We have been on Spring Break for the last week and a half. The kids actually had some nice weather days, which usually doesn't happen this time of year. We stayed home, which is a vacation to us. Not having to be on the road each morning at the crack of dawn was nice. We still managed to go somewhere each day. The kids hadn't had JC Penney-type pictures done for about three years, so we got pictures taken. We got some cleaning jobs done, went to the dentist, and Thomas got his pesky ear tube removed. Don't worry, they had a lot of down time too.
We head to MSU this weekend for the Michigan Holstein Jackpot Show. The weather will be better than last year, when it snowed about 4 inches, so we are taking the camper up. It is easier to stay in it, rather than the Red Roof up the road. We can eat our meals there, and the two kiddos that aren't showing cattle don't have to get up before the sun to head to the Pavilion and wash heifers. I am flying solo tomorrow night, and will managed to clip all three heifers by myself. That way, nobody has to miss school on Friday. The rest of the family will join me after school Friday afternoon.
I had better get packing......
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Latest arrivals at the zoo
Meet the newest residents up here on the hill. These are my future egg layers. We picked them up on Sunday afternoon at the main post office. It was about a half-hour drive, and hubby decided it was wise to pick them up last. I had to agree. The longer they were in the car, the louder their peeping grew.
It reminded me of a ride I took many, many years ago. We lived in West Virginia for about three years when I was a kid. My brother and I had spent part of the summer with both sets of grandparents in Michigan, but it was time to head for home. My mom's folks took us home. Besides my grandparents, my great grandma and my brother, we had a few more riders for the trip. Grandma Phil was bringing a batch of young chicks to my mom.
The family was cruisin' down the highway, and I would suspect all the windows were down in the car. Wouldn't you know, we had a flat tire. Did I mention that grandpa had gone to the Saturday sale in Hillsdale to get my brother and I $5 bikes???? Well, the only way to get them to West Virginia was to take them completely apart and stuff them in the trunk. Which was no big deal until the spare tire was needed. I can still see my grandpa pulling piece after piece of bike out of that truck to get to that tire.
Once the tire was changed, we were back on the road. By now, the chicks were getting hungry....and noisy. Every mile they got louder until my grandpa finally told grandma to find something to feed them, because they were really getting on his nerves. She dug around in the picnic basket and discovered fig newtons. Well, those chicks just loved those newtons, and they did get quiet for a while. But then the newtons hit them and they got the "runs". Grandpa had a name for such things....he called them "Phyllis' follies". He would give her a pretty hard time about the stuff she involved him in, but he was a good sport about them most of the time.
Funny the things that you never forget. I can still see that whole day in my mind, as if it had just happened.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Not on my corner......
That is what I am struggling with right now.
The state of Michigan has to have a balanced budget each year. Unlike the federal government, we can't print money when we don't have enough, so "somethin' has gotta give". The budget was released last month and it looks like the Department of Agriculture is on the chopping block to give a lot. To the tune of about 20% in cuts.
This gets personal, when you dig further into what programs the cuts will hit. 4-H and county fairs, two of my favorite things. But there are a lot more things that come under the banner of the Department of Ag. Food inspectors are in that department, the state veterinarians are in there, along with a ton of others. But I am not clueless, I know there is a lot of stuff in that department that could be done away with. Heck, 21 years ago this summer, I went to work for the Department of Agriculture. I was a summer intern, and made close to $10 an hour. Mind you, minimum wage was about $3.45 back then. There was waste then and I am sure it has only gotten worse.
I went on a drought tour across the state that summer, and spent two days taking pictures of the Director standing in the middle of fields of hay and corn, soybeans, sugar beets and navy beans, agreeing that it was dry. Can you say photo op and feel good moments??? You Bet!! The Director of Agriculture standing there wasn't gonna make it rain. And taking an entourage of a state car and an 18 passenger van cost money. The director and five staff members then flew by private plane late on the second day to visit the Traverse City area to observe the drought damaged orchards.
Yes there is waste, and somethings can be cut. But nobody wants to cut their "baby". That special project that means everything to them! So who decides??? If they ask me, I am going to tell them not on my corner. And everyone else will have the same defense for their baby. I don't have any good answers, but I do know that 4-H has done a lot for many generations of my family and a lot of other families. There has to be a compromise somewhere, and hopefully it will be reached soon.
The state of Michigan has to have a balanced budget each year. Unlike the federal government, we can't print money when we don't have enough, so "somethin' has gotta give". The budget was released last month and it looks like the Department of Agriculture is on the chopping block to give a lot. To the tune of about 20% in cuts.
This gets personal, when you dig further into what programs the cuts will hit. 4-H and county fairs, two of my favorite things. But there are a lot more things that come under the banner of the Department of Ag. Food inspectors are in that department, the state veterinarians are in there, along with a ton of others. But I am not clueless, I know there is a lot of stuff in that department that could be done away with. Heck, 21 years ago this summer, I went to work for the Department of Agriculture. I was a summer intern, and made close to $10 an hour. Mind you, minimum wage was about $3.45 back then. There was waste then and I am sure it has only gotten worse.
I went on a drought tour across the state that summer, and spent two days taking pictures of the Director standing in the middle of fields of hay and corn, soybeans, sugar beets and navy beans, agreeing that it was dry. Can you say photo op and feel good moments??? You Bet!! The Director of Agriculture standing there wasn't gonna make it rain. And taking an entourage of a state car and an 18 passenger van cost money. The director and five staff members then flew by private plane late on the second day to visit the Traverse City area to observe the drought damaged orchards.
Yes there is waste, and somethings can be cut. But nobody wants to cut their "baby". That special project that means everything to them! So who decides??? If they ask me, I am going to tell them not on my corner. And everyone else will have the same defense for their baby. I don't have any good answers, but I do know that 4-H has done a lot for many generations of my family and a lot of other families. There has to be a compromise somewhere, and hopefully it will be reached soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)