Harvest

Riding my bike early last week, I noticed there were still some soybean and corn crops that hadn’t been harvested.  I noticed the same thing driving my car into Yellow Springs.  The 3 large farms around me had already done their harvesting.  I believe they share harvesters. Several weeks ago, when a lot of harvesting was occurring, while riding my bike, I noticed the 3 farmers talking together in one of the fields being harvested.  I was dying to stop and join in the conversation, but thought my presence wouldn’t be welcomed.  One day I saw the young farmer in the harvester, his father driving the large truck with grain, and his 15 year old helping with a smaller vehicle.  How wonderful to see three generations farming the land.

I really enjoy watching the crops harvested and seeing the amazing equipment they use.  With corn, it is an enormous harvester that has numerous prongs at the front to cut off the corn.  The cornstalk is fed into the harvester and corn comes out through a tube into a smaller container at the back.  Once the container is filled it is emptied into a Mac truck and then driven to the farm to be put in a big silo for drying.  This time of year around crop farms, you hear the sound of the dryers blasting.

Saturday Alan and I were riding our bikes and I saw a field on the next road over (on my bike route) being harvested.  This farmer had a big truck riding next to the harvester and the corn was being blown through a large tube into the truck.  So both truck and harvester were moving right next to each other and drivers really had to pay attention.  It was pretty neat.

I heard on NPR that 80% of American farmers use no till.  The two older farmers near me don’t use no till.  The younger farmer (mid to late 30’s) and a graduate of OSU Agriculture School does us no till.

One of my favorite TV shows used to be Agricountry on Saturday mornings at 6:00 AM.  It ended when Ed Johnson, the host, died several years ago.  Ed focused on the best farming practices and I heard a lot about no till farming.  I’ve had to bite my tongue not to talk with these older farmers about it.  I’m sure they don’t need advice from me a nonfarmer.   But no till farming uses less fuel because the tractor doesn’t go over the land as much, keeps soil and nutrients from washing away, saves time, and allows the farmer to get into the field earlier while it is still wet.

So with the fields harvested, my bike ride becomes more difficult.  In the fall and winter there is a strong south westerly wind that cuts across the open fields, making the ride much harder.    I hope to continue my rides until there is snow or ice on the road.  

Odds and Ends Before Thanksgiving!

Following up on The Way - Alan has started researching walks/journeys in England.  For these walks, your luggage is sent ahead to your next stop and you stay mostly in double rooms with your own facilities.  The walks are rated by difficulty.  One that seems to interest us is fairly easy with the longest walk per day a little over 8 miles.  It’s a 12-day castle journey. It goes along the coast and through several nature preserves.  This sounds like a good one for us to start, then we’ll see if we want something more difficult and longer.

Magnum is an AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy!  Okay, it is not that difficult.  He attended 8 classes (after completing 8 classes of puppy socialization and obedience), I submitted a plan for exercising him, and he passed the test.  He has rock solid sits and downs (the best in his class).  He is well socialized with his classmates.  He does get a little bored in class (he’s just 6 months old!) and tries to tug with his leash.  In agility we tug when he gets bored and he doesn’t understand that he can’t do it in obedience.  I try to keep him busy with doing tricks, but there’s only so much I can do.

For the first time in years, I have completely cleaned out my refrigerator!  Not to say that I didn’t get rid of old stuff before, but hadn’t removed everything and washed the drawers, shelves, and inside of the refrigerator.  Oh my gosh do we have a lot of condiments – and very unusual ones.  It’s the result of two cooks and one who doesn’t check out what we have.  In just one side shelf we had 2 kinds of chili garlic sauces, 2 pure horseradishes, wasabi, capers, green curry paste, 2 sweet and sour sauces, and 2 kinds of hot mustard.

In the nut drawer (meat drawer in non-vegetarian households) were 3 kinds of pecans, walnuts, two kinds of almonds, pine nuts, sesame seeds, 2 kinds of flax seeds, 2 kinds of shredded coconut, thick Canadian bacon (Alan’s), and organic pumpkin seeds.  Now you get the picture of my refrigerator.  It is fully stocked before shopping day.  Why do we have so much stuff and I go to other houses and their refrigerators are almost empty.  Don’t get me started on how many vegetables are in the refrigerator.  I am not sure I can pronounce all of them.  How will I fit the turkey in the refrigerator for Thanksgiving? 

