saying the Pledge of Allegiance chokes me up. Hearing the National Anthem brings tears to my eyes. Yeah, I’m a sap, but I’m a patriotic sap!

One of the greatest freedoms we take for granted in our country is the freedom of choice. We have choices every day. You choose to go to work, you choose how you get to work, you choose what you eat, you choose where you get your food from…our choices are abundant and overwhelming if you think about it.

And yet there are people out there wanting to take those choices away. There’s a movement trying to dictate where your food comes from…taking the choice away from the one person who should make it…YOU! There are groups and organizations trying to pass legislation and regulations that would determine where your food would come from, or whether or not you should have to raise the majority of your own food. And that should disturb you…actually, that should shake you to the core.

Agriculture is under attack, and in the end, what is being demanded is a lack of choice for the consumer…creating an even larger problem then the one we are currently facing.

My example for today is a call for people to be raising their own food…namely chickens. There has been a great uproar over the egg recall and people are being pushed into thinking that the only safe egg is one they pick out of their backyard. And although I understand the thought process, the follow through is a tad ridiculous.

For me, my eggs will come from someone who knows what they’re doing, and who enjoys doing it. My chicken will come from the same types of places. I have no desire to raise chickens…in fact, the thought sends chills down my spine. (And for those of you that know me personally, I’m sure you’ve heard me say it time and time again!)

But, you know what? That’s MY decision, and since I live in this country, I get to make it…so far.

Until there is not one single person in this country that goes to bed hungry, there is room for all types of agriculture. Small, large, in-between, organic, “natural,” conventional, etc., etc. Whatever buzz word you want to use, we need all the food we can get. And somewhere, there’s someone who went without a meal today who will agree with me completely.

Living with royalty

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Well, it was another busy weekend…which will lead to more busy weekends, but I’m OK with that.

This weekend was our local Applefest. Part of the celebration is a pageant-like activity that is called Lil’ Miss and Mr. Ellendale. It’s open to 5-6 year old’s and is kind of a mixer/social activity that gives local kids a chance to be on a parade float, play some games and bring home a cool lunch box/cooler.

Well, this year’s Lil’ Mr. Ellendale is none other than Scooter! He’s so excited! He can’t believe that he gets to wear a crown, a cape and ride on parade floats. Yeah, he’s even talking about learning cursive so he can sign autographs.

It’s been quite the deal. But as much fun as the weekend was, tomorrow will bring back our regular routine…whatever that is.

And I invite you to check out this great video…of the best 3-year-old mechanic in town. EJ’s calendar is filling up fast, so if you need some work done, you better schedule it soon!

Vocabulary for today’s third grader

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A few months ago our oldest son, Big Bro, asked why he didn’t have any stepbrothers. He didn’t think it was fair that he only had one mom and dad and no “extra” family members.

The outburst took me a bit by surprise. I didn’t know if I should be apologizing to him that his father and I have decided that whatever it took, we were going to make our family work. Or if I should be chastising him for taking our family for granted. Well, I went with option c: I told him how lucky he was to have a family of people that loved him, no matter what.

I was wondering where all of this came from then, but now I have an idea. My son just brought home some vocabulary words and work that he did last week. The lesson was titled,”Me and My Family,” but the four vocabulary words were: family, divorce, values and sibling.

Wow.

Out of all the words that could be used to describe family, divorce is in the top four? Perhaps this is part of the problem with today’s society? Maybe if we start giving children outs at such a young age, it just becomes second nature.

Well, I was a little proud in the fact that Big Bro didn’t know how to use the word “divorce” in a sentence. I know he knows what it means, but it’s not part of our daily vocabulary, and I’m not planning on using that word regularly. It cost him 3 points on his paper, but it was the only one he got wrong on the whole lesson.

I’m thinking that maybe he should have got extra credit.

The responsibility of parenting

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A group in North Dakota is seeking to start a graduated drivers’ license in our state. (The article is here: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/292067/ in the Fargo Forum.) And although it is being discussed with good intentions, I’m a little leery as to the consequences that may come up.

