Full Dance Card!

    With only a few days at the OFH I fill the social calendar: breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee... Joanne should not have worried about me being a social isolate in her absence. Inmates in the OFH who know me ask "How long are you staying?"  Not long this time, "this" I say "is my vacation home. Upon each return many new faces are seen. Some of whom ask me, "Are you new?" Always the wag I reply, "No I'm old!"

   Back at The Little House socializing is more dependent on the phone. But, that too, is a valuable social tool. Doing most of the calling it's always a treat when someone calls me. Introverts need people, though it's in being alone that we regain energy.

Takk for alt,

Al

The Gift Of Community!

     For eight years Ken Gamb and I worked together in Davenport, IA. Beginning as colleagues we ended as best friends. Every year, with the exception of 2020, since I retired in 2007 I've travelled to visit Ken, and his wife Barbara, in Iowa. The last visit was over Labor Day weekend.

   Over the past year they moved from their lovely town house, where I stayed often. In May they moved into an OFH in Iowa City, the community in which they'd been living. Ken called this evening to say Barbara, walking outside, had fallen and broken her hip and arm. Following surgery she's now in a rehab facility. It was when she broke her knee a couple of years ago they made the decision to move to an OFH.

   Ken said when he'd leave her now, first in the hospital and later in rehab, that it was comforting to return to the community they have in the OFH. Had they not made the move he'd be returning alone to a town house. They've found a warm, supporting community in the OFH, for which he is now, doubly grateful. 

Takk for alt,

Al

OFH

    Kaia and I motored to the OFH today. The trip was to attend the gourmet dinner that's offered quarterly. Jim, our excellent chef goes all out. After a successful career in food service he retired quite early. It wasn't long until Jim's wife asked "Don't you have to be someplace?" Taking the hint he signed on as the OFH food service director. He's a great gift to us.

  This is tonight's menu.

Takk for alt,

Al

Blank....

     Blank pretty much describes my mind.  It's one of those times it's just best to admit it and move on. A quick stop at the computer store which revealed that the alerts could safely be ignored took ten minutes. The barber, who is the granddaughter of a farmer I worked for in 1957, made quick work of hair and beard. Haircuts remind me of dusting. How's that you say? Well I dusted once but it all came back, just as my hair will grow back. Because the dust returned I gave it up as a lost cause.

   A cold windy day was a good time to launder my bedding. The drier, worse at the OFH than at The Little House, spooks Kaia. Likely she hears something that I don't. Many hear things that I don't. The new hearing aids from the VA are great, for which I'm very grateful. However, there are many situations in which I struggle to hear. Of all the disabilities I could suffer, hearing loss is the least problematic. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Machu Picchu: Lisa and I climbed to the top of the peak behind the stonework.

"No good deed goes unpunished!"

      Who said that about good deeds?  Whomever...there is a bit of truth in it. Some years ago I planted a multi-row of trees next to my pasture. Two of those rows are cedars. The purpose of the tree planting was to provide wildlife cover and habitat. It's working. The cedars, which some are now thirty feet tall, are good winter protection. They also have multitude berries on which birds feed. After they feed on the berries they often perch on the pasture fence where they heed nature's call. Cedar trees spout prolifically  under the fence which is not helpful to fence maintenance. 

    Last week the friendly cows who spent the summer in the pasture went home for the winter. (Parenthetical note: the cow's owner says they are so friendly because they're Gelbvieh breed.) Their departure meant that the electric fence  is turned off. I'm adverse to being shocked by electric fences. So, a day too windy to hunt was ideal for attacking cedars under the fence. See the picture below. It was a good morning's activity and another blow against gym membership.

Takk for alt,

Al

See all the sprightly little cedars growing under the fence!

Gelbvieh is a cattle breed originating in several Franconian districts of Bavaria, Germany in the mid-eighteenth century. It was originally a triple-purpose breed, used for milk, beef and draught power; the modern Gelbvieh is primarily used for beef production.

Life At Sea!

     The United States Marine Corp in an amphibious service. Perhaps all would assume that because 'Marine' is in its title. While my duty assignment was in an infantry unit, 3rd Battalion, Fifth Marine Division, we trained both on land and at sea. While stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA., in addition to land based exercises we were also taken aboard ship to practice landing as we would in combat.

