331 Proud of our Election Process

I am becoming one of those "swing voters" I believe. After last night's debate I am swinging both ways. One way more to the moderate side with Mitt Romney, I think he may now be the eventual winner to go up against the socialist liberal Obama. He may be our best shot. But I also am swinging yet and I also liked last night Rick Santorium, he was very strong with his more conservative ideas. The things that ring true to me and I wish Rick had the resources that Mitt has, and the name recognition

So here I swing back and forth between these two and you are asking what the hell happened to your man Newt? Well I think my man Newt may have slipped here in Florida on a banana peel or maybe a squished starfruit and smacked his head hard and somehow lost the vision of a smaller more responsive government. I learned last night that after he promised Naples the winter white house which was fine, he went on to Titusville and promised them a moon colony in 10 years and then in Jacksonville a new naval base? Sorry Newt we don't have the resources for those kind of promises. Your looking to much like a politicion for this voter. I love the way he took on the media and he won my support in doing so but now I find myself leaning more to the candidate to his left and to his right...

But what the heck, I am only one voter and I will bow to the wisdom of the voters here all across our great land. We do have a great process of electing our leaders. I am proud of how we can watch these leaders tough it out in these debates. I have watched all but one of them and I did watch the highlights of it after the fact. This will all come out alright, we will make good educated researched choices in the comeing weeks. As these state elections take place, "we" will decide and the choice will be good..I hope all four of the candidates hang in to the end...they are all good men, all have good ideas to add and in the end we will have a candidate worthy of setting in the oval office and guiding our nation to a smaller more frugal government. I just know it...I love and believe in this great land...

330 Newt's Winter White House....

Newt's bus came to Naples last night. I went 4 hours early which should draw some interesting remarks here on the forum, but I wanted to see and hear him in person. So I took my lawn chair a book called Killing Lincoln and some tea and cheese and headed to the city park...

A rag tag band showed up an hour later so on page 30 I gave up and just enjoyed the music and the fan fare going on. I had a great spot 20 feet from the podium...They gave Newt the key to the city and he said he would hang on to that because they like Naples and it seemed to him that this would make a great "winter white house".

You nay sayers can have your say but this farmer was watching the other night when Newt fielded the loaded question from the CNN reporter about his past. The farmers gut feeling is that this may just have been a "defining moment" in this election process...People are totally fed up with biased reporting of the last few years.

Win or lose I am glad I have donated Newt's campaigne a small amount of bucks, I feel good about it...you all root and toot for your guy who ever it may be...but I hope to be able to cast my vote in the Indiana primary for Mr. Gingrich and again in the fall....

By the way the unscheduled event drew the biggest crowd ever recorded in Cambria Park in down town Naples..Estimated at 6000..Jump in front of Newt's bus if you dare but maybe at your peril.....Oh Newt looks 20 pounds lighter in person, yeal could loose another 20 (like me) but he is healthy and ready for this run....

It was a fun afternoon, not sure how this election will all come out but looking forward to maybe taking in the other candidates if they show up here....I think any of them will be fine in the end...

One more PS here. Many have declared Newt has Billiance but has baggage....
MY thought on this is when this nation is in trouble, who cares about baggage, its the billaince we need....

329 Guest blog today...from Ryan Capecci

It is sometimes unreal that just 2 ½ short years ago Lilly and I made the ultimate commitment to each other for the rest of our lives and were moving in to a 200 square foot garage apartment starting our married life together. Now…. 2 ½ years later here were are, both finished with school, working full time, raising a great golden retriever, and exciting for another new beginning in our life. Lilly will be 23 weeks pregnant tomorrow and is due on Mother’s Day, May 13th. Lilly has been doing really well throughout the pregnancy. She has her ups and downs but has been so strong and is such a wonderful mother. We had the ultrasound performed a few weeks ago and were able to surprise our parents for Christmas with the ultrasound pictures. It was a great surprise. It is an exciting time in our lives and we are definitely ready to take on the challenge of raising a child. Our greatest concern is how Brees is going to react to having a baby brother in the house. Brees is.... i guess you could say SPOILED with the amount of attention he gets from Lilly and I, but people reassure us he will love our little boy as much as we do.

We do have a name picked out.... John Louis Capecci. We both like tradition and we both have/had a grandfather named John. John Griffin is my mom’s dad. He was my only grandpa I was able to meet here on Earth but I know both of my grandpa’s are watching down on us smiling now. Lilly’s grandpa Lahrman…. John (more commonly known as Jack) is the other reason we are picking the name John. He is a great grandfather figure for us and we can’t wait until our little John can go for rides on the tractor with him and sit around the pond castin a line. We will do another guest blog in a month or two with an update on how Lilly is doing and maybe we will even have a picture of the crib that we will be building

328 Paradise Found and now another Harvest

The last couple nights I have spent with my motor home in the Sam's Club parking lot in South Fort Myers Florida. It was great pulling in Sunday night as they were closing the club at 6 PM. I always circle the parking lots and choose a place as far away from the front door as I can possible get. That way the store does not ask you to move. I guess Sam Walton made it known before he died that RV's would always be welcome at his stores I have heard. It must be true as in all my travels and stops at Sams and Walmart I was only ask to leave one time and that was in Arizona, a large town that had a city ordanence against RV stoping in store parking lots over night. If you have a RV that is more or less self contained you can "dry camp" we call it for a day or two or three if you lucky with out running a generator or anything. I have 4 large storage batteries that provide power for quite a long period of time. Not for air conditioning but for microwave, coffee pot, TV's etc and of course the water pump. I carry 80 gallons of fresh water and have two 40 gallon holding tanks for black and grey water. It all works real well and I am glad the RV industry came up with these amenities for us who enjoy travel and really don't enjoy carrying luggage in and out of motels every day. And of course the real luxury of it all is driving down the road and having a cold drink and sandwich or other snacks served you as you motor down the pike...Life is good...so good...
Anyway today I arrived Naples/Silver Lakes RV resort snuggled in between Naples and Marco Island. I had renters still on my lot and did get to meet them...They were from Chicago and wish to come back in April after we and my next renter leave, so that is good. My first job each year is to get my hose hooked up and wash down the lot before I pull on it. I enjoy cleaning the cracks where they sawed the concrete to keep it from cracking and washing all the crud that collects there each year. Ants like to hide in there so I give them a bath they will not soon forget and then tomorrow I will add a little ant poison to those cracks also and that should then let them know that Jack is back and that means they need to move maybe to the lot next door...Jack is Back
Well the second pic as you can see I have a harvest to take care of here. My blog title of Corn, Beans and Naples one farmers rotation has truly become just that. Up north I harvest the corn and the beans and now my farming down here has begun to pay off also. Starfruit tree is absolutely loaded this year. I may have to spend a little on shipping and send some of these puppies north...I would guess there is over 200 on the tree with about 50 that had fallen to the ground already. My corn and beans were not anything to write home about this year but my south 40 is really producing this year...40 feet not acres but who's counting.
Are they beautiful or what? God had such an imagination when he made stuff for us did he not?.. I surely think so anyway and I bet when Adam named this one it did not take a lot of thought. It is surely a star...And they are very good, I have eaten three of them tonight...It was 75 maybe today..still at 730 it is 69 degrees...Paradise has been found....

