I forgot to mention: in other, surprising and welcome news...Mr Truitt posted to me in response to yesterday's post of mine on TMD about submarines and claustrophobia...it was a very nice response and and I was really surprised
My husband loves that series about the cars. I’ve watched a couple, and they are pretty good.
We have land that we lease out to one of the local farmers. In fact, we had the same farmer who leased from my parents, and he’s been wonderful. Recently he retired, and now his brother will take over. What a relief.
The couple who bought my parents’ home, just across the field from us, also come from farm families. She is supposedly going to be working with her parents, and managing their farm, while her husband continues his job as an agricultural salesperson.
Anyway, it’s definitely something people grow up with and either love or decide it’s too much work. So many of the smaller family farms are disappearing, and they’re being taken over by what we call “factory farms.” Personally, I can’t imagine doing it myself. Having the ability to stay positive, and not need some anxiety meds, due to uncertain weather conditions alone, is what amazes me. Yet, I’ve never heard any of the farmers I know panic when the crops come in late, don’t produce as well some years, or they can’t get out there to harvest until mid to late November. And, government has a big say in what they plant, or at least they have a lot of incentive. There’s a reason that most of the land in this part of the country is planted with corn.
And, as much as I love animals, just having had a few horses over the years, I know the work involved in that. I can’t imagine an entire herd of anything!
I really wanted a small flock of chickens at one point, for the eggs. Then I found out they only have a few years for egg laying. Then what? I didn’t want to butcher them, and I certainly wasn’t going to keep buying chickens, so never mind.
What always gets to me is the kids who take their animals to the fair. Not all of them understand that their pet pig is going to be butchered at some point. We had the nicest woman who represented the local bank, and she would buy at least one or two animals at the fair, and she always kept them herself, as pets.
To be a small family farmer, two things are absolutely required beyond the required agricultural skills and a rock-solid work ethic: a very sharp pencil and a bottomless well of optimism, the former to reap the profit from those skills and the latter to keep from losing one's mind.
So, The Atlantic sent me an email ( as I subscribe, though not sure why me being one among the many there must be) and asked if I was willing to sit for an interview this afternoon ( by Zoom, brought my headphones and Mic, as there are none of those here ( and no computers with camera's, not even the laptops, though I chose not to be on camera anyway)...on give my opinion on their newsletters, specifically the one called ( The Week)..so, as everyone knows I love to give opinions and fill out surveys etc...lol...It's this afternoon at 3:30, wish me luck I don't embarrass myself somehow...and that my feedback helps
Maybe...I have also been printed by Conor for one of his pieces, so that might be it....and I have emailed a few times with problems and I also think they may have a way to see if I read the newsletters they send, that I signed up for...
My father in law was a farmer. Before he died, still had about 115 acres, which he cash farmed.
To be clear, cash farming is simply renting out your land to another farmer. It does not mean that you plant one dollar bills in hopes they grow up into a $20 bill.
The farm is in Indiana almost to the Illinois line. So it is more than a 3 Hour drive for us. I told Katie it’s a shame it wasn’t closer, because we could farm it.
Katie responded simply “ we sell drugs for that at the pharmacy, Jay“.
It's always interesting, in a sad sort of way, to read about how our long ago mother country, which bequeathed to our Founding Fathers their conception of liberty, has moved away from that conception, in ways large and small.
I have heard of local zoning boards and local governing bodies complaining against farms in the US, particularly when residential housing development grow up next to them. (People who didn't grow up on a farm are not fans of the "farm-fresh" smell of livestock). But the UK regulation of farms by local bodies sounds horribly intrusive.
The only thing I complain about is the liquid manure being sprayed on fields. That’s pretty recent. Otherwise, I love the farms, and I definitely understand that they were here first. OTOH, some farmer decided to sell a chunk of land to a developer, and I don’t think a lot of people realize what that means when they decide to build near a working farm.
My maternal grandmother's maiden name was "Tremaine", sounds pretty Scottish to me...lol...( this is the quarter of me that isn't Italian)...however, for some reason, maybe her red hair and green beer ( she loved beer...) she always identified with Irish more, though someone did a genealogy and yep, mostly Scottish, her ancestors came here from Scotland, (she also claimed a small Native American part...)...she was an interesting woman and a lot of fun...we used to go out for St Patty's Day...I miss her a lot, though she lived to 94 and was around a long time. Her and I were close ( maybe the only child she actually got close to for some reason), and she kinda made up for the deficits with my own mother.
