Something I learned while snowbound

I like to think that I have a little aha moment every day; you know, that moment where you learn something (or in my case maybe it's remember something). Yesterday, my "aha" was that you can indeed make tomato soup out of tomato sauce. And, best of all, you can almost make it taste like the tomato soup that your son is used to getting from the can that you buy in your local supermarket. My husband doesn't like tomato soup. My daughter is "iffy" on it. But for my son and I, grilled cheese sandwiches just aren't very good without good old tomato soup.

I googled "tomato soup from tomato sauce" and I did get a promising entry. Although most of it turned out to be more "exotic" than I was looking for, one thing I did glean was that using a little bit of chicken bullion would greatly improve the flavor. So I added some dissolved chicken bullion into the tomato sauce, then I said to my son, "You need to taste this. It doesn't taste right."

Well, first of all, never say to your kid, "This doesn't taste right." He was not very excited about tasting something yucky. But after he tasted it, he said simply, "No, it doesn't taste very good, Mom. It needs to be sweeter."

So I added sugar, and by gosh, the kid was right. It was just what it needed. We just kept adding little bits of sugar until it tasted right. The only downside is that I didn't measure anything, except the chicken bullion (1/4 tsp. dissolved in a Kroll's Kitchen glass filled almost to the top).

I probably can get pretty close next time, because I do remember adding a little sugar three times. (I also added some milk, which I also did not measure, but you just keep adding that until you think it looks about the right color.)

I'll need some more practice to get proficient at my tomato soup from tomato sauce, but I'm still really tickled about my personal discovery.

I know. I know.

In the grand scheme of things, it's pretty small potatoes. Hmmmm. Potatoes. Now, what could I do with potatoes? : )

Happy discovering!

Dawn

Snowbound

I woke up to the words, "No school in Bismarck or Mandan." They rarely close school in Bismarck, so I figured it had to be bad. At that time, we had just over 10 inches on the ground. It's just after noon and we now have more than 14 inches on the ground with still more coming. I didn't think it was possible, but we may break the 1997 record, which doesn't really thrill me. I would have been very happy having this winter be in third place, but apparently, it is not to be.

They are closing state agencies at 1 p.m. today, so hopefully my husband can make it home without too much trouble.

Despite the snow day, things have been buzzing here. Route 1000 classes to get cancelled, Farm Bureau Minutes to coordinate, websites to update and paper Easter bunnies to make.

By the way, the bunny is awesome. My daughter named her "Rosy." I suggested Benny, but as soon as she said "Rosy" I knew that was the perfect name. You gotta think rosy right now. The rosier the better.

Happy rosy thinking!

Dawn

A proud North Dakotan

Throughout the day today, I have been listening, via the web, to how things are going in Fargo. With our Farm Bureau and Nodak offices closed today, those usual links to how everyone is doing have been severed. So the Internet broadcast has been very welcome.

I have listened to the calls for food, for sandbagging assistance and for help plugging drains. I have heard people call in offering food, generators, places to stay and all kinds of assistance. I have listened to people from New Mexico and the East Coast call in to offer support and donations. I have heard FEMA folks say that they have never seen a better example of a community pulling together to save itself.

It's funny, but you always hope that bad times will bring out the best in people, and I think that has been proven by the folks in Fargo. And I'm sure that same theme played out in Linton and Beulah and other communities where Mother Nature reared her head.

I'm very proud to be a North Dakotan. Always have been. Always will be. But after hearing all the good things North Dakota people have done for each other today, I'm standing a little taller.

Good luck and God bless all.

Dawn

NDFB Executive VP on the front lines

I'm guessing not only the state, but the nation, is watching Fargo as the Red River rises to record levels. The Fargo Farm Bureau and Nodak office are closed today because of the situation unfolding there.

North Dakota Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Jeffrey Missling has been on the front lines, sandbagging for several days. He just started a blog called Farm boy in the city that he has managed to post to a couple of times since he joined the sandbagging effort. Read his blog at http://ndfbfarmboy.blogspot.com.

I had an opportunity to talk to Jeffrey this morning. He was on his way to assist with the sandbagging effort again. He said that the selflessness he has seen by the volunteers is inspiring. "Even though the situation is difficult, the volunteers have been dealing with it with humor. Just being able to laugh together has helped with stress levels."

And he also said that, even if the dike fails, the spirit and drive of the people have been amazing. "I think it is pretty incredible what has been done here."

Our prayers are with the folks along the Red as this situation continues to unfold.