327 On the road with Jack

I am on my way to Paradise, that being for me at least my RV Lot in Silver Lakes. Located between Marco Island and Naples Florida. I had time to kill this year as my renters of my lot kind of like the place...which is good as it bring in bucks for me...to help pay for the taxes and maintenance cost of owning such a garden spot in Florida. I went down I 65 all the way to Atmore Alabama to check on a friend I met on the USMC website called together we served...I met Pete on the site as I liked what he posted on the forums. So we became friends through the years. I visited him in maybe 2005 or so on my way back from Florida just to check him out....He was genuine so we stayed friends....My wife died of cancer in 2007 and his wife died of cancer shortly after that.

So we had that in common and I decided this year I would stop by since not pressed for time and see how he is doing. Thus my first pic here of Pete's home in Atmore Alabama...We went out to dinner after a visit to his home...Went to Dave Catfish house...then back to his home....I visited with Pete for a short time and then went back to the motor home for a good nights sleep.
Today I left Atmore headed for Naples Florida...The RV rentals called me today telling me my current renters would like to stay till Tuesday of next week...They have been good renters so I decided to slow my trip and accomodate them for their stay on my lot...So I slowed up a bit..I was on I-10 heading for I 75 when I got the call...so I decided to slow way up and take my time getting to Naples...I got off the Interstate and headed down US 19/27 am currently holed up in Perry Florida....At no less a Walmart seen in the second pic here...So here I am just finished a double martini and a steak and baked sweet potato....life is good....Walmart has been accomodating and has not "run me off" so I am thinking I may just sleep here in the coach and see what tomorrow brings...On the rode with Jack...

326 OH OH its "Cycled Seasonalality"

Wow, it has been nice here in the midwest. I went outside today to do a little yard work as it feels like springtime here. And sure enough this little guy who usually greets me in late March sometimes early March, has gotten a bit confused....He is gonna get his butt froze good very soon. It will be interesting though to see if he does this again in March won't it...will have to report on that to you if and when it happens...My money say's it will, but I more than not bet the wrong way, so we will see. I can report this, this is not global warming, this is just "cycled seasonalality". I can almost guarantee we will pay for this as yearly temps seem to always average out by years end...We may have a fridged late Jan through even some of March or we may not and then experience a cool summer with frost in July even but somehow this will even out. Its just weather, we get it all the time, every day. And rest assured the guys that can not predict what it will be 30 days from now have no better record or knowledge of what it will be 5, 10 or 100 years from now. So just enjoy it and don't fret about it...It is just "weather"....a great start to a good year...The year we turn our nation from upside down to right side up...Yep, it is gonna happen, I just know that more than half the people will wish it to....

Enjoying the many Republican debates. They are gaining stature and knowledge of what it will take to be a good President and Commmander In Chief of our Nation. What it will take to Lead us back through the mine field we have entered...I really believe this will be a good year for us all...

325 Ready to turn the page on 2011

Looking back is has been a good year, it is always a good year every year, some are excellent, some are just good. This was one of the good ones. It would be good, but probably less interesting if life was not such a corn maize most of the time. Actually, a corn maize has paths for you to follow and you make decisions and test your skills in getting through it. Life is more interesting than that, as no paths are there. You make your own as you go, giving you a sense of accomplishment or failure by the turns you make. So sometimes it seems best to just take it slow and allow other forces, other circumstance to happen to help you make good twist and turns and hopefully arrive at the satisfaction of accomplishment and not failures.
It would be nice if we could always see over the hill. To know what lies out there ahead of us. But we can not, so facing that we learn as we go. We try and be good people, try not to embarrass ourselves too much and others. We eat our vegetables, we get our proper fiber and if were smart we even put on a coat when its cold outside. We work hard so we can have food and shelter and things. We try and stay healthy, if we get sick we look to others for some help. Help usually is there, and before you know it we are back up running into the corn maize again. Life is funny that way, it just goes on...So tomorrow we say goodbye to 2011 and we welcome in the NEW YEAR.

I look forward to 2012 with Hope and Faith, but at the same time I look with some anticipation of what could happen in the corn maize ahead. It is a rocky world out there today and things are just about as rocky right here in the USA. Not going into what ails us, you know as well as I what I am talking about. Watch the news, multiple sources as they all spin the truth a bit, some more than others. You will figure out which ones with experience. But things are not rosy, we could miss this bullet or we could take it, we just have to see. My advice is take precautions, stock up some non perishable foods, stock up some cash and some coins in a safety box at the bank, just in case. I do have hope with the political wave of alertness and awakeness that is starting to sweep the land. I hope it continues and improves where we are headed. If that happens we won't need the provisions. If it don't they may be good to have.

Happy New Year to all...Proceed with caution but by all means proceed....

And if you click on the title above you will be amazed by the number of corn maizes to you can look at...almost as many as there are lives out there getting through it.

324 The Christmas Season and a Full Pond

It is a wonderful time of the year. It is December a month that usually offers the lowest grain prices of the year and the highest hopes for our lives. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in just 10 more days. We give each other gifts, in rememberance of the gift we received by His lifes work of showing us how to live and then 33 years later offering himself to die for our sins. Thus the ultimate gift of salvation in eternal life. It don't get any better than that folks. I love this season for all that it brings. When it starts even before Thanksgiving now, I kind of fight it I guess. Feeling kind of Scroggie for a few days. Thinking, Oh no, do we have to do this again, we just did it last year and the every year before. But then the music kicks in and whips me into shape and of course the thinking about that gift we receive "if we want it", puts me full bore into the season...That is where I am today, my shopping done, a few gifts yet to wrap and some great Christmas CD's playing on my home audio system.
And I will have to admit the small 8 pound ham I purchased last night for 5 bucks slowly cooking in my oven, with carrots and potatoes, giving off the sweet odor of whole cloves and brown sugar, does nothing to dampen my spirit either.
On top of all of this wonderment, we have been receiving lots of rain of late. Temperature this morning was 60 degrees, heard lots of thunder last night, more like April than December. But remember we are Hoosiers, and things can change, tonight it is to be down to 28 degrees. And not any too soon, as I could have lost my Christmas spirit had my Strawberry's started blooming again. I checked them this morning on my way to take these pictures. They have retired for the year, finally.
As you can see by the top pic, my pond is expelling water big time. It is full the water shown in the other pic is up to the bottom of the dock. I love the water conservation that my pond provides. It holds back a lot of water that runs out of my little 50 acres and meters it slowing into the drainage system. Eventually it all goes down the Ilgenfritz ditch to the Wea creek, then to the Wabash river but at a lot slower pace than if my little pond had not been built.
In case I don't get back bloggin before Christmas, let me wish you all a Merry One. Enjoy to the fullest but keep in mind why its all done...Not to surge the economy but to share a few gifts with each other and some love, thus remembering the gift of love that is ever present. One last thought as I look at the water coming threw the pipe, it reminds me of this season too. The never ending grace that our Savior provides...

323 Tailgating, Raining, Snowing, and Land Rush

Well got invited to Hort Park at Purdue tailgateing. It is fun the Capecci's and Plaspohl's have a fun time at a few of the Purdue Home Football games...we eat, drink and be Merry and then go home and watch it on TV in comfort...it is a lot of fun..campfires are always fun, well unless it's the 4th of July or something.

