I found this article very interesting. Complaining about the price of food going up. I will admit the price of some commodities have gone up, particularly beef and other meats, but what is the problem with that. Our prices to produce the product has been going up for years and the price we receive has not kept up. You know we don't do this to lose money and the way things are today we sure aren't in it to get rich either. We just want to make a comfortable living like everyone else. Are we supposed to keep losing money and taking out bigger loans until we go bankrupt just to feed the US and the world? With the continuing drought, pests and disease problems running around, don't we have enough against us with out people whining that their food is costing a little more. I just wish that the original producer of the product would see a little more of the extra it is costing people instead of the middle-men eating it all up. That's the way it goes in the agricultural business, the producer is on the short end of the stick, and it's not very fair if you ask me, but like I always tell my kids. Life ain't always fair.
Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not. Oscar Wilde
Thursday, April 29. 2004
Dollar
Here we go again. People don't use the dollar coin enough so let's change it. I personally am real tired of this constant flipping and flopping on the dollar coin. If they want the dollar coin to be widely used they need to phase out the dollar bill. That is the only way people are going to use it. Otherwise, quit wasting taxpayer money and leave well enough alone.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Don't know where it comes from, but I use this saying all the time.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Don't know where it comes from, but I use this saying all the time.
Wednesday, April 28. 2004
Moving Cows
We moved the cows and calves that we branded on Saturday to the high country this morning. I was really hoping that we would get wet. No such luck. Found the three pairs that we missed when we branded. We did miss them in the pasture somewhere so we cut them out and will brand them with the big bunch. It did spit a little around here this afternoon. I would guess that we got maybe 1/10th of an inch of rain. Just enough to make the ground damp but not enough to do any good. I keep hoping one of these storms coming along will give me enough rain to do some good. At this point I think the alfalfa is done for even if we get rain. It doesn't look very good for putting up any hay which means I will have to buy it. 600 tons of hay gets a little expensive when you have to buy it all. I'm tired of it all. Tired of the worry and despair. Maybe tommorow will look better.
I will indulge my sorrows, and give way to all the pangs and fury of despair. Joseph Addison
I will indulge my sorrows, and give way to all the pangs and fury of despair. Joseph Addison
ATM Follies
I want an ATM like this one in my town. Double your money and the bank says its ok. Come to think about it I wish my bank was that nice period. These days the banks milk you for every penny your worth.
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. George Bernard Shaw
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. George Bernard Shaw
Tuesday, April 27. 2004
Violence
There was an incident in my daughter's school of girls perpetrating extreme violence on each other kind of similar to the one in this story. The fight was over a boy, I bet he feels important that girls are fighting over him, and the one girl landed in the hospital and is still having medical problems from the attack. The girl who attacked her was expelled from school but was never charged with a crime. To this day I can't understand this level of violence that either of these stories exihibit and I don't blame people for being suprised. I sure am suprised by this and I have no concept what is causing it or how to combat it. It just seems like our society is becoming more and more uncivilized.
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Isaac Asimov
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Isaac Asimov
Gender Selection
Having a baby is really going high tech now. You, for a price (I wonder if insurance covers this), can chose the sex of your baby prior to fertilization of the egg with reasonable expectations of success. I don't know what to think of this. It kind of reduces the element of surprise. With my kids the funny thing was we only could decide on names that turned out to be the appropriate gender. When we had a girl the only names we could decide on was a girl name and the boys name was up in the air. When we had the boy it was the other way around. I guess we just knew subconsciously which it was going to be. I don't think I could choose at all if I could predetermine which gender it was going to be. I love all my kids the way they are.
People complain that in societies like China and India where a boy is more valuable than a girl that ultrasound is used to see the sex of a child and unwanted female babies are aborted. Might this kind of technology be better in a way since the selection is done prior to fertilization and abortion of a viable fetus would be less likely? The quandaries of our medicine allows are getting tougher all the time.
