I have to take time to add my voice to all the folks who are talking about the passing of Steve Jobs. This is not an attempt to chronicle his life or achievements. It’s more to say how much I appreciate them. The iPod, followed by podcasting was a huge driver for our business. We affectionately call it farm podcasting. …
The View Out Front
Our front lawn now has more color. In addition to the forklift, skid steer, scissor lift, four F250s, two cars, two flat bed trailers, one enclosed trailer and a chevy, there’s also the new barn being erected which is the exact opposite of our house. People keep telling me we should’ve just added “horse’s quarters” to the front of our …
I Hope They Don’t Mind…
My neighbors up the road, that is. Since my family planted soybeans across the highway this year, I had to go to the adjacent field to cut down some corn for my outside decorations. I hope they don’t mind. It was only about 8 stalks. And I picked ones that had fewer ears so the squirrels weren’t climbing our overhang …
Look – Corn! Look – More Corn!
Over the weekend, we loaded up 10 bales of hay onto my husband’s flatbed trailer and took five kids under the age of 5 on a hay rack ride. For about an hour, we toured the 10 rectangular miles around our house and ended at our make-shift pumpkin patch. Since “real” pumpkin patches were too far away to drive to, …
Two Days Worth
Have I ever mentioned my husband works fast? We dug post holes last week and after two full days of work, this is what our shed looks like now. By this weekend, we’ll be putting color on the walls (tin) and it will resemble the exact mirror opposite of our house. Our son calls it the “new house” and says …
IA Secretary of Ag New President of NASDA
Congratulations to Iowa Secretary of Ag, Bill Northey. He’s been elected to serve as President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) for 2011-12. As President, Northey will host NASDA members in Des Moines September 12-17, 2012. “I’m excited for this opportunity and appreciate the support of NASDA members,” Northey said. “As negotiations pick up on the …
Unexpected Passing of Shannon Schaffer
We were shocked to hear that our friend Shannon Schaffer passed away suddenly over the weekend while on a bicycle ride. We got to know Shannon when he was with the U.S. Grains Council. In fact, I traveled with him on a trip to Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. You really get to know people when you travel like that. I …
Scare Tactics
I like lists. Grocery lists, to-do lists, task lists. There’s something about checking things off my list that gives me a sense of satisfaction. So here’s my list of things I’m afraid of: Spiders (literally, 7-year old girl screaming scared) Bees (or any version of something that buzzes) That’s a pretty short list, but the one on the top is …
What? We’re going to horse school?
My kids are off to school. That is, Thelma and Louise have been sent off for about a month for some training … my son thinks they went to horsey school. This summer, we went to two rodeos and that renewed my desire to ride our horses and learn more about the equine industry rather than to just have two …
Temporary Decoration
I talked a little bit about the new construction going on in our front yard – the new shed. Last week, instead of focusing on my flowers and deer skull and new maple tree as decorations, I had to snap a photo of the latest lawn adornment – an 18-wheeler. It wasn’t there for long, but the tire tracks in …