I had a dream last night and in it, my Veterinarian told me Shadow had “puppy behaviors”.  Not sure what it means, but in the dream it seemed very logical.  So today I am calling her puppy Shadow!  Happy Thanksgiving!

The Way

I just saw the movie “The Way”, written and directed by Emilio Estevez, which stars his father, Martin Sheen.  It was an interesting movie about a father, Tom (Martin Sheen) who goes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to bring home the body of his only child who died on his pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James).  Father and son hadn’t gotten along for a number of years.  The son (Emilio Estevez) said their differences were the difference between the life we live and the life we choose.  The father decides to make the journey of the Camino De Santiago and sprinkles his son’s ashes along the journey at various sites.  The movie provided unexpected experiences that are learned about what it is to be a citizen of the world.  This movie probably won’t be in big box movie theaters.  I saw it at The Little Art.

I have wanted to take a walking journey for some time.   Alan and I have walked parts of the Appalachian Trail, but never for more than two days at a time.  The Camino De Santiago, starting at St. Jean Pied de Port, France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain is about 500 miles.  The walking is not difficult because most stages are fairly flat, but the difficulty is walking continuously for 10, 20, 30 or more days.  

In the movie, people walked for all different reasons and this is what I have read.  Some walk for religious reasons, family, health, and to contemplate their life,

Alan will investigate various walking journeys we can take, perhaps to build ourselves up for The Way of Saint James.  We need to do it in the next few years while we have health and stamina.  Alan likes the idea of walking around England because there are various places to stay so you don’t have to carry bedding with you.  Part of the challenge of the journey is the back pack you carry and its weight.

We have backpacked on Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior for 4 days 3 nights and it was a challenge to make the pack light enough for me to carry.  I weighed every item and got rid of items that were too heavy.  On that trip we also carried all of our food and water.  We prepared for it by taking several daylong hikes ahead of time and carried our packs.

The hardest part of a long trip will be leaving my dogs.  Magnum is finishing up his second obedience class and his third agility class.  He’s doing better with meeting strangers.  He is shy with some and not with others, which is probably okay.   He is great with other dogs and very sweet with people.

Go see the movie “The Way” and get inspired. 

Liberal Rant due to Congress Inaction

WARNING: If you are not a liberal you will be offended!  I am tired of conservatives that say taxing the richest 1% is a redistribution of wealth, is socialist, and is communist.  A redistribution of wealth has been occurring for more than 30 years, which has given the wealthiest 1% a 275% growth in their wealth.  I believe that this redistribution of wealth to the wealthiest is criminal and immoral!  I might as well write them a check for what is in my savings and investments.  I pay a higher percent of my income toward taxes than many in the wealthiest 1%.  Our President has asked Congress to enact legislation to tax the wealthiest 1% at a higher level.  68% of Americans agree with him and want it enacted.  So what is the problem with our Congress?  The problem is they are part of the 1% and only care about themselves.  So they continue to be the do nothing Congress.  They don’t represent the rest of us working stiffs or retired folks (me).

I am shocked about support for Cain and his 9 – 9 – 9 taxation plan.  47 million Americans pay no federal taxes because their income is too low.  But Mr. Cain wants them to start paying 9% of their income to the federal government and he wants to lower taxes on the wealthiest Americans.  When are the rest of us going to wake up to this craziness? 

Alan says I need a soapbox to do my rant.  But where do I drag the soapbox so that ordinary folks will hear me.  Does anyone want to go with me to Occupy Wall Street?  I’ll do it around your schedule and share costs.  This would provide a great soapbox.  Email me privately if you are interested.

End of rant – I am still working with Magnum to socialize him with strangers.  Shadow was so happy to see him after he went with Alan to work.  I guess she is getting attached to him.  Saw Ajax on Monday and he is so sweet.  He has diaper rash from disposable diapers before diaper service started.  He is now using cloth diapers and his diaper rash is clearing up.  His dad, Tim, is great at changing diapers.