So, I always remember her and the fun we had on St. Patrick's Day
So my understanding of "Tremain" (as in Johnny Tremain" was that it was French. Esther Forbes was more of a scholar than a writer, so I had taken her at her word. But Cynthia's observation about Cornwall also rings true.
Interesting.
I haven't read Johnny Tremain in a very long time (used to have the first three pages memorized I had read it so much. It is interesting to go back to it. There is a lot more nuance in the politics and a lot more violence - just in daily life - than I had noted before. The Sons of Liberty made up " those carefully organized 'mobs' who often took justice into their own hands...They could at will paralyze trade, courts, government."
Family names are always interesting. My grandfather was Norwegian, but when I looked for his last name on some website, the only place I could locate that name was in France.
Maybe, I just find it really bitter and it gives me a headache, ( which I have been told is the yeast), just like I like the taste of red wine ( though prefer white), but, it also gives me a headache
I always wanted to try it, but, it really depends on the topics how well I would do....my siblings and I always wanted to try out for Family Feud too...the oldest 5 of us were pretty good at ti
Yeah, I imagine sometimes it is, I kinda feel that way about all the pretty useless ( except in games) trivia I know...lol...I know a little about a lot of things, but only know a lot about some
Seriously, I don't have a varied enough music taste to justify the cost...lol..and I gave up on talk radio years ago...lol..I mostly listen to my CD's or the local pop/rock station , once in awhile some country, or there is one who I like the Dj's in the morning who do old and new stuff
Good morning. Very interesting. We are absolute rookies when compared to the UK regarding bureaucracy. When you think about it The Ministry of Silly Walks wasn't far from the actuality. Wasn't there also, in the Monty Python oeuvre, The Ministry of Stacking Things on Top of Other Things?
Bucolic British villages are as restrictive as American HOAs and their covenants & restrictions.
It’s a tough contest, but the Germans can hold their own in the insane bureaucracy department. As any aspiring entrepreneur there will tell you, you must always assume that whatever innovative thing you want to do is illegal unless it is expressly stated as legal far in advance.
Its almost as if its a point of pride. I always thought that a fake Massachusetts license plate should have the motto: If you can dream it, we can tax it.
This made me grin - and I needed that this afternoon!
Our family loves Top Gear, have only seen bits of Clarkson's Farm but have enjoyed what I have seen. So nice to find other friends enjoy it!
My daughter sent me this recently: Clarkson Island.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Q6UWhtKqk
Cheers!
That’s a lot of Clarksons!
I’m constantly surprised at how old he looks for his age; the results of years of booze and smokes, no doubt.
I forgot to mention: in other, surprising and welcome news...Mr Truitt posted to me in response to yesterday's post of mine on TMD about submarines and claustrophobia...it was a very nice response and and I was really surprised
My husband loves that series about the cars. I’ve watched a couple, and they are pretty good.
We have land that we lease out to one of the local farmers. In fact, we had the same farmer who leased from my parents, and he’s been wonderful. Recently he retired, and now his brother will take over. What a relief.
The couple who bought my parents’ home, just across the field from us, also come from farm families. She is supposedly going to be working with her parents, and managing their farm, while her husband continues his job as an agricultural salesperson.
Anyway, it’s definitely something people grow up with and either love or decide it’s too much work. So many of the smaller family farms are disappearing, and they’re being taken over by what we call “factory farms.” Personally, I can’t imagine doing it myself. Having the ability to stay positive, and not need some anxiety meds, due to uncertain weather conditions alone, is what amazes me. Yet, I’ve never heard any of the farmers I know panic when the crops come in late, don’t produce as well some years, or they can’t get out there to harvest until mid to late November. And, government has a big say in what they plant, or at least they have a lot of incentive. There’s a reason that most of the land in this part of the country is planted with corn.
And, as much as I love animals, just having had a few horses over the years, I know the work involved in that. I can’t imagine an entire herd of anything!
I couldn't do the work, the stress or that fact of getting close to farm animals and not being happy if they are kept for food...
I really wanted a small flock of chickens at one point, for the eggs. Then I found out they only have a few years for egg laying. Then what? I didn’t want to butcher them, and I certainly wasn’t going to keep buying chickens, so never mind.