Dawn

The geese are flying south

Yesterday, I got finished with a conference call and looked out the office window. Lots of white. But I knew they weren't closing school early, but they had cancelled parent-teacher conferences and that they were closing I-94 between Bismarck and Dickinson, and that the governor had just held a press conference saying that they might have to blow up some ice on the river. I knew all this "stuff" that was going on (or not going on). But what I didn't know was that I was the only person left in the whole building. Everyone else scrammed at some point, and I was oblivious.

It was a little creepy because, all of a sudden I realized how even though I thought I was hooked into all kinds of information, I was unaware of what was happening right around me.

I don't know how often that kind of thing happens to you, or if it ever does, but it reminded me that, even though we like to think we are in control of all kinds of things, we really aren't. Mother Nature has proved that to most of us in North Dakota over the last couple of days. And even though some say weather extremes are because of man's influence on the environment and the whole climate change thing, I think it's really just another way for us to think we are in control of something that we really aren't in control of at all. I don't think that makes me naive or arrogant. What I think it makes me is humble. And thankful for each day I have on this planet.

Before all the raging weather hit the state and we enjoyed temperatures in the 40s and 50s, I saw a lot of geese flying north. Well, sort of northwesterly.

Today, the flock that I saw was heading southeast. Completely opposite direction. I kind of smiled to myselrf. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? None of us, really. And that's the point. We have our best guess, but that is all it really is: a guess.

Happy guessing!

Dawn

The cost is...

A few weeks ago I asked if anyone would like to take my SurveyMonkey challenge and find out the cost of some staple food items at their local grocery store. I got no takers, but I promised that, if I didn't get any takers, I'd go to the grocery store and check on the cost of the 9 items so you could compare. This weekend, my daughter and I headed to the grocery store while the men-folk (my husband and son) made Hamburger Helper over a cook stove in the park for a scout thing.

Here are the results:

1 lb. Red Delicious apples: $1.47
5 lbs. Russet potatoes: $1.77 (sign said: save 90 cents, so we assume regular price to be $2.67
1 lb ground chuck: $2.19, (sign said: save 86 cents, so we assume regular price to be $3.05)
1 lb. bacon: $3.49
1 gallon 2 percent milk: $3.55
1 dozen Grade A large eggs: $1.22
5 lbs. all-purpose flour: $2.61
32 oz. bottle of vegetable oil: $3.85
8.9 oz. box of Cheerios: $3.29

Good, eh? Well, in a completely Dawn move, I priced the vegetable oil, but didn't buy any. So when when we get home I tell my daughter I'm going to bake some brownies, and hmmmm, guess where I'm going with this? Yep, not enough vegetable oil to complete the recipe. Fortunately, I have nice neighbors. Their daughter graciously brought me more than enough vegetable oil to make the brownies and keep my promise!

Needless to say, I made a trip to the grocery store at noon today and bought that 32 oz. bottle of $3.85 vegetable oil!

Happy baking!

Dawn

Morton County Ag Day

I hope, within the next week or so, to post a video on North Dakota Values and on the North Dakota Farm Bureau website about Morton County Farm Bureau's once-again wildly successful Ag Day event, held March 19.

You really have to hand it to these Morton County Farm Bureau folks. They work incredibly hard to organize the event, and it shows. People -- young and old -- come from miles around to attend this event, filled with interesting and informative booths, a petting zoo, and so much more. The event really helps kids get a better understanding of how important agriculture is to all of us in a fun way that, hopefully, helps them remember. I know my kids absolutely love Ag Day and are thrilled to go every year, as the picture above shows.

So congratulations Morton County Farm Bureau, for another hugely successful Ag Day event. May you continue with your success for many, many years to come.

Happy ag educating!

Dawn

The heart of a young man

I still get a little weepy when I think about it today, but I think my husband and I have a son with a heart of gold.

Yesterday, on our way back from Morton County Ag Day, my kids and I decided to swing into the grocery store so we could buy some brats for supper. Standing on a busy street corner was a young man holding a sign that he was hungry and out of work and could use some help. His dog was lying down a few feet away.

I said out loud, "Oh, and here I am without any cash on me." My son checked his backpack and pockets. "I don't have any either," he said with a look of panic on his face. It didn't really register until we got to the grocery store how he was feeling.

Once in side, my son lagged behind looking incredibly sad. I asked him what was wrong. He didn't want to tell me. "Just buy your groceries," he said.