We had a really good rain a couple days ago and as you can see in the second picture it recharged the ground and even ran off quite a bit. Was glad to see that as the pond had been kind of low for the last couple months. I call my second picture "A river runs to it". That's what I get when I get run off I get nice clean water going directly as you see into the pond. It all flows north out of my 50 acres and is filtered through the 5 acres of native grasses then arriving very clean. I like the set up and so do the fish. I know they were happy to get the additional water to swim around in. Probably added at least 18 inches to the acre pond, which with Dayton math equates to about 540,000 gallons of the precious stuff all in a matter of a
maybe 3 hours. It is amazing and not a gallon of it hit the rivers. But I am now about 6 inches yet from the drain tube which will allow then the overflow to be metered slowing into the streams and river system.

But my little pond does it's job holding water back, conserving water and providing water for the fish and the grand kids and even me and sweet pea to swim and float around in kayaks in the summer time. Maybe coming up soon will just be ice skating and maybe icefishing.

Then after the big rain it turned to snow and it actually accumulated 4 to 5 inches on the ground. So our first major snow of the season as seen in the last picture below after it had melted a bit.

Which brings me now to the "land rush" of sorts that is going on with farm land across America these days. There is a couple things driving land values to new all time maybe even artificial highs. First is grain prices maybe being
double what they were 4 years back. Second and probably the real driver behind the willingness to pay huge prices for land is the state of the nation and the world. It is the same thing that has driven gold and silver prices and that is the fear of the economic system collaping and our money system as we know it kind of going away. Vanishing like steam does. And so people with huge amounts of it turn to land and metals as a way to have at least something in case that should happen. Land being even better than gold as there is some income while it is appreciating or depreciating. And who knows which that will be, but I have seen this before in the 80's when land seemed to have no top but then 5 years later it fell drastically in value. So the risk is there but who knows? If the economic system stabilizes it will probably level out and maybe even drop. But it may not we may see that these prices for Land and Gold and Silver stay with us a while. But at some point things will change it always does.

Click on the title above and Purdue will tell you more about farm land than you may want to know...Last nights land auction I attended was 232 acres of good but not great farm land near me. It brought $1,960,000.00 or about $8,350 per acre. I guessed before the sale that it would fetch 1.7 million. I was a little low and came away as I do from most auctions, "with all my money"....Land has doubled in the last 10 years maybe less than 10.

322 Thanksgiving and Odds and Ends

Hope all of you out there in Corn and Bean land had a great Thanksgiving...I had about three of them and it was good...Seems like lots of folks attend more than one even now each Thanksgiving. Only thing I don't like about the Holiday is the excuse or right to passage of over eating a bit...I know that is part of it but it launches us all into a Holiday month long event between now and Christmas of doing just that. I know the answer is, "just don't do it", but it is our way of thanking ourselves I guess for another good year. Well tomorrow I cut back a bit, I hope....

My Man Newt Gingrich seems to be catching a bit of flack these days over his stance on how to handle the Amigo's that have walked across the river into America. Personally I think his thinking sounds pretty sound. For the most part they are hard working Christian people and who can really blame them for wanting a lot better life? I just wished we had erected a fence that would keep the ones coming in legally and not the illeagals just walking in unannounced. That is not good, but as Newt said if they have been here for a long time have kids and grandkids who are born here how could we toss them out? I think he will do the right thing if he is elected and I sure hope he is. I made my first political donation to Newt of 25 bucks a week ago maybe after the last debate hosted by CNN. I thought Wolf Blitzer did an excellent job of narriating the debates. No loaded stupid questions as came up when MSNBC hosted one a couple months ago. Anyway Gingrich is my hopeful candidate. I hope he can pull it off it will be tough battle though with a couple other candidates still looking good also. Any one of them would be a tremendous amount better than the goofus that currently "occupies", the oval office.

Currently working on installing motion detector lights around and im my home. Also some high tech security cameras that record any movement in my home. So if I am ever broken into again maybe just maybe someone will be going to jail for the act, we will see. Hopefully we won't see but in case it happens again I want lots of evidence of what happened. My high tech grandson is installing this stuff and I think anytime I leave now for a few hours I will be protected that way.

Well amigo's its getting close to bed time here on the prairie so will sign off...

321 Soon at a Crossroads for sure.

I predict future happiness for
Americans if they can prevent the government
from wasting the labors of the people under the
pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson

Why do I not see this on a sign carried by a wall street protestor? I think I know why, because now it is called "social justice", liberalism's way of extracting money from the working class and sharing it with those who want to be taken care of instead.

I tell you this country had better get a grip and soon. This President and some of the slugs in congress have us on a path of destruction. It is like it is their goal for us to crash and burn. I can not believe this is happening and even more I can not believe the American people are not completely up in arms about big government killing this economy. I only hope that 13 months from now I have something to celebrate in this madness coming to an end. But I know there is equal chance that instead because so many are asleep as to what is happening that we will go ahead and complete the job of the destruction of this nation and all that it has stood for.

I surely hope the balance budget ammendment to the constitution will pass soon and the people will have the opportunity to vote on it. That would be a huge measure to our enormous problem of spending far more than we take in. It should have never started, but surely it has to stop.

I wish you all a good Thanksgiving season. I hope it is not among our last and that we will gain our backbone and men like Jefferson will rise to guide us.

320 Lets just Occupy Summer....

What are your thoughts on the OWS movement? To occupy wall street, actually just city parks? Personally I am kind of turned off by it all. I think it is Woodstock with longevity of a generation being spoiled to the point of what we have today. To me they should be out occupying a job. Any job they could get and there are jobs out there. Maybe not the greatest job but a job and then you do that till you find a better one. But no these clowns go out and spend 500 bucks on tents and camping out equipment and joist with the police day after day and cry about how they are not rich...To me it is just a cancer we have allowed to birth and grow.
So I have started my own movement and am calling it "occupy summer"...Let is not allow it to leave, let us occupy it. My strawberries have signed on with me. They daily keep me in enough for my cereal bowl each morning. But it could end if I do not get a huge injection of cash from folks like you. I am thinking for just a few thousand dollars we could do a shovel ready infrastructure here like a hot house over my raised garden in the my back yard...Your money, my back yard, its not a lot to ask is it? Come on America it's only money.

319...The Harvest of 2012, let it be a good one....

Harvest of the crops in the midwest is pretty well complete. I was done maybe 3 weeks ago and during harvest looking down at these snouts on the combine corn head that gather in the corn, I got to thinking....Now most of you probably realize that when I "get to thinking" it is sometimes dangerous, but in this case I think it was maybe a good thing.
You see I am quite concerned for our country. This present administration is in my opinion taking us down a garden path that we have no business going down. We need to turn this ship around and fast and we have one chance at doing that and it lies ahead with our selection of a candidate for President and Vice President that will take this country back to a smaller form of government. But in anticipation of this upcoming year I decided to add our national colors to my corn head...right out there in front where the action is I thought needed to be our colors...out there where it all gets sorted out.
Thus I did the paint job on it and notice that looking at it from a left or right view point its still "red white and blue"....But I think there is more going on here than just some paint. I really think this represents the needed work ahead...the harvesting of what we have and then a new start at what we almost lost. A combine takes it all in keeps what is good and discards out the back what is not needed. In 2012 there needs to be a lot coming out the back..There just will not be a lot to keep...I hope for our nations sake this is the case...Let us continue our search for a good candidate, it will all get sorted out and after that then "LETS ROLL"....

