The gathering of the green

I have to admit that when I saw the subject line in the e-mail, I figured it was some kind of climate change summit.

And even though I didn't recognize the sender, I threw caution to the wind and opened the message.

Turns out Gathering of the Green has nothing to do with climate change and EVERYTHING to do with lovers of John Deere tractors.

Now, I didn't grow up on a John Deere farm. (Is that a bad thing to say?) But I fully respect folks who stand by their brand. And if they are John Deere lovers, who am I to question that love.

So I'm sharing the love.

Consider this a public service announcement for The Gathering of the Green, an event John Deere lovers might not want to miss. The event is scheduled for March 17-20 in Davenport, Iowa.

For all the details, go to www.gatheringofthegreen.com.

If you have questions about the “Gathering,” call Gathering Information at 815-246-4121 or call Ken Reese at 815-578-8635 or e-mail him at kwreese@aol.com.

Oh, and if you go, by golly have a wee bit o' fun! : )

Dawn

My favorite quote so far this year

I read a lot in my job. In fact, I spend a great deal of time sharing what I read to Farm Bureau members in one way or another, whether its through our Facebook page, our Twitter page or the NDFB website, or just by e-mail.

And one of my favorite quotes so far this year came from a blogger that NDFB follows on Twitter. His name is Rob Port and he has a blog called Say Anything, and this is what he said that really made me think:

"Sure we all just want to work our jobs and care for our families and live our lives and generally be left alone. But if we want to continue to be left alone we've got to be involved."

It seems like an odd statement to make at first glance, but it is very much the truth. And I think it's something we all need to keep in mind.

And that's your Tuesday nugget of knowledge! : )

Dawn

Cow fun

Call it the giggly 7-year-old in me, but I thought these cattle jokes were a hoot.

What’s another name for a cowhand?
-A hamburger helper

Why was the belt arrested?
-For holding up the pants

What do you call it when one bull spies on another?
-A steak-out

What is the most important use of cowhide?
-To keep the cow together

What newspaper does a cow read?
-The Daily “Moos”

What two members of the cow family go everywhere with you?
-Your calves

Where do Russian cows come from?
-Mos-cow

What do you call a sleeping bull?
-A bull dozer

Where do cattle go to dance?
-The meat ball

You gotta admit it. You smiled at least a little, didn't you?

Well, while we're at it, let's just add a little cattle trivia as a bonus:

Cattle can eat and digest things we cannot, like fruit pits, almond hulls, cottonseed and sugar beet pulp.

On a typical 1,000 pound cow, 400 pounds are used for beef and the remainder is by-products used for many other things.

The hide from one cow can make 144 baseballs, 20 footballs or 12 basketballs.

Cattle provide stearic acid, which makes the rubber in automobile tires keep its shape.

Beef is high in iron, which gives you energy and helps your brain think. Beef is rich in protein, which builds strong muscles and repairs body tissue. Beef provides zinc, which helps fight off illness and heal injuries.

So, in other words, if you eat beef, chances are your brain is thinking enough not to get into a pen with a cow or bull, but if you do, you'll have more energy to jump the fence when it charges, and if you sprain your ankle going over the fence, at least it'll heal fast because of all that beef you ate!

Dawn

Bun eater!

My daughter has decided that homemade buns really rock. Lucky for me, the homemade buns she prefers come from frozen bread dough! So my job is quite a bit easier than those who will settle for nothing less than the "from-scratch" variety.

I was pretty lucky, growing up. My grandma, who lived just through the trees from our house, baked from-scratch buns frequently, and I would go up there and scarf down several, usually getting hiccups in the process, before filling my pockets with "extras" and scampering down the path with my treasures.

Grandma never said anything, but I'm sure she knew of my exploits.

My daughter has turned out to be a bun eater, just like me, except I'm feeling a little guilty that I'm not providing her with those glorious truly homemade buns that I got as a kid. But then again, when you have a picky eater, why mess with a formula that works? I get to spend less time in the kitchen making the buns, and she gets "homemade" buns every day.