"Just buy 'your' groceries," I thought. And in that instant, I realized what was bothering him. I hugged him and said, "Would you like to buy that man and his dog some food?" He nodded "yes" through teary eyes.

So we did.

The man said "God bless you," to my son as he handed him the bag of groceries from the car window on a busy street with cars backed up behind us. I usually worry about being a traffic hazard, but I had my flashers on and at this moment in time, I figured we had a bigger purpose than slowing a few people down on their commute home.

And that reminded me that we all have a responsibility, each and every day, to make a difference in some one's life in some small way. And I was reminded by an 11 year-old young man with a heart of gold.

Happy Ag Day! Happy Spring! And be happy making a difference!

Dawn

A farmer

I was in the basement today, digging up some information from old Farm Bureau publications for the next issue of Focus when I ran across this really great "what is a farmer" story. It was in the April 1981 issue of NDFB's Dakota Family magazine. This was before my time -- I mean my Farm Bureau time, not my birth time -- but even though the description is 28 years old, I thought much of it still rings true today. There is no attribution but I figured the writer must be a farmer's wife.

Here are a couple of my favorite excerpts:

"Farmers are found in fields plowing up, seeding down, returning from and planting to, fertilizing with, spraying for, and harvesting it. Wives help them, little boys follow them, the Agriculture Department confuses them, city relatives visit them, salesmen detain them, meals wait for them, weather can delay them, but it takes Heaven to stop them.

"A farmer is both faith and fatalist -- he must have faith to continually meet the challenges of his capacities, amid an ever present possibility that an act of God can bring his business to a standstill. You can reduce his acreage but you can't restrain his ambition.

"Might as well put up with him -- he is your friend, your competitor, your customer, your source of food and fiber, and a help to replenish your cities.

"And when he comes in at noon having spent the energy of his hopes and dreams, he can be recharged anew with the magic words, 'The market's up.' "

Happy farming!

Dawn

I'm younger than the Pillsbury Dough Boy

I realized today, scanning through the "This day in history" feature on North Dakota Values, that I am younger than the Pillsbury Dough Boy. So I got that going for me, which is nice.

I was a little taken aback, too, because that little dude of dough was only introduced one year (and some odd weeks and days) before I was born. I kind of had it in my head that he had been around a lot longer. And then I realized that I have been around for quite a while. It's like that "aha" moment when you realize you aren't a spring chicken anymore, but are more like the dude of dough.

But the Pillsbury Dough Boy got me to thinking about how everyone (or at least those of us "of a certain age") think of him as an icon, an enduring and lovable symbol of simple values and home. And that reminded me that the simple values are really the core values that this country was founded upon: freedom, hard work and personal responsibility. They are also the principals that Farm Bureau was founded upon.

As we try to dig our way out of this recession, it would seem that those three things could go a long way in fixing a lot of problems that we have.

Happy birthday, Pillsbury Dough Boy!

Dawn

All things agriculture

You know, March is a big month for celebrations and awareness campaigns. In the first week, we had Farm Safety Awareness Week. The second week was North Dakota Farm Bureau Week, and this week is National Agriculture Week.

So, in honor of the week, I thought I'd share an interesting little tidbit of information that I actually received in a publication called Cultivate, which is a Virginia Farm Bureau publication for consumers.

On page 19 of the publication, there was a Q&A about some of the most frequently asked questions consumers ask about farming. Now, I'm a consumer, but coming from a farm, I have to admit that the first question in the Q&A actually had me thinking, "Wow! That's a question that never would have even occurred to me."

Here is the question, with the answer:

"How much work can a farm get out of one gallon of gas?"

"Fuel efficiency for machines is measured in horsepower hours per gallon of diesel, rather than miles per gallon of gasoline, and farm tractors are becoming more fuel-efficient. According to a study by the University of Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory, tractor models designed in 2000 averaged 16.54 hpg (hours per gallon) compared to 1980 models, which averaged 14.48 hpg. The laboratory conducts nearly all national tractor tests."

Isn't that something when you think about it? If you weren't involved in agriculture, how would you know something like hours per gallon of diesel, rather than miles per gallon of gas? But it just goes to show you that, when it comes to educating about agriculture, you really can't take anything for granted. There is a lot of misunderstanding out there, but by using all the tools available to us, we can help educate consumers as to just how important agriculture is to all of us.

As the Agriculture Council of America says: "Why celebrate agriculture? Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use and wear on a daily basis. But too few people truly understand this contribution."

Let's help people understand, any way we can.

Happy educating!!