Families with babies and families without babies are sorry for each other. Edgar Watson Howe
People complain that in societies like China and India where a boy is more valuable than a girl that ultrasound is used to see the sex of a child and unwanted female babies are aborted. Might this kind of technology be better in a way since the selection is done prior to fertilization and abortion of a viable fetus would be less likely? The quandaries of our medicine allows are getting tougher all the time.
Families with babies and families without babies are sorry for each other. Edgar Watson Howe
Monday, April 26. 2004
Appropriate
While I might personally think that the low-slung pants craze is extremely stupid, Making them illegal seems to be going a bit far to me. We let legislators do something like this and pretty soon they will be passing laws on how we can cut our hair or some other such thing.
The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced. Frank Zappa
The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced. Frank Zappa
Sunday, April 25. 2004
Work
I had a friend e-mail me today and wonder about me posting at 04:16 am when I had mentioned that Sundays I slept in. That only occurs if nothing else is going on. This morning, early, I Had some neighbors come over and we branded a little bunch of calves. I had 110 to do today but we only managed to gather 107. That means a lot of work this week looking for the missing 3. I don't think we missed them when we gathered since it was a fairly small pasture and a really good crew to get them. They probably crawled out somewhere.
I'm thinking we will brand the big bunch, which will be over 400, on the 22nd of May so I have a little time to get ready for it both mentally and physically. Everything is done now including cleaning the Rocky Mountain Oysters, am I ever going to have a good feed tomorrow night. My Darling Wife isn't home on Monday nights and I get to cook for myself and them Oysters are sure going to taste good since she doesn't like them and prefers not to cook them. Just more for me.
A bad neighbor is as great a calamity as a good one is a great advantage. Hesiod
I'm thinking we will brand the big bunch, which will be over 400, on the 22nd of May so I have a little time to get ready for it both mentally and physically. Everything is done now including cleaning the Rocky Mountain Oysters, am I ever going to have a good feed tomorrow night. My Darling Wife isn't home on Monday nights and I get to cook for myself and them Oysters are sure going to taste good since she doesn't like them and prefers not to cook them. Just more for me.
A bad neighbor is as great a calamity as a good one is a great advantage. Hesiod
Mosquitos
Note to self after seeing this story, get West Nile vaccine for horses. I haven't seen any mosquitos yet but it is better to be safe than sorry. Good horses are way too expensive to lose one when there is a vaccine that hopefully prevents the problem.
Failing to plan is planning to fail. Alan Lakein
Failing to plan is planning to fail. Alan Lakein
Saturday, April 24. 2004
Bombs
Google bombs have been around for a while now but this morning I stumbled on to another one. For those that don't know, google bombs are a way of manipulating search results on the Internet to get a certain site to pop up. Probably the most famous one I have heard of is to type into google the search phrase "miserable faliure." The top result returned is George W. Bush. I think somebody is trying to google bomb some sites ahead of Bush because the next three results are Jimmy Carte, Michael Moore, and Hillary Clinton which is really hilarious to me. Finally on to the new google bomb that has been found. If you type into google a search for waffles you will get the number one ranked item as John Kerry for president website. I don't know, I think some people have too much time on thier hands to be doing this kind of stuff on either Bush or Kerry even if they are both true.
Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place. Mark Twain
Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place. Mark Twain
Friday, April 23. 2004
Trial
Justice is not only blind, it can obviously be bought too. You have a trail by jury, the jury finds against the defendant, so the judge throws the whole thing out since the jury is too stupid to know better. The system fails yet again.
If you want divine justice, die. Nick Seldon
If you want divine justice, die. Nick Seldon
Reward
Our Congressmen, Democrats and Republicans alike, have voted to reward our guard and reserve soldiers that are serving overseas. What is this reward you may ask for their service to our country. They can now withdraw funds from their personal IRAs and pension plans and they won't have to pay the 10% penalty for early withdrawl. Now, let me see if I got this straight. These people leave jobs that, for the most part, pay more than they earn while on active service and now since they can't make ends meet on the salary their making the Government is going to allow them to withdraw their retirement savings at no penalty to pay their bills. Wow, what a deal!! I'm glad I don't get screwed over rewarded like that.
Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under. H. L. Mencken
Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under. H. L. Mencken
Thursday, April 22. 2004
Crappy Service
Do you know what I hate almost as much as running out of chocolate? Crappy Customer Service. I went into Target and had a very rude lady "help" me try to find a coffee grinder. I was informed that they were moving the shelves around and weren't sure where things were. She went and looked because I insisted, she looked, said that she would be back. I waited and guess what. She didn't come back. I went looking for her to see if she was looking somewhere else. No, she was stocking some other shelves. This is coming back and letting me know what if she could find it?
Then the topper to all of it was when I went to Home Depot to look for a wooden swing set for The Boy's Birthday. I was given the run around as to where I could find the information for it.. I was told to go the the Pro corner because it was a special order. Well, after standing there for 10 minutes a lady finally asked what I needed. . She told me that I needed to go to lumber. I admit it it was rude but I gave her a look like she was crazy after I had been on this quest for 20 minutes at this point. She says. "Well, I guess I could call J up here to help you." Fine go right ahead. She tells me that he will be there in about 5 minutes. 5 minutes passes, 10 minutes pass. At this point The Boy was getting very tired of waiting. . At 15 minutes he finally shows up and very curtly says, "Are you the one who wants the swing set prices?" After saying this he very quickly takes off without saying a word. The Boy and I run after him to keep up. When we finally get there he points at a couple boxes and says you need this and this. And then states that they cost about $500-600. I will admit at this point I was very upset but his tone seemed to add at the end and you can't afford it.
I am still looking into the swing set but I can PROMISE you that I sure and hell won't buy there!
Then the topper to all of it was when I went to Home Depot to look for a wooden swing set for The Boy's Birthday. I was given the run around as to where I could find the information for it.. I was told to go the the Pro corner because it was a special order. Well, after standing there for 10 minutes a lady finally asked what I needed. . She told me that I needed to go to lumber. I admit it it was rude but I gave her a look like she was crazy after I had been on this quest for 20 minutes at this point. She says. "Well, I guess I could call J up here to help you." Fine go right ahead. She tells me that he will be there in about 5 minutes. 5 minutes passes, 10 minutes pass. At this point The Boy was getting very tired of waiting. . At 15 minutes he finally shows up and very curtly says, "Are you the one who wants the swing set prices?" After saying this he very quickly takes off without saying a word. The Boy and I run after him to keep up. When we finally get there he points at a couple boxes and says you need this and this. And then states that they cost about $500-600. I will admit at this point I was very upset but his tone seemed to add at the end and you can't afford it.
I am still looking into the swing set but I can PROMISE you that I sure and hell won't buy there!
Conspiracy
I am not a big believer in conspiracy theories. It's just not in my nature. Having said that, I told My Darling Wife when the US first invaded Iraq to look at a map and tell me what the President's ultimate goal was considering we all ready had troops in Afghanistan. If you don't know, this story might help.
If everybody's behavior can be explained by simple stupidity and greed, there's no point in assuming a conspiracy. P. J. Plauger
If everybody's behavior can be explained by simple stupidity and greed, there's no point in assuming a conspiracy. P. J. Plauger
Happily Disgusted
I know. Be happy with what you got. Don't get me wrong I am. I got about 1/4 inch of rain out of the showers yesterday and it changed my mood dramatically. It's pretty sad though when such a small amount of rain brings such a large amount of relief to not only me but many other people. It's not enough moisture to make my grass crop, but it is enough to extend the time when it will be permenatly damaged by the dry weather. Just a little disgusted it is not any more than it was. Now that it looks like there might be some grass I am going to have to look into doing something about all the Mormon Crickets around here. As dry as it was I figured they would starve to death but that's not going to happen now. If it ain't drought, which it still is, it's locusts or something else. The fight never ends.
I had to fight all my life to survive. They were all against me... but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch. Ty Cobb
P.S. See how optimistic a little rain can make me.
I had to fight all my life to survive. They were all against me... but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch. Ty Cobb
P.S. See how optimistic a little rain can make me.
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