318 Fishing the Mighty Little Calumet River and Mighty Macs

Well here I was last week at this excellent camp site in the wooded area of the National Dunes Park. When Susan and I were there a month ago we happened on a couple fishing for Trout and Salmon. It sure sounded exciting so as soon as my harvest was over I called up there to see how it was going. The person I talked to at the park told me the fisherman were really doing well so last Saturday I was on my way. Sunday I went to that same hole and gave it a try. Nothing happened some locals came along also fishing and told me some real sad news that they thought the season had ended. They said they saw some dead Salmon floating but no live ones. I said well I am going to stay 4 days and keep trying. They said you may get lucky and snag some steel head trout...So I tried but finally gave up on Tuesday. I think I know what was wrong maybe in that the are is on Central time, like we should be, but were on Eastern time. So when I would cast my line at say 9 a.m. it was only 8 a.m. in the river...no way was I going to catch fish and its all Mitch Daniels fault I am figuring.

All in all I still had a good relaxing time. Fishing is that way for me, just being there and exploring possible future fishing holes and at the same time wetting a line here and there, well it just does it for me.

To the right here is the pier that people can fish off of where the Little Calumet River dumps into Lake Michigan. It looks like it would hold maybe 200 people at one time. I figure it may be worth it when the season gets going next spring or fall to just drive up for the day during the week days to avoid the high traffic fishing on week ends...that is my plan for the future. And I did discover a lot of good holes to fish at up stream in the park itself...so all was not lost, and maybe it is not really Mitch's fault with the stupid Eastern time thing...Besides I have never seen a fish with a watch on anyway so how would they know?

Yesterday afternoon I went to a movie called The Mighty Macs....It was great a true story about girls college basketball in the early 70's...Don't miss it as it was really good and good for the whole family to see. Setting was a small Catholic girls college and their efforts in basketball they did not even have a gym...but they sure had the coach and the effort to succeed. Kind of almost an equal to Hoosiers was for the boys....So my trip all in all was a good one. But I must be an honest fisherman...I did not get one single bite in 4 days fishing...but I did boost the economy a little bit....

317 Indiana Dunes, Harvest Start and Cirrus Radio

A week end ago Sweet Pea and I visited the Indiana Dunes. As you can see in this first picture it is a place of great beauty. This picture I snapped would make a great painting for sure. We took the motor home and camped in the National Park. With my Golden Passport it is only 7.50 a day. No hook up but great campsites are available. Nice blacktop pad to set on and a nice fire pit to even cook on if you like. We did and I have been credited for fixing the best steak she has ever tasted in her life. Actually I think she was just "really hungry"...But it was good, nothing like cooking outside in a park setting like that. Very quite secluded area. And with the motor home we don't need to be hooked up to amenities for a short stay like a week end. The 4 "house" batteries will run the electrical needs. We carry 80 gallons of fresh water and we have room for 40 gallons each of the waste and grey water we use. And if by chance we do need to recharge the batteries the generator can be run for an hour maybe and were set for another couple days. Motor Homes are great, a second small home with all you really need. No packing, no unpacking, its just great.
This summer we flew to North Carolina to be by the ocean. It was good, but Hoosiers kind of forget that we have almost an ocean right here in Indiana. Lake Michigan shore line is pretty awesome. Probably crowded in summer like most beaches but in the fall it is a thing of beauty too. We found numerous flat rocks along the shore and busied ourselves practicing our skipping the rocks skills until our side arm throws kind of got the best of us. I want to go back for a week after my harvest is over if it has not gotten too cold. I want to try my luck at fishing in the Little Calumet River for Coho Salmon and Brown Trout that swim up the rivers in October to spawn. Leaving them vulnerable to tricksters like me that have lures that look good to eat. If my luck is there I will be the one doing the eating as well.
Last picture here captures Happy Hoosier guy after the rock skipping episode, he found some small pieces of drift wood, smooth on one side. Thought maybe he would get around some day to painting a beautiful scene on the smooth side...He never will it will probably end up in the fire place this winter as "starter fuel", but for now it lies on the end table awaiting the artist he is not.

Well, today the harvest starts. Yesterday I finished the repairs needed on the combine and am now ready to try harvesting the soybeans that look to be ready. It looks like the weather ahead is going to be great for harvest, maybe a whole week ahead of just warm clear skies, a farmers dream.

I have had Cirrus Radio since I purchased my Silverado Chevy truck in July of 2008.
You get a year free service from them. After that they wanted X amount of dollars to continue. I declined and they offered me a half price deal for six months. I took it as I do kind of like some of the stations like the bluegrass music, the older music of the the decades like the 50's, 60's and 70's. And the TV channels of Fox news and the other very liberal networks just for laughs...I know half of the people actually listen to these guys. I wonder why, and I know why because God did not make us all alike. And I guess it is good that we have variety in people and choices. For me I will stick with Conservative Christian Values as best I can. I will fly my flag and continue to support the Constitution of the United States...I will work to send good representatives to make our laws. And I will pray that God will help us all to do our duty as we see it needs done.

Oh gosh I got so patriotic there I forgot to tell you the rest of the story about Cirrus Radio...well after that six months I tired of paying anything for the service as I do greatly dislike some of the garbage stuff that the radio offers as well. So I called to cancel before my time was up and I went automatically back to full rate. The offered me 3 months free service to think about it before they pulled the switch on me. That was like a year and half ago and since then as I did this very morning I have called them to cancel and they continue as today to offer me yet another 2 months now of absolutely free, no string attached they said. Oh that was right after she offered me 5 months for 25 dollars of which I said no I want out...So I being kind of a "free sucker" said OK leave it on when do I need to call to cancel...They said January 18th. I said hey that is 3 months not two...I may be stuck with this service forever. I hope not but I am a sucker for free....

316 What this Citizen is Praying for.

This Citizen is worried, of what our country will be 5 years from now. I pray for a citizentry that will and must, accept the resposibility that our Constitution provides for us to do. A citizentry that will take the responsibilty, gain the will, to run our nation as it was designed to be. And since our government is a representative one, we the citizens have the right, the responsibility to elect people that will return our nation to a smaller, more responsive, subject to the rule of law form of government.

I pray that we citizen's take back the nation. Our President, Senators and Representatives all are elected at the will of the people and all serve at the people's pleasure. The responsiblity has been given us by our Constitution and our Declaration of Independence.

Our Government has grown like a cancer to a point of gaining beauracracy's that have outgrown the basic needs they were established for. The people became used to more and more regulations and were allowed to supposedly get them at a bargain. Congress loved being Santa Claus for lack of a better terminolgy. And they hid the true cost of all of these things, by printing and deflating the value of our money, and also borrowing money each year. But we all like Christmas 365 days a year right?

I think I liken it to a "group intoxication". Warnings from a few were ignored as we all tasted of the wine. It was so good that we patted our representatives on the back, and sent them back to Washington to do us even more good. And all of these things were good, but the true cost of which was continually hidden from us with printing more money, taking more of our dollars to purchase products and by continued borrowing the difference each year between what was spent and what was brought in through taxation. Thus keeping us intoxicated with services, kept us content.

