Editorial / Opinions

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!”

The smells of pumpkin pie, cinnamon and turkey linger through our house every Christmas. Laughter from family, children’s giggles and old stories can be heard in the air during the holiday season. It’s a time of year that fills my heart full of happiness!

Some U.S. citizens are not all in a line with the theory that earth is heating up. Scare stories of the polar region melting and New York drowning have not proved to be exact, like they forecasted – weather has always done some crazy things. The ice age came and killed off the dinosaurs when their eggs didn’t hatch. Interesting, but they do have some people who dug up that evidence.

A wise old professor of farm management, whom I once studied under, taught us that this is the time of year when we should sit down and re-evaluate what we’ve done and what should be changed for the next production cycle. Since the old gentleman was not only a great teacher, but a very successful farmer as well (a rarity in higher education), I’ve decided to finally heed his advice.

The smells of pumpkin pie, cinnamon and turkey linger through our house every Christmas. Laughter from family, children's giggles and old stories can be heard in the air during the holiday season. It’s a time of year that fills my heart full of happiness!