    Most of our sea experience was related to Asia. We were transported by an old liberty ship, the USS Pickaway, from San Diego, CA. to Okinawa in 1961. That trip travelling day and night took twenty-eight days. We did get a few days in Hawaii. Returning from Asia in 1962 we were on the USS Princeton, an aircraft carrier refitted for helicopters. That was a much faster ship so the trip lasted only two weeks.

   While on Okinawa we travelled to Japan and back via ship. That was a short trip but the way over was the roughest seas I experienced. For the most part the Pacific lives up to its name.

    To be prepared for any Asian event a battalion of Marines are always aboard ship in the western Pacific. The Princeton was the ship for us. Sailing around the ocean and the South China Sea, we spent a few days anchored in the Hong Kong Harbor. This allowed us liberty in Hong Kong. We were taken to Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, by the Princeton for jungle training. After jungle training the Princeton  returned us to Okinawa. Cumulatively I spent about six months at sea. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Refueling at sea:  The tanker in the middle has lines carrying hoses to the destroyer on the right and the Princeton on the left. 

Road Construction!

      State and county road construction are always marked with warning signs. Often there is a plethora of them. "Road construction ahead."  "Road construction the next xx miles."  "Fines double in construction areas." "Road crews, give them a brake." "Lane closure ahead." "Flagman ahead, prepare to stop." You've seen them you get the idea.

    Township road work is different. Some of my land lies adjacent to a dead end township road. Past my property is one residence and then the road ends next to a large public wildlife area. Driving down that road to monitor my land I topped a hill at the bottom of which a construction crew had the road blocked. They had removed an old culvert under the road and were preparing to install a new one. There was no passage so I watched them awhile and reversed course. Access to my land was possible through a neighbor's field but the monitoring not being urgent I went home. There was no signage alerting to road work ahead. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Sawing wood in the Philippines.

Furnace Follies!

      Returning from lunch yesterday the house felt cold.  That was because, though the thermostat called for heat, the furnace wasn't running. With winter approaching furnace reliability is important. Calling for service was an interesting experience. At one provider the call went to voicemail and the message said if this is an emergency call xxx-xxxx. Calling that number ended in another voicemail. Though I'd been able to manually start the furnace relying on voicemail was not appealing. One provider said they could fix it next week. Moving on I reached a service company who said they could respond no later than today.

  Late this morning a technician from the latter company arrived. The problem? rusted burners. The furnace is fifteen years old. His recommendation for the future presents a dilemma. When I leave for the winter I set the thermostat to 55 degrees, the lowest it will go. To prevent condensation that leads to rust the temperature at the furnace should be at least 65. The dilemma? Burn more propane  to keep the temperature at 65, or save fuel at 55 and risk rust?  

  Life in the Old Folks Home presents no such dilemma. Something malfunctions? Put in a service order and maintenance fixes it.

Takk for alt,

Al 

Jungle Story!

     One night during jungle training (see previous blogs) we bedded down in grassy opening in the jungle. In our backpacks were an air mattress and sleeping bag. It being the tropics we slept on top of our sleeping bags. We also had mosquito nets. These were suspended at our head and foot by metal T-bars which we also carried.

    Apparently we were not as remote as I imagined. Late in the night we were all awakened by Private Sims yelling. He woke up to a man trying to steal his rifle which was under his mosquito net, fortunately. The, would be, thieves ran off with nothing to show for their efforts. 

   While doing the jungle training we were housed in former POW barracks in Subic Bay. The barracks had running water but, cold only. Because it was the tropics the weather was hot and the cold water wasn't really cold. The water in the bay of Subic Bay is 80 degrees winter when we were there.

Takk for alt,

Al

A boy is riding a water buffalo in the Philippines.  I rode one in Thailand. They're usually very placid. My familiarity with them has led me to my common remark "I feel like a water buffalo coming out of a mudhole" as I emerge from a low chair.

What a concept!

 

Jungle redux...

     In response to yesterday's picture from the Jungle, the other reader (there two readers you know) asked, via email, if we were given anti-malaria medication during jungle training. My response to the reader was positive and thought maybe quinine. With further reflection I came to doubt quinine. Several of the Marines got sick with malaria like symptoms from the medicine. Quinine probably would not have acted like that. In my travels in South East Asia I was often on anti-malaria medication. Travels there prevented me from being a blood donor for years.