I pray that we the people will realize it is now "Monday Morning". It is time to sober up, take our freedoms serious that we still have left and work on getting back the ones we have lost. We need to take this job serious of electing men and women who will return our government to what it was designed to be.

That is my prayer....Maybe the God of our founders that instilled this spirit of liberty in them and our founding documents will allow us to return to being the nation of which we began. Instill in Americans that freedom and resposibility of it, must be earned, learned and possessed with no regrets, and surely no guilt.

All peoples of the world have the same opportunity to do the same, let us be a pattern for others to desire, but let us allow them to achieve it, and thus value it, as we must.

315 History Repeats, Jobs without Stimulus and Bird Food

First up today is interesting, reference to the spending in the early 30 that brought on the Great Depression. And what has this liberal administration been doing such taking office? The same thing and not having learned from not creating a single job, wants to do it again.....H-E-L-L-O

In the news today is a report poverty rising in the USA..be sure you click on and watch the video to the right here about Rich man Poor man...










Then comes my little bridge to no where I built this spring. It had started to sag in the middle a bit and as you walked across done a lot of bouncing. Making it feel dangerous and even risky. But believe it or not this bridge that was built without stimulous, creating a single job for a day or two, got updated yesterday, adding a pier in the middle of the bridge, and all was done without a single Federal dollar wasted...You tax payers can breath a sigh of relief...

Notice the water level in the pond is getting pretty low, evidence of the dry hot summer. But allowing a job to be created or saved however you want to look at it by allowing me to get in there and play in the mud....


Lastly today I ask you if you were a pheasant, would you be attracted to this food supply growing next to my native grasses? It is a mix of sorgum and sunflowers.

I hope so, I do so want to walk out someday and see a pheasant fly up out of my food plot and into the cover of the native grasses near by...that will be another really really good day...

One little foot note...my rain lillies have been blooming like crazy the last two days. Weather man said it was not going to rain it would all be south of Indy...guess what? Its raining really nice right now...

314 This was a good day........

Today was a good day alright. Last night I got a call from a Marine friend from Boot Camp 1956...If you have forgotten that is when I was at war...You see I was only in one war and it was right here in the USA in San Diego California...Yep it happened in the summer of 1956 and it was Me against the Marine Corps..it wore on all summer long, June then July and then August and finally the war ended...The Marine Corps won and I became one of them...

But back to this good day, got this call last night from Chuck and Lois Paulson of Mitchell South Dakota..they were passing through today on their way to South Carolina and some beach time. Said maybe we will just stop and see your place...Well as you know I organized a couple reunions for the guys in our platoon in 06 and then again last year...Anyway Chuck and Lois have always come but Chuck always ask each year about Bob Bandy of Mulberry whom I graduated with and enlisted in the Marines with...Bob, I just could not get motivated to attend these reunions but this am I got to thinking, hey there is a nice restaurant in Mulberry just 2 blocks from Bob's house, "The South Fork" owned by Scott Roberts...If only, so I called him and by golly he agreed to come up there at noon and surprise Chuck and Lois...it was great we arrived just ahead of Bob and in he pops and it was fun watching them get reacquainted after 55 years..Actually both of them have changed very little in the face...We did lunch said our good byes and encouraged Bob and Barb to maybe attend next years 56th anniversary reunion in Branson Mo....I hope they will but sure the Paulson's and us will be there and hopefully lots of our guys that have been unable or unwilling to come to the other reunions in the past...this will be our 4th time, we do it every other year...First San Diego where it all began...then Omaha, then Wash. DC and next year Branson....it was a good day.

Left to Right in picture...Bob Bandy, Chuck Paulson and Jack Lahrman Photo by Lois.

Update on that cancer to the right side...Yesterday they cut pretty deep into it to get the rest of the cancer and I now am sporting about 5 stitches for a couple weeks. Hopefully that is the end of that one....semper fi....

313 NOW THEY ARE GONE

It's kind of a sad time of year for me. I have come to admire and enjoy my Purple Martins each year. I knew the time was short that they would soon be leaving my place for South America. The last 3 weeks I have noticed that they spend very little time in their Martin Houses that I provide for them. They spend a lot of time coming and going from the houses the first couple months while they are building next laying eggs and hatching and raising the young ones. Then when the young ones can fly they spend little time in the nest and its every male or female for themselves catching bugs and building up bodies for the long flight south...And believe it or not they have spent a lot of time diving close to me as I am outside or swimming in the pond. Letting out a little scream as they pass by. It is as if they want to each say good by before the planned departure day. Three or Four days ago I noticed them all on the antenna from mid afternoon on. I knew the time was very near as I have seen this happen many times before. They had a good year here raising many new offspring. I guess when they came in the spring I had maybe a dozen pair which would be about 24 birds. I think on the antenna here there is maybe 50 or 60 counting a few in the air coming and going. They talk a lot on the tower, probably going over the flight plan and check points along the way...who knows, my God has quite an imagination and I figure he gave them that skill.
I don't know the exact time they left but the next day they were gone. I may have seen a pair or two a day later not sure they could have been the regular barn swallows who also hang here all summer long. Since the day they arrived I have seen maybe one or two mosquitoes. Now in about a week until it frost they will be some biting me and I will long for them to return again about next Easter. Now I will take down the houses and clean them well and put them in the barn to keep other birds from contaminating them this fall and winter. My Martins love it here and the feeling is mutual...

Note...click on the title above for a read on how long they live...

also to watch a "classic" go to the right side upper and click on Jimmie Obama

312 Taking the Nation Back in 14 months

They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to retire. Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were.

We have worked hard, raised our children, worshipped our God and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.



In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.



We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off. We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield. We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America , we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner , America , and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America .

Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.



It was the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress.

You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Cool-Aid.' Now you're paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.



Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in 2012 we're going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren. So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."

~Author, Anon. Grey-Haired Brigade Member

311 Fried Garden and a slight cancer

I suppose some men left alone in the Kitchen could be bad news, maybe most men, but when one is left alone in the house because of cards that life has dealt one you adapt. I think I have for the most part, my cooking has improved as time when on. Thought process has done it for me. You learn to think ahead about what the objective is, how is this mess going to turn out, and will anyone really eat it? Now when it is you that mainly is the "anyone", you do start to "dig in" and try and get into this cooking thing. And I am starting to enjoy the process believe it or not. Looking back I wish I could have worked on these skills years ago...Necessity being the mother of invention answers that question I guess...
But today, I just felt like fried Okra and Red potatoes. Sometimes I do that kind of thing. Okra may be my favorite vegetable. I acquired a keen taste for it while living in Texas for a spell long ago. Before that did not know it even existed. But having purchased some from a roadside garden learned to appreciate the way the stuff is grown. All starts out with a very small seed, half the size of a peanut I'd guess. Planted a quarter inch deep maybe and allowed to find its way in the world. But before the summer is over this little seed turns into a plant maybe 5 to 6 feet tall and 2 inches in diameter...Blooms a lot of yellow flowers that turn within a few days into Okra pods. I enjoy them two ways on the grill with meat and other veggies kind of steaming while the meat cooks. You simply pick them up by the stem and eat the whole thing one nice bite...very good....But I think my favorite is to fry them in Olive oil in a small skillet either along or adding other vegetable.
Today I kind of went nuts I guess and am calling my dish, "Fried Garden".....And it was as good as it looks, it was delicious for sure served with about 4 wheat crackers from Pay Less/Kroger store.