In fact, she had the last one of the batch for a school snack, today. Which reminds me; I better run. I have buns to make!

Dawn

Have you heard about the cadmium scare?

I heard something about this a few days ago, and for some reason, today, I thought of it again and thought I would share, because I have a young daughter who has a lot of dress-up, inexpensive jewelry. Most of hers is plastic, so I'm not too concerned, but she does have a few of those, "make it yourself" kinds of metal charms that could very easily be unsafe.

Here are two links:

www.kansascity.com/105/story/1675747.html

www.us.news.com/health/blogs

I know it can be tough to throw away some trinket that your child is fond of, but it's just like that saying about food, "When in doubt, throw it out."

Dawn

Thank a farmer

For the abundance we enjoy!

(And these are just the typical fruit and vegetable choices. Don't even get me started on the meat and dairy selections!!!)

Food for thought on a blustery January afternoon.

Dawn

Food, she said

If I would have been thinking ahead, I would have cut myself a piece of bread and thrown some grapes in a bag this morning. But by golly, I wasn't thinking about my lunch -- although I think about making sure everyone else in my family gets a lunch -- this morning as I left to go to the office. That's because I usually use my lunch time to go home, let out the dog and grab something before I head back to work.

But this morning, I had to get my Jeep into the fix-it place because it was leaking fluids. I also knew that the fix-it place wouldn't be done in time for me to go home at noon, let the dog out (sorry Riley, you're skipping lunch too!) and grab something to eat. But I threw caution to the wind and said to myself, "Self, it's not like you haven't put on a few extra pounds. You can do without lunch today."

But it's 1 p.m. and "self" is being particularly insistent that all she's gonna think about is food, or the lack thereof. In fact, I am seriously considering opening the non-dairy creamer in the back room and eating spoonfuls of the stuff.

And you know what? I just bet you that, if I was able to get in my Jeep and get something to eat, I wouldn't be nearly as fixated on food as I am right now. In fact, I probably wouldn't even be hungry. But because I don't have a choice, I want the choice.

What's that old Rolling Stones song? "You can't always get what you want...But if you try sometimes you just might find. You get what you need."

Excuse me, I think I hear the non-dairy creamer calling my name!

Dawn

Haiti relief

The devastation in Haiti as a result of the earthquake has people wanting to do as much as they can to help. I have gotten more than one news release about how and where to donate.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Minnesota and North Dakota advises donors that giving via text message can be a safe and easy way to give—but you should still use caution. They say this about it:

* Confirm the number directly with the source. While the BBB has not yet heard of any scams relying on text message donations, this emerging method for donating is ripe for exploitation by scammers. However, two texting donation methods which have been confirmed are: by texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999, a $10 donation will be made to the American Red Cross; and by texting ‘Yele’ to 501501, a $5 donation will be made to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (www.yele.org). In each case, donors will be billed by their cell phone carrier for the amount of their donation.

* Be aware that text donations are not immediate. Depending on the text message service used by the charity, text donations can take anywhere from 30-90 days to be transferred to the designated charity. If you would like the donation to be received immediately by the charity, you can give online through the charity Web site, by calling the charity directly or by sending a check in the mail.

* Review the fine print. When you give to a charity through text message, you might also be signing yourself up to receive text message updates from the charity in the future. A charity should include the details of its text campaign on its Web site so you can see what you’re signing up for and how you can opt out.

* Research the charity. Giving wisely to a charity isn’t just about making sure that the solicitation isn’t coming from scammers. Wise donors make sure their donations are going to charities that are best equipped to help in the relief efforts and will responsibly use the money for its intended purpose.

Governor Hoeven just sent out a press release encouraging people to donate to the relief effort, and gave Red Cross information. It is as follows:

American Red Cross donations can be made at any local Red Cross office, by going online to www.redcross.org or calling 1-800-733-2767. Individuals can also donate $10 on their cell phones by texting the word “Haiti” to the number 90999.