Dawn

It's Friday

It's Friday, 5:01 p.m. and I don't have much left in me to say. Whether I was talking about North Dakota Values on the radio, or writing news releases about the contest, or helping get out this week's edition of Legislative Front, it seem all the words left in me are either substandard or they just aren't coming to me.

So I'm going to use Mick Kjar's words, the broadcaster who interviewed me about the Get the Dirt photo contest and Farm Bureau Week activities. He said, and I'm paraphrasing of course, "North Dakota Values, it's not really Facebook. It's more like Farmbook. It's not really Myspace, it's more like Farmspace."

I thought that was pretty clever. In fact, I wish I had thought of it. So, hat's off to Mick, and thanks for helping us promote our Get the dirt on ag kids photo contest and our winner, Sandy Mitchell. It was great fun and I hope we can do it again, real soon. And by the way, this is the winning photo.

Anyway, happy, "farmbooking!"

Dawn

Farm Facts fire sale

Oooh, I got an e-mail this afternoon about a "fire sale" on 2007 Farm Facts, a colorful, educational publication about....well, about farm facts.....put out by American Farm Bureau. They do the facts every two years. So that means we should be seeing the 2009 edition soon. I'm guessing by this summer.

I don't know if you've ever seen the publication, but it's chock-full of good information. In fact, when I'm spitting out facts, I turn to Farm Facts for my information, because I know I can trust what's in there.

One of my favorite statistics is the number of people who are fed by one farmer. I think it says so much about how far we've come over the years. For instance, the number of people fed annually by one farmer, back in 1940, was 19. That number jumped to 73 by 1970. By 1990, it was 129. In 2007, it was up to 143. Will the number be even higher in 2009?

Another one is the real amount of the USDA budget that goes to farm programs. I know I've mentioned it before, but hey, all good statistics bear repeating.

According to Farm Facts, more than half of the budget is spent on food and nutrition programs. And I've heard that, that number is now in the more-than-60-percent range.

There are even companion pieces to the book, a lesson plan for teachers for kids in grades 4-6 and one for teachers in grades 7-12.

If you haven't picked up a copy of Farm Facts, they are still available by clicking here.

Happy facting!

Dawn

The need for cute

I just read earlier today on one of those media-watching networks that cute is really in. The reason? Apparently, it's the economy. People need a good laugh, and they're getting it from sites that post cute pictures of animals cuteoverload.com and cute animals and kids falling asleep http://www.cutethingsfallingasleep.org/ and even cute kids laughing http://www.cutethingslaughing.com/. Apparently, these sites are getting millions of hits each month and have made national news. Of course I had to check them all out to make sure that media-watching network wasn't steering me down the wrong path. I have to admit, they all had me smiling or laughing outright. Check them out. I'll wait.



They got you smiling too, didn't they?

I think we're really on the cutting edge here with our Get the dirt on ag kids photo contest. By the way, the winner will be announced tomorrow afternoon, and will receive $250. That should ALSO bring a smile to at least the winner's face.

But, contest or no contest, maybe we need to keep posting those cute kid photos to North Dakota Values. I have to tell you that I really looked forward, each morning, to logging on to the site to see if we had any new pictures.

So, even though the contest is over, please, please, feel free to post more cute kid photos on the North Dakota Values site. And just to get us going, again, I am offering up this one of my daughter even though it has nothing to do with agriculture. But it has everything to do with her outstanding fashion sense, though, wouldn't you agree?

Happy smiling!

Dawn

Socially speaking

Please bear with me if you've heard this before. But in my own defense, I'm almost to that age, now, where I should be entitled to tell the same story over and over without being admonished.

I started working for Farm Bureau before Al Gore invented the Internet. In fact, I can remember sitting in my office, listening to one of the Nodak agents talk about how this Internet is so cool and is really going to take off, and I didn't have a clue as to what he was talking about.

Fast forward almost 20 years. I think we can safely say that Dave (the Nodak agent) was correct. But cool comes with its drawbacks too.

There is nothing like a good old, face-to-face conversation, but it's a slow, slow process.

Social media, and online networking have made keeping in touch much easier. But they've also made it easier to sway people with half-truths or outright lies. It's a lot easier for a "mob mentality" to form when you can talk amongst yourselves and never get the straight scoop on something. That's why there has to be more sites out there like Farm Bureau is trying to get out there.

American Farm Bureau has its main site, but it also has a Foodie news blog and a Your agriculture site for consumers.