    That reader also asked if we received other vaccines.  "Multiple" was my response. Perhaps I can find my Marine vaccine record for reference. Could my never having COVID have any connection to all those immunizations? Currently I take every vaccine that's available. Being old enough to remember polio before vaccine, has given me great respect for their efficacy. In addition to many immunizations in the Marines, I often went to a travel clinic for more before international travel.  It wasn't until travelling to Africa that I was immunized for yellow fever. There is no yellow fever in Asia.

   All of this caused me to reflect on my health during my enlistment. I have no recollection of either Ed or I being sick. My enlistment was for three years and Ed's for four, because he's more patriotic than I. I'll have to ask Ed. When we were assigned to a battalion after boot camp we had a dental check-up. When the dentist discovered I still had my wisdom teeth they were quickly pulled. Even though I had braces as a boy the orthodontist didn't recommend their removal. Removing them didn't lay me up at all.

Takk for alt,

Al

A scene from our time in the Philippines in 1962. 

One Of Those Days!

      This is one of those days without an original thought or experience. It's a very windy day and both Kaia and I are resting from hunting. She, unlike I, has not slowed down when she's in the field. But, at nine years of age she, like I, needs some recovery time. We've seen pheasants on all of our outings, flying wild. We've haven't brought any home, which is  fine. Seeing them is enough.

    I'll post a random picture and call it good for the day!

Takk for alt,

Al

While in the Marines our battalion spent some time in the Philippine Islands doing jungle training. I'm posing at the base of this tree to give perspective on its size. Our alarm clocks, while sleeping in the jungle, were Gibbon monkeys. They begin vocalizing at sunrise.

Bad Title!

        Roy Jacobsen, the Norwegian writer of the 4 Ingrid chronicles set on an island in the North Sea, published The Burnt-out Town Of Miracles, in 2005. Actually the title in the original Norwegian was The Logger. That's a much better title than the English Burnt-out. It's one of his earlier books.

     The story is set in Finland during the Russian-Finish war in 1939. The Finish town is near the border and it's torched as the Russian invaders approach. The logger, Tino, is the only person that refuses evacuation before the Russian troops arrive. He's considered the village idiot but, as his actions prove during the occupation, he's not stupid.

   It's his non-anxious, self definition that makes both his fellow Finns and the occupying Russians think that he is an idiot. He's logger by trade and he continues logging during and after the occupation. He marches to his own drum and that befuddles others. 

   When our history book club was meeting we read a history of that war. In Burnt-out aspects of that event are reported. The book engaged me so that I quickly finished it. I suggest reading it and then read Winter War.

Takk for alt,

Al

Pesky Wrens!

     Today I cleaned out seven nesting boxes after the year's nesting season. All of them were stuffed full of twigs. Wrens do that to eliminate competition. Remember the fable of The Dog In The Manger? The dog lies on the hay in the cow's manger. The dog doesn't eat the hay, but doesn't allow the cow to feed. This seems apropos to the wren's behavior. There were nests under the twigs in some boxes, so I hope the tree swallows successfully nested in them.

   Fortunately I'm not squeamish. Two of the boxes contained mice. At least six half-grown mice exited one box.  

Takk for alt,

Al

Nesting box decorated by a granddaughter with Kaia peeking around.

Nesting box stuffed full of twigs by a wren.

2025 Pheasant Hunting Season

      Today is the first day of the regular South Dakota pheasant hunting season. 'Regular' because it is preceded by resident's only and a youth mentored seasons.  So, Kaia and I went hunting.

     Walking for an hour I saw three roosters distant. They flew into an un-picked cornfield nearby. It was a good walk which both Kaia and I enjoyed. Seeing birds makes me glad. Gone are the days when I walked from opening until closing of the day.

    Kaia did what she's trained to do. When we're in the field to pick rocks or cut cedars she runs freely. Most of the time she keeps me in sight and when she does go farther afield she quickly returns to see where I am. If I walk toward the truck she meets me there. Would this free ranging be a problem when we hunt?

   As it turns out the answer to that question is "no". Springers are trained to sweep the field in front of the hunter. Think of the pattern of a windshield wiper. Back and forth, staying within thirty yards of me, she ran. A few times she a got a little too far ahead but quickly returned when called. Apparently she knows the difference between the free ranging when I'm working and the pattern when hunting. Watching her gives much of the pleasure of hunting. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Kaia, the wonder dog.

A Dutch woman...

