Editorial / Opinions

When I was young the winter months seemed to drag on. Days were spent feeding hay and breaking ice on the ponds, and you can only play in the snow so long until it’s time to warm up. (Yes, that’s correct I said “breaking ice on the ponds.” It wasn’t until after my brothers and I left the farm that dad decided it was time to buy automatic heated watering systems). Funny how that happens…

When I woke up on New Year’s Eve Day, 2010 – the TV screen was striped with a red-yellow radar streak and Tulsa Weather was broadcasting tornadoes on the ground in Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas. The first reports came in about 6:30 a.m. and said that victims were trapped in fallen buildings and there were many more problems around Cincinnati, Ark.

I've technologically evolved to the point that I like to get my national news and world events from a website on the internet. As I scanned through the headlines a few weeks ago, an article from Danville, Pa., caught my eye as it stated, "Rampaging Bull Shot to Death." Being a farmer, I clicked on the subject to get more information.

When I was young the winter months seemed to drag on. Days were spent feeding hay and breaking ice on the ponds, and you can only play in the snow so long until it’s time to warm up. (Yes, that’s correct I said “breaking ice on the ponds.” It wasn’t until after my brothers and I left the farm that dad decided it was time to buy automatic heated watering systems). Funny how that happens…

I've technologically evolved to the point that I like to get my national news and world events from a website on the internet. As I scanned through the headlines a few weeks ago, an article from Danville, Pa., caught my eye as it stated, "Rampaging Bull Shot to Death." Being a farmer, I clicked on the subject to get more information.

It’s funny how life brings you full circle and we always end up coming back to our roots.

The old year slips away, a new one slips in. Not a bad time for all of us looking at the things we can do to improve on our lives and farms in the New Year. Don’t make big promises, like you’re going to fix everything wrong, or paint the whole house in one fell swoop. Get some paint and start working on it. Put some time aside to do more. Be sure you have at least one gallon of paint on hand at all times. The further you go, the more you will be working towards having it painted. It surprises you when such a large job does finally reach the end.

When round balers first arrived on the scene, the least little obstruction would cause them to clog at the entrance to the bale chamber. As designs improved and most manufacturers went to the open-throat design, the tendency to jam almost disappeared, resulting in balers that will now bale almost anything. This advancement is great while you're making hay, but at this time of year when ones daily routine is spent unrolling those bales, there are often surprises.

It’s funny how life brings you full circle and we always end up coming back to our roots.

My cell phone rang early last Sunday morning. As I answered it, a panic-stricken voice on the other end exclaimed, “Thank God someone finally answered their phone!”