Now, I agree that I’m not real excited about the prospect of having teens that are too young to make responsible decisions to legally be behind the wheel, driving a death machine in the middle of a winter blizzard. But on the other hand, I know plenty of adults that I don’t want to see behind the wheel either!

From the viewpoint of a farm family that lives about 15 miles from town, having another licensed driver in the house will be a great benefit for us. Even though I dread going through the whole permit/licensing process, I know that when the time comes for my sons to get their licenses, I will be comfortable with their driving abilities before that appointment is made.

Why should the state be stepping in where a parent should be? At what point are we going to just turn child-rearing over to the state altogether?

Now, before I get a million messages about those parents that don’t take an active involvement in their child’s upbringing, don’t care about what the child does or with whom, etc., etc. Let me say that I get that. I understand the concern. But yet, at some point in time we need to take responsibility for our children and actually be a parent.

Is a year-long permit process going to actually force those parents to all of a sudden become responsible? Are restrictions and regulations the answer to the teen-driving concerns? Or are we just increasing the burden on law-enforcement and those that actually follow the law?

I know the reasoning behind the requested change, but I’m doubting the outcome. And although it will be a few years before this law change would have any impact on my life, as a parent I know I need to be involved.

Imagine that.

They can sense it…I know it

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Our bulls have ESP…I just know it.

Yesterday boss man pulled out of the yard with the semi to go get a load of hay from our land about 20 miles west of here. Just as he pulled out of the yard, the bulls headed west across our alfalfa field to take a little walk.

They pretended the fence wasn’t even there and just kept right on walking. And there was nothing I could do about it. I don’t know if they enjoy watching my little mini-van trying to round them up, or they just like to make me seem like a crazy woman who can’t stand to see her husband leave the yard, but whatever it is…it works.

By the time boss man got back to the yard, they were mostly back in, making it seem as if I had either a) dreamed up the whole thing, or b) over-exaggerated the whole escape. The answer was closer to c) the bulls are trying to drive me over the edge.

Sad thing is…they’re beginning to win!

Who gets to decide?

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I was trying to catch up on some reading this weekend. I read through old papers that have been stacking up, some farm magazines (a few Us Weekly’s, I’ll admit!) and something started bothering me.

I was reading through old Letters to the Editor, editorial pieces and other information regarding the split between technology-reliant and nostalgia-driven agriculture. I kept reading about supposed scientific studies regarding the dangers of certain technology, the caution of genetically enhanced foods, etc., etc. when a thought hit me…who gets to decide who goes hungry?

What I mean is that as the number of farmers dwindles, and the number of people in our world rises, something has to give. (According to http://www.farmersfeedus.org/fun-farm-facts/ the avg. farmer feeds 155 people, as opposed to just 25 in 1960) As fewer acres are available for actual agriculture production, the production of your daily feed, fuel and fiber, without the use of technological advances, how will the world be fed? Clothed?

For those that use the argument that we use technology at the risk of “playing God” and committing some sort of sin, I think back to the parable about the drowning man. Every time someone offered to help him, the man replied the same, “No, God will save me.” When his energy finally gave and he drowned, the man asked God why it was that he did not save him. God basically replied that all the help he needed was sent, but the man ignored it. Perhaps we’re doing the same thing?

We sit and talk of the evils of advancement and the down-fall of modern agriculture, yet the hands that came across such discoveries were created the same as those that built the ark, brought children into the world, created your evening meal. Perhaps these hands have been guided to find these advances that will help an ever-decreasing percentage of the population to feed an ever-increasing total population?

Isn’t God’s endless allowance of miracles enough to give us reason to believe that such a thing could happen?

I fear that some day, as we sit at the feet of our Father and recount the days that we were on this Earth, that perhaps He too will say, “I sent you the answers to ease the hunger of the world, and yet you chose to ignore them.”

The Father that I know and praise for each gift that has been brought to my life would bless us with the tools that it would take to ensure that each of His children would have enough food to eat, clothing to keep warm and shelter to take comfort in. His gifts and grace are immeasurable in that way.