       A Dutch woman gave an Irish woman a book and the Irish woman gave the book to a Norwegian man. The Norwegian man read the book, a novel, and this is his report.

    Tom, the protagonist of the book, is an eighty-five year old widower living alone. He's still in the house where he's lived for many years. His son and daughter are trying to get him to move into an undefined senior facility which he resists. Since his wife's death he's been thinking much about his WW II, girlfriend. Their relationship came to an abrupt, unhappy end. In search of her, and to ditch his children, he flees. Thereby hangs a tale. He does stay in touch with a granddaughter which provides the plot with another voice. 

   This is a well written book with well developed characters. It's an interesting premise that allows for a  novel's surprises and reflections. As is true with all good novels, insights about people and relationships abound. Tom is very introspective which adds depth and interest to the tale.

  Oh, what's the book you ask?  Old Heart, by Peter Ferry. Apparently it has been made into a movie. I'm glad I read it...thanks MJV!  

Takk for alt,

Al

      

Puddles in the street!

   Back at The Little House, afternoon rain was sufficient to leave puddles in the street. Having removed my rain gauges for winter I don't know how much it rained. Apparently it also rained yesterday and one report was .3". This pauses corn harvest for a bit but that's not all bad. Harvest can only proceed as fast as a dryer bin can dry the corn. and modern combines can fill a dryer bin very quickly. Rain, for the first time in weeks, is welcome for trees, pastures and hay fields. Rain also temporarily boosts the moisture content of corn and waiting a few days lets it dry.

   A farmer, who I saw at lunch, had an interesting report. Wildlife, such as pheasants, in a corn field being harvested, tend to congregate in the unharvested part of the field. As the combine makes its final pass at the completion of the field they will fly out at field's end. This farmer said he saw several pheasants. However, what surprised him was that a large fluffle of rabbits ran out, he thought as many as 40! I have noticed more rabbits in my fields this year than previously.

   Well, rabbits reproduce like...rabbits. For the last several years the plethora of coyotes have significantly reduced the rabbit population. Does this mean that there are fewer coyotes? They do go through disease cycles that reduce their numbers. Said farmer said he'd seen only one coyote while combining beans and corn.  

Takk for alt,

Al

Today...

    I made a trip to the dermatologist whose last name in Elvejhem. "Yes," she said "Most people are at a loss in pouncing my name." Those "Js" in Norwegian and other Scandinavian names foil the uninitiated. Think "Y" and you're good to go! 

  She froze a few small pre-cancerous spots and I was sent on my way. Go I did, to the Ramsey County Building on Plato Blvd. I was answering a summons for my latest felony, or, to vote early. You may guess which reason. There was no line and I was back to the OFH before noon.

  That's what passes for excitement in my life!

Takk for alt,

Al

My recliner in the OFH. It's twin is in The Little House.

Spinach prevails...

      At an eye exam at the VA a couple of years ago the doctor examining me said: "You have the beginnings of macular degeneration in both eyes. If you eat kale and spinach, you can't reverse it but you can arrest it."  I'm not allowed to eat kale, but, since then a spinach salad has been a part of most meals that I prepare for myself. This is supplemented by two Vitamin A pills a day.

    Yesterday I had a post cataract surgery eye exam. The doctor reported that my macular degeneration remains arrested. Thank you, spinach, and it's not bad.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS New OFH experience...today all three meals in the dining room. The day began with Mark as guest for breakfast, Michelene for lunch and free style, sit with whomever, for dinner. 

My view from the OFH.

That would be me, then....

 

Takk for alt,

Al

Today

     This is the Sunday that the Children's Defense Fund designates as Children's Sabbath. Every year Grace University Lutheran observes this special Sunday. The homily, "...let the children come unto me..." was child focused. At Grace children are usually involved in worship leadership. On this Sunday their numbers in worship leadership are increased. A high point is during the prayers when a soloist names every child member in song. My granddaughter, Sella, participated by serving communion. It was a good time for me to be resident at the OFH.

Takk for alt,

Al

 

Grace is surrounded by University of Minnesota buildings. It's one block from the University Hospital.

Sinai

      Sinai, the the Brookings County hamlet where The Little House is located, claims a population of 120, per the sign on the edge of town. Platted in 2007 when a spur line railroad, from Sioux Falls to Watertown laid tracks, it took its name from the nearby lake. Early settlers passing by the lake after a prairie fire had burned the area revealing the rocky hills by the lake said, "Just like Mt. Sinai." The name struck.