In North Dakota, we have our main site, three social networks -- youngfarmers.ning.com www.northdakotavalues.com and ndfoodlandpeople.ning.com, not to mention targeted pages on our main site for specific programs like Route 1000 and Career Connections and our Weather and Markets sub site. It's a long ways from the couple of pages we had for a website back in the mid '90s.

So what can we do? By all means, embrace social media, grab hold of it. Take charge. Tell your story. It's a great story, and it deserves to be told to anyone who will listen, both in the local coffee shop and online!

Happy story-telling!

Dawn

The survey is still open

I just wanted to subtly remind you all that, that wild hair I had about doing an informal, North Dakota cost of groceries survey? Well, the hair is still wild and the survey is still up. Until Thursday. At least that's the deadline I gave ya'll in my February 26 blog.

So far, I have had ZERO takers on the survey. But, hey, if you're going to the grocery store between now and Thursday, (and if we're going to have a blizzard, you better go TODAY), why not just check the prices real quick on the list of 9 items below. You don't have to buy any of them. Just check the price of:

1 lb. of Red Delicious apples
5 lbs. of Russet potatoes
1 lb. of ground chuck (or 80-85 percent lean ground beef)
1 lb. bacon
1 gallon 2% milk
1 dozen Grade A large eggs
5 lbs. all-purpose flour
32 oz. vegetable oil
1 8.9 oz. box of Cheerios (that's an 8.9 oz. box, not an 18.9 oz. box)

We also have a required question -- the city where grocery prices were checked. That's really just so we can see if there is a variation across the state.

We only want regular prices. No sales prices or any two-for-ones. Then, if I get any survey responses, I'll tally them up and report back to you on the North Dakota Values network. If I don't get any response, I'll just check the prices at my local store and report back so you can compare your prices to those of the Capitol City.

Here's the link again: ND grocery price survey.

Happy pricing!

Dawn

I don't feel....well...good.

The title was not a typo. This is what I struggled with for several minutes today. Oh, everything seems to be a little harder when you don't feel well, or is it "feel good?" I think "feel well" is proper English, but I'm not feeling very proper at the moment. You know the feeling. Scratchy eyes. Itchy nose. Dry lips and an even drier throat from breathing through your mouth all day. And make sure you fix the typo "dryer" and make it "drier" because the "dryer" is that thing you put your clothes in to make them "drier." Which I did, thankfully, before I posted this properly worded post. Did I mention I don't feel well, or that I don't feel good?

When you "google" the words "I don't feel well," you get 62.4 million results. But, if you type in "I don't feel good" you get 80.6 million. HOWEVER, you don't get an answer to which one is correct. So you have to ask a different question, and when I asked a different question, the response I found was, "You can say, 'I feel good' when you aren't talking about your health." If your health is not good, then you aren't well.

I think that's kind of funny, but then, I'm not well.

I'm actually glad that my body chose to be "not well" today, rather than next week, because it will be a very busy week for Farm Bureau, with it being Farm Bureau Week, and all.

This is the ninth year in a row that we have received a governor's proclamation for Farm Bureau Week. This year, we are celebrating March 8-14, and are having coffee and kuchen at the Capitol, holding a legislative reception, bringing in Farm Bureau leaders from around the state for a Council of Presidents meeting and announcing our Get the dirt on ag kids photo contest winner. And that's just what's happening on the state level. County Farm Bureaus have all kinds of great stuff planned too.

I'm excited about assembling our judges next week to judge the photos in the contest. I think we have a lot of winners. In fact, there are so many great photos, I'm thinking we may have to have our own calendar!

But I think I will go home now, because, well, I think you already know what I'm going to say, so I won't.

Happy Farm Bureau Week!

Dawn

A not slow news day

Just about the time I thought I had been removed from all kinds of news e-mail lists, an avalanche of information came across my computer today. Notice, I didn't say my desk? Stuff sits on my desk. It comes ACROSS my computer.

For all I know, the Ark of the Covenant could be in the piles of stuff on my desk. I am seriously, seriously thinking of chucking the whole pile -- okay, okay, I mean piles -- in the trash and starting over, rather than trying to weed through it all to decide if something I printed out in 2005 is REALLY worth keeping. But, I know that I will need to retrieve that precious nugget of information that I had in that pile exactly 3.8 seconds after the garbage man has taken it away. So there it sits.

But I digress.

In all the news I got today, there was a first-person account of a first-generation farmer.

I was immediately intrigued because you hear over and over: "You can't get into farming these days unless you are born into it." I'm ashamed to admit I've even said it myself a time or two. Well, this guy did it and I bet there are several others out there too, who have done it. It really just shows you that if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen.