Today I started with my Okra slicing it cross section about a quarter inch think..then I diced a red potatoe and slowly fried it in a very small amount of olive oil....The really really extra extra virgin kind of course...But after it got going so did my mind to other things outside my door in that raised garden...So out I went and picked a very small tiny head of red cabbage, a tomato, a green pepper and I topped it off with a fresh shucked ear of sweet corn. Sliced the uncooked corn into the skilled with the other veggies...I knew fried corn is great to why not...Well its all history now its all in the old "tum tum" and feelin good. And I think you will have to agree it was pretty healthy...But don't worry, I am not headed to being a "vegetarian"...no way, I still like my pork chops and my steak and of course fish....

Right side picture here is a bump on my arm that quickly appeared the last 4 to 5 weeks. It was kind of a callous like thing that I a couple times picked off but it quickly would grow back and became sore. So Monday I called Dr. Martin my skin guy and then scheduled me in Tuesday and he took one look and said, that my friend I am sure is a very fast growing cancer. I will remove it and send it in for sure but the good news is it will probably not shorten your life....That is good news of course, but we will know for sure if I need any further treatment in a couple weeks.
It is amazing though how fast this thing popped up and did not want to heal or go away....glad it is off and on its way to the lab...I had a regular appointment with this Doctor just 5 to 6 weeks ago...and it was not there...and yesterday when he looked at it he said I may be getting older but rest assured I did not miss this thing 6 weeks ago...glad you came in....

310 A Good Rain Today.....

I got 6 pots of "Rain Lillies" and today I noticed everyone of them were blooming. In the past few days, ocassionally, one or two of them would bloom, but not all..And those days it did rain other places, maybe 20 to 40 miles from here...so they were right, the conditions were right for rain, just not on this farm...But today all 6 had blooms, I doubted their wisdom and I was wrong......
Thank You LORD!!!!!! Today Sunday afternoon we received 1.25 inches of rain. I love doing the math on this but that equates to 37,500 gallons of water for every acre of farmland, lawns, gardens, forest or even dusty old gravel roads in Indiana....And that equates to 5 quarts of water for each corn plant in my fields...that my friends is a "liberal" drink...I don't much like that word but in the case of water for crops about to perish...I do like the word....

For the corn it is too late to bring back or retrieve the yeild losses we have suffered. But at least it stops the deterioration for the time being..maybe a week and maybe just maybe the rain patterns will change and we will start getting an inch or so a week...In that case what we have now may be what we will have at harvest time..I surely hope so....I have paid into federal crop insurance for corn for the last 25 years maybe without a claim...this year I hope I still will not need it but I think I am just about to the point of the crop insurance kicking in "if the yields get any lower"....I hope they don't our government can ill afford paying a bunch of crop insurance out to farmers at this time...I would rather get my dollars from the market place not borrowing it from the Chinese..

But for the soybeans this rain will start to recoup some of the yields we appeared to be loosing..August is the month that soybeans are produced and if the rains become more common place we should make a comeback on soy and maybe attain as much as a 75% or normal yield possible...I hope so, especially since I do not carry crop insurance on the soy beans....never have had less than half a crop so decided long ago to "take my chances" on soy...

Well that is the joyful rain report here from Lake Wobegon, Indiana where as you know the "women are strong, the men good looking and all the children are above average"....Amen...

309 Good and Bad and Better......

They always face the east, every day all day long. My sunflowers don't follow the sun east to west like I thought they would. They just stand there facing east, which is fine with me. I planted them a couple months ago for bird seed this next winter...they will stand tall above the snow drifts and Quail, Cardinals and maybe Bluejays will be well fed if I should happen to be gone for a time now and then. I complained to the my Wildlife Biologist Dean Zimmerman about not being able to attract Pheasants to my 5 acre parcel of Native Grasses I have had for 14 years now. He said, "well if you want them I can tell you this you have to feed them". In other words have food available for them to eat all winter. Then and probably only then will they look your place over and maybe decide to "hang out".....so here is my effort I have about a quarter acre of these pretty sunflowers and even if I don't get the big birds it will be fun to watch the songbirds maybe enjoy these seeds. Thus the "good" of this story today.
For the bad we need to go no further than my corn fields. We have been very dry and very hot all through the month of July with exception of one half inch of rainfall about 10 days back. My corn crop is surely hurt pretty bad. It is stressful to say the least. Farmers have a natural tendancy to kind of take on a little stress when the crops are doing likewise....Until a month ago I truly thought I was headed to my very highest yield ever so far. In one short hot dry month I think I am looking at maybe no more than half a crop. And compared to say TEXAS well half a crop may well be better than no crop at all...notice the cracks in the soil, some places it does not crack open quite this much but the ground is dry and cracked everywhere to some extent...We really need a good rain of 2 inches or more to even start to help this crop. We got 2 tenths of an inch last night but I noticed that none of it reached the soil and was stopped by the corn foliage which maybe bought me another day or two who know. Rain now is going to be too late to increase yields back...but maybe a good one will at least stop the deterioration....
Now for the better of the all of this lets go to the beach...my little paradise right here at home. It has gotten lots of use this season. I have been able to control the algae this year maybe for several reasons, I am not sure. I have a circulation pump running 24/7 and along with my AC in the house has resulted in my first over 200 electric bill since I have lived here. Also we dipped a lot of silt out of the pond last fall and I think that also had an effect on my water quality this year...For whatever reason my fish seem to be very happy living in this water..And I too am very happy to share with family, catch and eat fish, evening swims and in general enjoying the better the best....

Please if you have not clicked on the title above and watched the next Ronald Reagan do yourself a favor and do so....Jack

308 Saving the Country

Today it looks as though at least temporarily we will come to an agreement to "kick the can down the road" by raising the debt limit and agreeing to cut some spending. And agree to further study more ways of also decreasing our spending.

There are a few good hard working politicians in Washington. Contrary to what a lot of people say they are not all crooks and should be kicked out of office. For instance watch this video and since I don't know how to highlight it click on the title above about Saving the Country and it will take you there...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-fsG4jLBmrs

I watched this young Senator get elected last year in Florida...He is Marco Rubio a young man of pretty high intellect I would say. Someday he could be possible President of this country I believe. But listen to what he has to say and I at least gain a sense that he does in deed want to Save our Country. And that he like me is tired of our Media trying to label people. There are other good politicians in DC and there a whole lot of them that possible should be voted out of office...I think the key thing for all of us as citizens is to learn how to recognize the "truth"...And learn how to recognize when we are having our pud pulled so to speak...being lied to is a better term.. Common Sense is a virtue that we all have a dose of...And utilizing it is really not to hard to do...But be truthful to yourself when you listen to political retoric...Does what you are hearing really ring true to you or do you know it has a hidden adgenda in it and you are willing to overlook it because maybe the party of your past choice is grinding that axe????
I surely hope that during this next upcoming election people will listen to the candidates as to what they are for and against. And think about it as to how it relates to the good of our nation. We must get our house in financial order or we will truly sail right off the edge as a nation...I hope a lot more people will start viewing the nations business as their own business...because it is....