What always gets to me is the kids who take their animals to the fair. Not all of them understand that their pet pig is going to be butchered at some point. We had the nicest woman who represented the local bank, and she would buy at least one or two animals at the fair, and she always kept them herself, as pets.
You'd be OK with this show. Clarkson is not at all comfortable sending animals off to the abattoir. 🙂
Whew, that is good to know...lol
Hi John, good to see ya
To be a small family farmer, two things are absolutely required beyond the required agricultural skills and a rock-solid work ethic: a very sharp pencil and a bottomless well of optimism, the former to reap the profit from those skills and the latter to keep from losing one's mind.
So, The Atlantic sent me an email ( as I subscribe, though not sure why me being one among the many there must be) and asked if I was willing to sit for an interview this afternoon ( by Zoom, brought my headphones and Mic, as there are none of those here ( and no computers with camera's, not even the laptops, though I chose not to be on camera anyway)...on give my opinion on their newsletters, specifically the one called ( The Week)..so, as everyone knows I love to give opinions and fill out surveys etc...lol...It's this afternoon at 3:30, wish me luck I don't embarrass myself somehow...and that my feedback helps
I know you’ll do great! My guess is they somehow get your name from surveys.
Maybe...I have also been printed by Conor for one of his pieces, so that might be it....and I have emailed a few times with problems and I also think they may have a way to see if I read the newsletters they send, that I signed up for...
My father in law was a farmer. Before he died, still had about 115 acres, which he cash farmed.
To be clear, cash farming is simply renting out your land to another farmer. It does not mean that you plant one dollar bills in hopes they grow up into a $20 bill.
The farm is in Indiana almost to the Illinois line. So it is more than a 3 Hour drive for us. I told Katie it’s a shame it wasn’t closer, because we could farm it.
Katie responded simply “ we sell drugs for that at the pharmacy, Jay“.
She’s right!
HA...your wife is funny too
It's always interesting, in a sad sort of way, to read about how our long ago mother country, which bequeathed to our Founding Fathers their conception of liberty, has moved away from that conception, in ways large and small.
I have heard of local zoning boards and local governing bodies complaining against farms in the US, particularly when residential housing development grow up next to them. (People who didn't grow up on a farm are not fans of the "farm-fresh" smell of livestock). But the UK regulation of farms by local bodies sounds horribly intrusive.
The only thing I complain about is the liquid manure being sprayed on fields. That’s pretty recent. Otherwise, I love the farms, and I definitely understand that they were here first. OTOH, some farmer decided to sell a chunk of land to a developer, and I don’t think a lot of people realize what that means when they decide to build near a working farm.
Yes, liquid manure is recent, and noxious. My dad used a good old-fashioned manure spreader on his fields.
I don’t mind that. It’s messy and smelly, but it doesn’t smell bad for long.
OK, I confess, I really want to hear the unicorn song...lol...
My maternal grandmother's maiden name was "Tremaine", sounds pretty Scottish to me...lol...( this is the quarter of me that isn't Italian)...however, for some reason, maybe her red hair and green beer ( she loved beer...) she always identified with Irish more, though someone did a genealogy and yep, mostly Scottish, her ancestors came here from Scotland, (she also claimed a small Native American part...)...she was an interesting woman and a lot of fun...we used to go out for St Patty's Day...I miss her a lot, though she lived to 94 and was around a long time. Her and I were close ( maybe the only child she actually got close to for some reason), and she kinda made up for the deficits with my own mother.
So, I always remember her and the fun we had on St. Patrick's Day
So my understanding of "Tremain" (as in Johnny Tremain" was that it was French. Esther Forbes was more of a scholar than a writer, so I had taken her at her word. But Cynthia's observation about Cornwall also rings true.
Interesting.
I haven't read Johnny Tremain in a very long time (used to have the first three pages memorized I had read it so much. It is interesting to go back to it. There is a lot more nuance in the politics and a lot more violence - just in daily life - than I had noted before. The Sons of Liberty made up " those carefully organized 'mobs' who often took justice into their own hands...They could at will paralyze trade, courts, government."
Family names are always interesting. My grandfather was Norwegian, but when I looked for his last name on some website, the only place I could locate that name was in France.
I think everyone from that part of the world likes beer!!