Here's hoping the people there get the relief they need as quickly as possible.

Dawn

Jacob Frost

You know, there's something to be said for being a little lazy. I have this teeny-tiny flowerbed that typically gets overgrown with marigolds, but a couple of years ago I transplanted two Jacob's Ladder that had grown outside another flowerbed border. I didn't get around to cutting them down this fall, and I'm glad I didn't, because they sure looked pretty yesterday morning. So I'm sharing.



























Dawn

A septic recipe

I wasn't expecting it today, of all days. The weather was beautiful, dare I say teetering on yet another January thaw day. Yet, I got home with a handful of groceries at noon to the buzz of the septic tank alarm.

So I am sharing my proven recipe for thawing out the septic pipes:

Curse the septic system as you trudge downstairs
Shut off pump
Curse the septic system
Shut off alarm
Curse the septic system
Trudge upstairs
Curse the septic system
Locate septic blow dryer
Trudge outside
Curse the septic system
Unwrap the septic hole
Note that the trouble light that has been in the hole to keep the pipes warm is no longer working
Remove the trouble light and curse
Lower blow dryer down hole
Cover hole
Wait
And wait (curse while you wait, of course)
And wait some more
After about 15 minutes of cursing the septic system, go back downstairs and turn on the septic pump
Wait for the little red light to turn green
Curse when it has not gone off in a minute
Turn off septic pump
Trudge upstairs and curse
Wait another 15 minutes
Repeat motions from the going downstairs trudge line
Feel incredibly empowered when THIS time the red light turns green
Go upstairs, uncover hole, remove blower dryer and put trouble light back in hole with new bulb
Feel good about yourself because you managed to fight back a stubborn foe, unassisted! (Hey you get your victories where you can!)

Happy Monday!

Dawn

Appreciate

I find that I usually get a little philosophical this time of year. So when people write stuff that resonates with my philosophical mood, I feel compelled to share.

Kris Ringwall, a beef specialist with NDSU Extension said in a column written just before Christmas:

"We are products of our environment, locally anchored and educated. And then, from within ourselves, we each derive a concept of what should and what should not be.

"We live differently. We eat differently. We even may have different fundamental values. There is little wonder that some days we find ourselves puzzled as we peek into the world but then return to our own safe havens.

"The world is a good place, but the busyness of the world tends to drive us hard. Often, it is with an opinionated position that we envision to help those we encounter and ourselves. These encounters often are mixed with good and bad feelings. Nevertheless, the close of day tends to bring us some rest and feelings of accomplishment.

"But the busyness does not end. With the passing of time, even our roots tend to start to be transparent and those anchors we cling to slowly disappear.

"Perhaps now is the time to stop, ponder a bit and appreciate what we have, at least until the next train arrives."

I know I did. And I do. Sometimes it's just good to be reminded.

Read the whole column by clicking here.

Dawn

Catch up, Ketchup, Catsup

I started 2010 in catch-up mode. This is NOT to be confused with ketchup....or do you say "catsup?"

I prefer "ketchup." Probably because it says that on the bottle of the red stuff I buy for my family, the brand name of which shall remain nameless so as to not imply endorsement of particular said ketchup.

I am even playing catch-up with this post. I started writing it yesterday, but, being the first day back on the job, after the holiday hiatus, I was doing several things at once, and didn't get a lot of them done. That's the danger of multi-tasking, I guess. You do a little bit on a lot of things, but don't end up finishing any of it.

By the way, I think it's important to note that my personality is not fond of catching up. It actually dislikes it very much. I used to be, but am not anymore, a procrastinator. Or actually, maybe I am STILL a procrastinator, but it is masked by the multi-tasking gene. Then I have a built-in excuse for not getting "stuff" done. "Oh, I'm just so busy!" I can whine!

So maybe, I just need to look at this a little differently; you know, shift my paradigm and all that philosophical talk.

From now on, I'm going to call it "catsup" instead of "ketchup."

Happy New Year!

Dawn