307....Another Wedding and DC Drama

Gosh another great wedding in our family this past weekend. My daughter Sharla married to Jeff Plaspohl have triplet daughters. This week triplet number two walked the isle to Marriage...Abby Plaspohl is now married to Brian Livingston. They both are grads of Butler University where they met...Abby has her Masters in Accounting a great job which will be needed as she assist Brian in his quest to become a Medical Doctor at Indiana University this fall...They will do fine...Both are mature and focused on the future...they had a great outside wedding..it was hot, almost rained on us but we dodged the rain bullet and all went fine.
They used my motor home to dress the ladies before the wedding, a hot day but the AC was cranking and they enjoyed getting ready in there and then coming out and walking the isle to the outside wedding. The wedding went real well but we were all glad when it was final and we headed into the Trails Dinning Room for the reception that followed. Fun was had by all...good beer, and Butler wines were offered to us all...Cokes too for the less aged and daring of course. Great dinner was served, everyone really enjoyed the event.
And in this pic Sharla dances with her new son in law Brian...Off to the right side here you will see the other two of the triplets...Lilly to the Left side is married a couple years back to a great guy Ryan Cappecci...Both so far have done well I believe in selection of a life's mate. So only Elizabeth remains...someone has to be last but let me tell you I think Elizabeth will do well...She is very cute, a true petite I would say...I think she is hanging tough so to speak on the tree...She is allowing the worthwhile male to take the time to climb the tree and pick a very nice apple...Keep it up Elizabeth...you will also make someone a great wife, don't settle for anything but the very best.
Last picture here is myself and Susan (my sweetpea) in a picture after the ceremony with the newly married couple Brian and Abby Livingston....Wishing them a very happy life ahead.
OK now to the DC Drama going on just a word about that...Watching this budget crisis take place is interesting....never before have the "people" caused congress to 'get down to business'....We just all drove down the road windows open and listened to the radio and thought about "what is for dinner and the next vacation"

this is all somewhat stressful as we whip our servants into shape...some are real persistant resisters for sure....but we will get there eventually I believe....

The people have finally awoke to the mess that has been created the last 50 years....

Now it's time...the facts have always been there but no one cared....now we do...

And in a way it is good drama watching these current crop of servants finally go to work....

July 4th Party and a Cute Maiden in Waiting (306)

We had a great party this year celebrating our nations 235th birthday. It all happened right here in the pole barn and down by the water or in the water of the pond. We do it every year and have now for maybe 12 years or more. Its kind of a yearly family reunion with Susan an I also inviting a few close friends now and then for new blood to kind of spice things up. This year we must have had the right combination as we started at noon as usual but it was midnight before we called a halt to the festivities.
To start things off we had kind of a camp ground thing going on this year also. Jessica, Susan sisters family came up from Nashville, (part of our new blood) and stayed in my motor home. And my grandson Lucas and his gal Rachel brought their new RV up and stayed for three nights in a very premo location close to the beach. They have a very interesting RV called a Trail Manor and if you click on the title above it will take you to the Trail Manor website that will expose you to the wonders of said RV company. There's is the 2720SL model, pretty darn cool.... Also available here off to the right side is a Picasso of pictures showing their RV and allowing you to see how easy and compact this quality RV folds up. Click on the picture and it will take you to a larger shot of each of the pictures. It is amazing how small this RV is fitting into their garage at home and how big it is unfolded (27) feet in length.
The party started with a change up this year instead of all 60 of us doing the pledge of allegiance we decided to do some singing. I had printed off the words to Lee Greenwoods song Proud to be an American...The night before my 12 to 13 year old granddaughter Allison Stair asked me if she could sing the national anthem for the people and then do the lead part in the other song we were all to sing. I was taken back and did not know what to say thinking she would get cold feet at the last minute and embarrass herself. But she was begging and so I said, well OK guess it will be alright. Well "alright" it was, as she had her pretend microphone in hand,(she said she needed that although it was not plugged into anything) and just a tad nervous maybe on the first few words, she belted the song out like a real trooper...And then did the lead parts in the other song as well, her voice getting stronger all the time, after she seemed to get her "stage legs" under her....We then enjoyed our wonderful meal of great brats, chicken drumsticks and wings and a vast array of carry in dishes that the good folk all brought with them...I always tell them not to hold back but bring something exciting and believe me they do it. The pond got used by a whole lot of us, swimming, kayaking, swinging off the rope into the pond and general sunning by the water. Also in the back ground was the same above grandson Lucas playing his guitar and singing some good songs...All of this went on until midnight including a campfire on the beach and making of "smores"...it was a great party.
Now also keeping one eye on the pending "Sex in the Cornfield", I have noticed some maidens in waiting starting to appear. Took one of there pictures here as the future ear of corn starts to peek its head out of the corn leaf. It won't be long now, and I will keep you posted...

First Crappie (305)

We had a guy gathering here last Sunday afternoon. Guy gatherings are necessary when things are happening like Wedding showers the lady folk do before a wedding...That will most likely be another blog story in about 3 weeks...But for the guy gathering we decided to try fishing, after of course we had a cook out and a couple drinks, yes of course..
My son John attended and not long after the fishing began yelled "hey Dad I caught a Crappie"....To me it was pretty exciting as the last couple years I have tried to introduce Crappie to the pond and did not know if any of them had survived. But as you can see in the pictures here at least this one not only survived but looks to be very vigorous and healthy as Crappie's go...
I remember my brother in law Ralph Hengst used to refer to them a "paper mouths". And if you look at the mouth of a Crappie it does look to be very transparent. I have very fond memories of catching them with him and my son at a lake near Cloverdale Indiana. Cloverdale now that is a name for an Indiana town if ever you heard one, or needed one. But moving on we did catch a lot of Crappie there on one occasion I remember meeting Ralph there and we fished all day. The limit was 25 each so we caught at least 75 maybe closer to 100 and my son and I stayed all night in the boat but sent the fish home with Ralph to clean. Then the next day we caught maybe 75 more by mid shortly afternoon and headed for home to clean them....It was fun, sleeping in the boat was painful but all in all a good time.
Back to the Crappie caught here we released him as I just don't know how many have made it and before I keep any I guess I would like to see evidence of them spauning and that would be some real small ones getting caught I guess...But hopefully all of this will happen. At least there is hope which makes for excitement for this blogger....Next post will no doubt be the July 4th celebration held this year on July 3rd...Gonna have campers here, good eats and maybe fire crackers and sparklers...