    Locals give the town's name an un-Biblical twist pronouncing it "Sign-yi." Apparently that was derived from the Norwegian. Returning from the Herb Alpert concert last Sunday the GPS was on. Approaching the Sinai exit on Interstate 29, yes Sinai has an exit!, the voice in the GPS, whom I call Amelia after Amelia Earhart, said "Sign-yi" as if a native. How did she know how locals pronounce it?

   There's another clue that Sinai's approaching the big time. Food trucks are big in cities. In Minneapolis many trucks jockey for the best places to park downtown to feed the noon crowds. Nearby Volga, population 1700+, has a regular food truck offering Mexican food. Sinai, not to be outdone, had a food truck parked next to the grain elevator Friday. The elevator was very busy with bean harvest and it continues now with corn. It was so busy that it has even been open Sundays. Farmers coming with their loads of corn can get their noon meal from the food truck. 

   I was going to get a picture of the food truck but a semi-truck was parked in front of it.

Takk for alt,

Al

OFH

     Kaia and I motored to the OFH today. A post-cataract appointment and some special time with family and friends is on the agenda. 

   Corn harvest is in full swing and all the soybeans have been combined. Reports from corn harvest are moisture from 14-25%, yields are running 200-250 bushels per acre. Some combine operators report that their yield monitors go as high as 300 bushels per acre in parts of the field. In the day we thought that 60 bushels per acre was a bin buster. Corn genetic improvement and herbicides removing weed competition plus fertilizer are the cause of much of the improvement.

Takk for alt,

Al

The Curse of Idealism.

      In 1923 Willa Cather won the Pulitzer Prize for One Of Ours. Is it her best book? Not in my opinion. Peter argues that Pulitzers are often awarded for a book when the author's previous one, or ones, may have been better.

    The protagonist in Ours, Claude, is an incorrigible idealist. Born into a wealthy agricultural family in Nebraska he's perpetually disappointed in himself and others. He, and others, never live up to the standards he holds. German pastor and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was in charge of a clandestine seminary in Nazi Germany. He wrote a small book for his students called Life Together. In  it he wrote that "God hates visionary dreaming."  His argument that idealist pastors will be disappointed by their parishioners failures. Then the pastor becomes the parishioners accuser before God, rather than their defender.  "The best is the enemy of the good." Voltaire  

    Claude only finds himself engaged in an enterprise he feels is worthwhile when, after his voluntiary enlistment, he is fighting with American Forces in France during WW I. When he dies in that war his mother, grieving his death, realizes that he would have been disillusioned by the peace subsequent to the war. 

   As are all of Cather's books, Ours is rife with profound insights about life and relationships. Likely my opinion that it's not her best is related to my inability to a significant bond with an idealist. It's certainly worth reading.

Takk for alt,

Al

except one...

      Kaia got into a mess of cockleburs yesterday. After removing them for an hour in the forepart of her body I let her tackle those she could reach. She pulled out eighty more. A letter opener, that has a plastic point and a slot with a razor, is an effective tool for their removal. Slide the point behind the bur and use the razor to cut the fur which holds it. She hasn't learned how to use a letter opener so she removes them with her teeth.

   We successfully removed all except one. That one was buried deep in her paw and neither of us were able to extract it. Her veterinary clinic is a mom and pop operation in Brookings. They've always been very helpful. Years ago when Trygve need a tooth cleaning a clinic in Minneapolis said that their charge for tooth cleaning started at $400. but might go higher. The Brookings clinic did it for $90.

   Unable to remove the painful bur in her paw we repaired to the vet clinic. The vet using an electric clipper soon removed the bur with little discomfort. She's now on antibiotics to prevent infection and runs with no limp. This "except one" was my first such experience while owning dogs since 1976. Kaia is getting a grooming tomorrow which help her shed burs. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Kaia, the wonder dog, after a previous grooming.

Surprise!

        As I was walking diagonally across the pasture today, the one where bluestem is emerging, to post a no hunting sign on the corner of my land, what did I find? A large colony of invasive cedars. With a small pruning shear in my pocket I removed many along my route.  Making note of the location I will return later with the large shear to continue the removal. This side of the pasture is next to a state wildlife area which contains some cedar plantings. They are the likely source of this infestation. In the proper place cedars are very good wildlife cover. I just wish they would stay out of my grass!