This first-generation farmer's name is Mathew Meals, and he is now chairman of the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer and Rancher Committee. Although Mathew's grandfather had to sell the farm before he was born, he says, "I have always respected the values my grandfather stood for and I want to carry on that heritage. At the same time, I realize farming has changed — it’s not my grandfather’s agriculture anymore. Farmers and ranchers not only have the opportunity, but the responsibility, to help out other producers and shepherd along those who dream of becoming a farmer or rancher. It is up to each and every one of us to lend a helping hand and encourage others to take the plunge, getting their feet wet in an industry that has given opportunity to so many Americans."

Sounds like a very, very good idea to me.

Happy helping!

Dawn

Dirty jobs

Have you ever seen the show, "Dirty Jobs" with Mike Rowe on the Discovery Channel? It's really a pretty darn good show. Our hero gets put in all kinds of interesting, sometimes even slightly nauseating jobs, and manages to not only teach us a little about the jobs people do out there, but have a lot of fun in the process.

Grainger, the company that works with more than 3,000 suppliers to provide customers with access to more than 870,000 products, has also begun working with Rowe to raise awareness about the widening gap between the supply of skilled workers and the growing technical demands of today’s workplace.

“The people at Grainger have always known the importance of ‘getting it done’ for their customers,” says Rowe. “It’s with that same passion and enthusiasm that together, we can help call attention to the importance of skilled labor. Our conversations led to the idea of putting me on the cover of their legendary catalog and sending it to the hardest-working people on the planet," Rowe said.

I think farmers and ranchers fall into that category. Grainger must too, because they offer Farm Bureau members a 10% discount on Grainger products. Learn more by going to the NDFB website's Member benefits page.

And, if you haven't watched "Dirty Jobs," get thee to a TV on Tuesday (or Friday) night.

Happy dirty job watching!

Dawn

I'm "official"

Ha! It’s official. I’ve been saying it for years, but now I have the word of someone (presumably younger) on a communicators network that I subscribe to, that I am officially……

OLD.

And I quote: “Even bona fide old people -- 45-to-54 year-olds -- are participating in spectator behavior and joining social networks at record levels: 68% and 24%, respectively.”

Some of us old people are even initiating social networks. I guess there will always be anomalies like me who throw that bell-shaped curve out of whack.

I'm actually proud of the fact that I'm a bona fide old person, because that means that, according to the dictionary anyway, I'm authentic and genuine. I'd want to be authentic and genuine even if I wasn't old.

And when do I become "statutorily" old so I can become a legend in my own mind?

Believe it or not, there is a point to all this mindless chatter. And it is this: No matter what your age, networks, like North Dakota Values, are there to help you connect with other people.

I'm a member of a communications network so I can get the latest information on doing my job better. I'm part of North Dakota Values because I want to become a better person than I was yesterday. And there is no better way to do that than connecting with other really great people.

So, thanks to all of you who are members of North Dakota Values, and to all those who decide to join somewhere down the line. You're helping to keep me genuine and authentic! We hope North Dakota Values does the same for you.

Happy networking!

Dawn

Are you a tryptophan?

Oh, I know. I can just HEAR the groans: "Trypto fan." I'm sorry. I just couldn't help with the play on words thing.

I was reading through the latest edition of American Farm Bureau's Foodie News and in it was a story on how "snooze foods" (i.e., those with plentiful amounts of tryptophan) are becoming more popular in these increasingly stressful times, largely because they help people sleep better. Being the easily swayed and impressed "armchair" scientist I am, it got me interested in learning more about this "stuff of turkey." So a "googled" tryptophan and came up with all kinds of information. And it turns out, even though I was making a joke -- albeit a groan-worthy joke -- I am a tryptophan fan and I didn't even know it.

For instance, although turkey is supposed to have a lot of tryptophan in it, chicken has more. And guess what one of my dietary staples is? Yep. Chicken. I am the one who goes to a seafood restaurant and orders chicken.

What's more, tryptophan is apparently more than "that amino acid that makes you tired." It turns out it is a "precursor" to serotonin, which is, of course, the neurotransmitter which helps regulate appetite, sleep patterns, and mood.

And what can we learn from this? Well, this is just a theory -- mind you -- from a chicken-loving armchair scientist, but maybe that old saying "tastes just like chicken" has greater mood and mind implications than one could have ever imagined.

Happy tryptophan-ing!

Dawn