Sex in the Cornfield Again, Soon very Soon (304)

I took a walk today, as I do almost every day during the growing season. We farmers do that as we have a lot of money invested out there in our crops and we need to be re-assured, almost daily that what we have done, or failed to do, has not messed up in any way what God's mighty hand is doing each and every day. Most of the corn in our area is now between 'knee high' and 'waist high' as you can see by the picture I took today with my cell phone from the south end of my corn field where I live. We have had ample maybe way more than ample rains since we planted this corn between frequent showers this spring. This field was planted May 9th, the first day I was able to get at the job that desperately, "needed done". I was pushing it, as I really would have preferred to allow it to dry a few more days. But when the weatherman says more and lots of rain coming at us and optimum planting date of May 10th fast approaching, you take a chance. As you can see it turned out OK and more rain did follow and the seeds did indeed get the start they needed. Had it then turned off dry, as it sometimes does, it may have not been such a pretty sight. It is indeed as pretty a corn crop as I have ever grown or seen. As my farmer friend John Lehe stated not so long ago, "farming with water, sure is better than farming without water". We have some ponds scattered around the country side in corn fields, but I remember a "wet" year like this maybe back in the 70's that I remember reading a Pro Farmer newsletter in which the writer proclaimed, "forget about the ponds, on each side of a pond is a slope and that is where your corn will yield and make up for the pond". I think that is the case, this will be a great "hillside" year in which land that sometimes lacks for water and restricts the yield will tap the unused fertility that has accumulated in those areas and possibly produce an above average yield. It is looking so far like that kind of a year. Rains are predicted yet again for next week and soon after the 4th of July this corn will begin to send out its tassel the male part of the plant. Followed by the ears that will appear the female part and we will have once again, "Sex in the Cornfield".

Those little silks that stick out the end of the ear will await the arrival of the pollen from the tassel above. And miraculously the microscopic pollen will attach and work its way inside the silk and travel all the way to where each silk attaches to the cob and will then form a kernal of corn...maybe 100 or as many as nearly 200 of those miracles will happen on each and every ear of corn. Farmers are very fortunate in that we see God's design being played out over and over again. And witnessing this, one has to know that evolutionist, that do not have a stong belief in God, have to have an even bigger faith of a vacuum, that those of us who know that the creation does indeed prove the presence of the creator.

Things change almost daily during a growing season, and I count myself blessed to be a witness to life here in the fast lanes of Indiana watching corn grow.

Bee's Brains and Blessings (303)

Ran onto this swarm of honey bees the other day while mowing grass. First time I have ever seen a swarm of bees like this ever. I would guess maybe there is at least 10,000 honey bees here hanging on the limb of an apple tree. What are they doing there? Well the expert bee guy I asked about it explained it this way. They have left their hive probably not too far from here and "flew the coop", so to speak. The queen bee has decided to move on maybe to greener pastures. He told me that when she spreads the word that they will be moving soon that all of the bees eat as much honey from the hive as they possibly can..Then she takes off and they all take off after her. But they don't go far as they are full and they get sleepy. So she lands on this limb to take a nap and they all land and swarm around her and take naps too. Looks like they would smother her but I guess not. They were there all day but gone the next day. So who knows where they ended up. He said someone could have gotten a empty hive and placed it under the limp and shook the bees into the hive and they may have been happy with this and stayed or they may have cut out again. Thought it interesting enough to write about as I have in my 69 years and 46 months never seen such a thing...
Moving on to brains,specifically the brain of liberals. I realize this photo is not for real, but it ain't to far from real when you get to looking at it. One of my concerns these days is the amount of money being spent on the large wind mills supposedly to generate electricity for us all. But it is the true cost of these things that bothers me. No one seems to want to do the mathmatics or cost analyst on these specifically how much is the true cost of them and maintaining them verses the value of the power they will generate say in 30 years time...compared to the cost of power say from a coal fired generating plant. Maybe someday I will find out...maybe they are worthwhile but I have my doubts. Government subsidy's are driving these things and maybe that was OK on the first few to get them started but now it is time to stop that and make them stand on their own. Ethanol production as well needs to stand on its own from here on. Farming a lot of things needs to stand on their own as our nation does need to get its financial house in order. People who believe in Global warming and even worst that is our fault have to have these lobes seen above in their brains. They don't care what anything cost or what it's cost will do to our country. It is madness. We are already at a distinct disadvantage to the rest of the world in labor cost. Our jobs have left our shores for cheap labor...Now let us not shoot ourselves in the foot by raising our utility cost by being stupid...While the rest of the world cleanly burns coal and natural gas and produces cheap power...

Now for the Blessings...well for one, God is good, we continue to get rains in the midwest to support the much needed corn, beans and wheat that are in short supply nationwide. We would all suffer if we were to have a crippling drought this year and so far, so good. The big blessing I think we may have coming I discovered watching the Republican Presidential debates the other night. I was so impressed by all seven of the announced candidates to replace the community organizer, currently occupying the oval office. I especially was impressed by Bachman, Romney and Gingrich, but all of them or I should say anyone of them would be a good replacement and for the countries sake cannot come a day to soon. Check out the sign from Georgia to the right of my blog...This statement is pretty much dead on. I think a lot of people voted for Obama because we had never had a black President and it just made them feel good. Ignoring any negative ideas on him and allowing the liberal democrat press to guide them right into the voting booth...

Kayaking and Gardening in Indiana (302)

The "raised garden", is alive and well as seen here. Picture taken yesterday, shows how good things are growing in Indiana this year. Nice Spinach bed to the left of the walkway. Radishes to the right side. Broccilli, Culiflower, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Cabage and Peppers all doing fabulous. The Okra is still real small there in front of the two patches of Spinach and radishes..But before you know it those tiny Okra plants will be 5 feet tall and 3 inches in diameter and I will have switched my daily vegetable from Asparagas to Okra...I fix both of them on the grill and never seem to tire of them..Well maybe a little bit but what is one to do when its ready and so fresh and good you just eat it.
Susan and I Kayaked the Wildcat Creek yesterday evening. Floated from one bridge to the next near Dayton Indiana. Susan had a wonderful time as seen in the bottom picture. I had fun but I made some mistakes early out...Probably was in the water all of 30 seconds and got myself lodged against a log jam...Figuring that was not a good place to be with swift water and being in a set in kayak, I used my paddle to push myself away from the jam. I think in doing so I pushed my self over and instantly my kayak filled with water and tipped upside down. I just remember falling out the bottom of it and then coming to the surface thinking man with this water moving pretty fast I need to get a hold of the kayak and the paddle quickly.
The paddle was moving on down stream pretty fast but Susan was ahead of me and was able to capture it for me. I worked my way floating with my thank goodness good Life jacket and the submerged kayak to a sand bar where I was able to drag it out of the water and stand it on end and drain the water. Soon I was back into it and we continued down stream having a good time..With all the rain we have had the creek is a little higher than usual and the water moves pretty fast..Our trip from the Dayton Bridge to the Haggarty Bridge was maybe only 45 minutes including the time we came upon the log across the creek, as seen in the middle picture, and had to carry both kayaks around the jam and then put them back in...

All in all it was great fun, except for turning my kayak into a submarine the first 30 seconds. But that is all part of it, great fun if it is someone else doing it but even a little fun if it is you....Next time I will be used to it and how fast it can happen if you are a novice and don't know what you are doing out there...We plan on using them quite a bit this summer floating various creeks and rivers and lakes and even in the pond...We have 4 of them so we plan on taking other novices with us and have even more fun....

The crops corn and beans are getting a good start on the growing season. The corn is about 15 inches tall with about 7 leaves out, and the soybeans maybe 5 inches and getting their second trifoliate leaf...The rains have been a little too much but farming with water is much better than farming without water. The old adage "rain makes grain", is with us and so far so good...I hope it continues until these crops are made......