   Another activity that avoids the necessity of a gym membership.

Takk for alt,

Al

Cedars need not apply.

Herb Alpert, redux...

     Eight relatives and two friends gathered for dinner before the concert. at McKenzie River Bar and Grill. It is conveniently located across the street from the concert venue. Gathering two and a half hours before the concert gave good opportunity for visiting. With family members from AZ and Hawaii this was very special. By the luck of the draw I was seated next to a cousin and his wife who were not at dinner with us.

    The concert was in Washington Pavilion, which in its former life was a high school. It's a very good venue for a concert.  My close personal friend, Herb, was in fine form. He played his trumpet on most numbers which were  mostly reprise of his record albums. While the band played, scenes related to the album played on the screen behind the orchestra. His wife of 60 plus years sang one one. Herb related stories connected to the recordings. In the band was a piano player, two guitarists, a trombone player and our cousin Kristopher, playing trumpet. 

    Why does a 90 year old go on the concert circuit? Obviously he enjoys keeping his memories alive as he continues to make new ones.  They do ten concerts and then have a month off. In conversation with family member after the concert, Kristopher remarked that Herb is as affable behind the scenes as he is on stage. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Tonight...

     It's been my practice with this blog to concentrate on what has happened. So this is an exception because this will be about what I'm going to do tonight.

    How long has it been since I've been to a concert?  Years I guess. Well, tonight I'm going to the Herb Alpert and Tijuana Brass concert in Sioux Falls. Why? Because my cousin's grandson is in the band. Kristopher Bergh plays trumpet and probably keyboard. Several relatives will attend. Two are coming from AZ and one from Hawaii, plus four more. We'll gather for dinner before and  confer with Kristopher before. Other family members have attended in Chicago and Minneapolis and recommend the concert. Sioux Falls is an hour drive so I'll be late to bed tonight.

Takk for alt,

Al

 

Herb is 90!

Church Supper

      Church suppers are popular at this time of year locally. Tonight I was chauffeured to Bruce, S.D, about 25 miles away, for their annual supper. Served family style the meal was meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, coleslaw, lefse and apple crisp. Price you ask? $15.00. Hand made quilts, baked and canned goods are also sold. I nabbed a loaf of banana bread for $5.00. Of yes, honey was also for sale. Many, most?, of the diners looked of the same vintage as inmates of the OFH. My niece was working in the kitchen. 

    Bruce, population 216, is home to America's largest honey producer, Adee Honey Farms is headquartered in Bruce. Bruce is relatively old for this area, founded in 1881. By comparison Sinai was founded in 1907. 

Takk for alt,

Al

    

Wildlife Observations

      Entering a field today I encountered a kaleidoscope of Monarch Butterflies. There were about a dozen flying around in their zig-zag way. Further into the field there was an eagle flying low. Perhaps the same one that flew out of the trees last week. A flock of pelicans, 40?, flew over my head. They always make me glad. I thought that they would have migrated south by now. By Lake Joanne a flock of cormorants took flight. Driving my tractor down the road at 18 mph a great blue heron flew the same speed parallel to me.

   At this site there are four nesting boxes. Cleaning them, two held nests, likely tree swallows. Two of the boxes were stuffed with twigs. That is evidence of wrens stifling nesting competition.

Takk for alt,

Al

A nesting box that a wren had fille with twigs.

Bean Harvest!

      "Too dry, a little sprinkle would be good."  The farmer who spoke thus said his beans tested at 9% moisture, 13% would be better. At least the pods weren't shattering before entering the combine. A B.O. (big-time operator) I saw at lunch today said he'd finished his beans.  His yields were 60+ bushels per acre. 

     Articles in the press relay the news of low commodity prices contrasted with the high prices of fertilizer, seed, diesel fuel and equipment. In conversation with a farmer he made an observation that illustrated the cost of repair. The sickle of his combine broke...it cuts the soybean plant off to allow the plant to enter the combine which removes the seeds from the plant. A new sickle cost $700,00. Soybean prices are depressed because American tariffs have caused China to stop buying soybeans from America. Previously China was major purchaser of American soybeans.  No one wins a trade a war.

Takk for alt,

Al

Soybean pods.

Walking to school up-hill both ways!

 

Perhaps that comic and this quote from Jimmy Carter are enough for the day. "A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extended a helping hand to others. It is a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity."

Takk for alt,

Al