Except me...lol
Maybe if you lived there…
Maybe, I just find it really bitter and it gives me a headache, ( which I have been told is the yeast), just like I like the taste of red wine ( though prefer white), but, it also gives me a headache
Useful natural defense mechanism!
Yeah, I am a lightweight when it comes to alcohol anyway...and a cheap date...lol..2-4 at the most of any mixed drinks and I am good to go...lol...
Often spelled "Tremayne," it originated in Cornwall, the southwest foot of England.
"By Pol- and Tre- and Pen-, you may know the Cornishmen."
Mores Cornish stuff https://youtu.be/DBToq_ABD6o
The Cornish were a Celtic people, like the Irish. They had their own language up until at least the 19th century.
Thank you, you are a fountain of information....
It's a curse.
You should try to monetize it by trying out for Jeopardy!
(I did that once, years ago. I should do ot again so I don't drive my wife crazy when we watch Jeopardy on TV).
I auditioned for Jeopardy a few years ago, before Alex Trebek died. It was fun.
That is way cool
I have the personality they are probably looking for, but, not sure I am smart enough across enough topics
I always wanted to try it, but, it really depends on the topics how well I would do....my siblings and I always wanted to try out for Family Feud too...the oldest 5 of us were pretty good at ti
Yeah, I imagine sometimes it is, I kinda feel that way about all the pretty useless ( except in games) trivia I know...lol...I know a little about a lot of things, but only know a lot about some
That looks like a fun show, with lessons learned also
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2mmayrcy4tx68ut/348792-Care-Bear-St.-Patricks-Day-Morning-Image%20%281%29.jpg?dl=0
You’re a nut, Angie! 😂❤️
ha, thank you I think?
I meant it as a good thing.
I know you did, I was just being silly
TBH, I’ve seen more bare Irish in my life than Irish bears.
You know I reread my post thinking I had made a typo with beer...lol....but, I don't see it?
That aside, that is an intriguing thought/image?...lol
Was going by the depicted creatures. ;-)
Oh man, I missed that entirely...lol..shame on me...lol
Good one
Clarkson's Farm is very amusing. I haven't seen all the episodes because I go to bed early, but I've laughed a lot at the ones I have seen.
My husband and I watched the car series while using the treadmill and elliptical. Now we’ll have to check that one out.
Son F really likes the car series.
Not really my thing, but I was happy my husband was exercising, so whatever he wanted watch! It’s actually better than I would have expected.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_1xZVNZMJE
Good morning. I heard this on the radio last night on the way home from Daughter D's Scout meeting.
Very catchy! I like it, but I can see where that one could get stuck in my head.
He has a nice voice and it is a cool beat/music..rhythm, I like it
Yes, it was a pleasant surprise. I don't remember what Sirius station it was on ... maybe Margaritaville.
I never renew Sirius once it expires...lol
Seriusly?
The mispeling was on purpose right? As a joke, I wrote a serious answer first...lol...
Yes, it was a riff on your reference to Sirius XM. 🙂
Seriously, I don't have a varied enough music taste to justify the cost...lol..and I gave up on talk radio years ago...lol..I mostly listen to my CD's or the local pop/rock station , once in awhile some country, or there is one who I like the Dj's in the morning who do old and new stuff
My husband is in charge of all electronic bells and whistles.
Endorsed.
Good morning. Very interesting. We are absolute rookies when compared to the UK regarding bureaucracy. When you think about it The Ministry of Silly Walks wasn't far from the actuality. Wasn't there also, in the Monty Python oeuvre, The Ministry of Stacking Things on Top of Other Things?
Yes, I think there was such a ministry.
Bucolic British villages are as restrictive as American HOAs and their covenants & restrictions.
It’s a tough contest, but the Germans can hold their own in the insane bureaucracy department. As any aspiring entrepreneur there will tell you, you must always assume that whatever innovative thing you want to do is illegal unless it is expressly stated as legal far in advance.
I understand Germans in authority like and use the phrase "Nicht ordnung!"
"Bucolic British villages are as restrictive as American HOAs and their covenants & restrictions."
Hence all the murders.
“Hence all the murders.” That has its own appeal. 😉
Its almost as if its a point of pride. I always thought that a fake Massachusetts license plate should have the motto: If you can dream it, we can tax it.