He’s the same Creator that gives the gift of life. Who creates a being in His image, and then allows for growth and prosperity where “modern” medicine proclaims that none are possible. I know, I see it each and every day in the eyes of my child.

So, yes, I believe that we CAN feed the world. And each gift we are given plays a part in it, no matter how big, or small.

This is how it goes

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So, mommy duties trumped farm-wife duties today. Although I was planning on driving truck all afternoon, plans were changed on me. Imagine that.

George decided that he would start a fever today. He’s been cranky for a few days, so I had a feeling it was coming, but it’s been a long time since we’ve had fever issues. For those that aren’t aware of my family background, “George,” our youngest son, has been battling mysterious health issues for most of his life. His only diagnosis so far has been Failure to Thrive. Doctors throw ideas at us left and right, but nothing ever sticks, and we get passed off from specialist to specialist like a nasty church potluck dish.

Anyway, I digress.

So I spent my day trying to entertain an ailing child, debating with myself as to whether or not I should call in and just at 8 p.m., as the walk-in clinic an hour from here was closing, his fever decided to spike. Yeah, we roll like that.

So we loaded up some Motrin (Tylenol is a no-no right now, since one of our first major issues were liver enzyme levels close to 300, both AST and ALT), and now he’s resting well. I’m guessing ear infection, which is about as close to an accurate diagnosis as any doctor gives us, and will probably be visiting the clinic in the morning.

Can I tell you…I’d rather drive truck.

Sure sign of fall

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I’m not ready for today…but then again, I never am. No, I’m not talking about the first days of school or the first snow fall, nothing that simple. Today we start chopping corn. Ugh.

Now, I know that it’s a good thing. This means that we’ll be prepared for winter, have plenty of feed for our cattle, be able to provide for them the nutrients they need. That’s all great!

It’s what it means that makes me say, “Ugh.” Silage harvest is closely followed by winter. No matter how you look at it, you can’t escape it. And when you live in a state like North Dakota, winter is kinda a big deal.

So this morning, I’m getting lunch ready to put in the oven, my canning stuff put away, some laundry done and a very excited little boy ready to go. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be in the silage truck, hauling corn to the pile…and not very excited about it.

Laughter: Best medicine

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I’m exhausted…mentally, physically, emotionally. I’ve been getting the one-two punch from all sides, but I’m still standing and I’ll persevere…I know I will, it just takes time.

Doctors are the bane to my existence. I understand the appeal of not involving them in your life at all. Yet, my duty as a mother and caretaker trumps all discomfort, impatience and absolute frustration. So, as I said, I keep on keeping on.

My comfort in all this is a little pint-sized farmer that can make the world brighter with a game a peek-a-boo with a flip cam. Watch this and see if you don’t agree:

Going out on a limb

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They said it couldn’t be done…they said it wouldn’t matter…they said we had to keep doing things the way we had in the past. Well, guess what, we didn’t…

The Dickey County Farm Bureau (of which, I am a board member), decided to hold its annual meeting a little differently this year. We called it “Pigs, Pits and Pistols.”

We roasted a whole pig (as in the whole thing, directly in a “pit”), had inflatable games for kids, had shooting sports for the bigger kids, had a Marksmen Quadrathlon and an archery demonstration. There were laser shooting games for kids of all ages, a keg of root beer and ice cream on the deck, sodas for all and room for about 150. Oh, and it was all free…well, except for the Quadrathlon, but the two top scorers took home all the cash.

Guess what? We ran out of room.

That’s right…we had an annual meeting (of which our yearly attendance averages right at 30) and we served over 160 at supper. We planned for 150, but figured it was a pipe dream. It was amazing! We had to open up the other section of the lodge…we had to have people eat outside!

We had teenage boys there on a Saturday afternoon! And they were having fun! At an annual meeting!

I didn’t include video of the meeting part, but the grassroots movement is definitely alive and well. And we were able to initiate some interest and excitement about becoming more involved in our organization. What more could we possibly ask for?

I don’t know how we’ll top this next year…but we better start planning now! 😉 Hmmm…wonder if Siegfried and Roy would come out of retirement…