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 |  What's new on Pleasant Hill |
 This Blog contains day-to-day thoughts and other nonsense.  {c} ![Merit Badge in Community
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| We have lived on Pleasant Hill for the past thirty-one years. Until four years ago, the last .7 mile to our place was loose gravel road. That road runs thru a wetland and along Squaw Creek. Therefore, it was not surprising that nearly every summer we would see large female snapping turtles digging in the soft shoulders along this road to make egg nests. After the proper incubation, suddenly the roadway would be alive with little turtles scrambling to find their way back to the creek. Sometimes raccoons interrupted the cycle but, if we saw the babies in time, we carefully transported them to the bridge and helped them into the creek. Once there, they had a fighting chance, but our resident Blue Herons patrol those waters. We never knew how many babies survived. Four years ago, progress came to our neighborhood. The township blacktopped a half mile of that road. Since that time, we have only seen one nesting female. It's unclear if there are still snappers in the creek or if they have moved on. I miss that annual ritual. |
| In my experience, farmers are a thrifty lot. Years ago, when an implement no longer worked, it was most often moved to a section of the farm to rest and be cannibalized for parts as needed. Most farmsteads had such a bone yard. More recently, farmers put every bit of land to productive use. As that has happened the bone yards have been, not eliminated, but moved to another location. Now there is an accumulation of the skeletal remains of various pieces of machinery dotting the landscape every thirty or so miles. Rusting in the weather, they await new life with the use of a part or two by the aforementioned farmers. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Another use that has enjoyed new popularity is the creation of fanciful creatures welded together by enterprising artisans. One such fellow produces such artwork in this area. Clyde sculpts flights of fancy large and small from plough shares, discs, springs, and much more. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| I was recently reading about modernistic new inventions. I came across an article about a piece of women's apparel intended to be a personal defense mechanism. It is an electric jacket called the No-Contact Jacket. Powered only by a nine-volt battery, the wearer can administer 80,000 volts through the fabric.  This is enough to back off any unwanted advance or assault and provide a window for escape. It is fully insulated so the wearer feels nothing. Even when it is not in use, it sparkles with tiny visible arcs that send an ominous message. Adam Whiton and Yolita Nugent developed this garment as a personal defense technology for women. You can be access more information about this product at http://www.no-contact.comThink water conservation! Americans have the biggest toilets on Earth, and we waste water with every flush. Take a 32-ounce plastic cup, fill it with water, and set it in the tank. You will save that much precious water with every flush. It adds up. It is a common myth that WD40 sprayed on arthritic joints will cure arthritis. In fact, it will have no effect. Worse, it can cause lipoid pneumonia if too much of the distillate from the aerosol is inhaled. And the aerosol smell so good, too. Drat. |
| I was channel surfing last night and landed on the Discovery Channel. They were running an hour-long program called Dirty Jobs. Since there didn't seem to be any competition, I dialed in. The topic was Dirtiest Animals and the host, Mike Rowe. Within moments, I was convulsed with laughter. The host has a knack for wry humor and, of course the situations in which he was placed, were funny. . .hilariously funny. His first stop was a pig farm and when I tuned in, Mike was up to his knees in a pig wallow. If you have ever lived down wind from any type of piggy installation, I need say no more. Next, he was off to Iowa to sex baby chicks. Seems a chicken store can charge more for girl chicks than boys. . .something to do with intrinsic value. Soooo, long story short, someone must sort through mountains of day old hatchlings to separate the wheat from the chaff. Apparently sexing chickens takes a practiced eye as they all look pretty much alike at that stage. Two ways to do it. One kindly looking grandpa worked his way through stacks of trays of chicks, grasping them by one wing, spreading the tiny pinfeathers at the tip and flinging the tiny thing into either the girl or boy bin. The other method was dirtier. That fellow first literally squeezed the poop out of a chick, then proceeded to turn it upside down and inspect its hinder for a tiny bump or lack thereof. Then the inevitable toss left or right. This escapade was followed by visits to a dog groomer, a semen harvest and artificial insemination operation in Texas, and an ostrich roundup. All these activities were just begging for snappy comments and Mike obliged in spades. By the end of the hour, my sides ached from laughing so hard. Are they all this funny? That I don't know but I plan to check out other episodes to find out. |
| Summer is ice cream eating time here. T and I often take one of the aforementioned "leisurely rides" north 30 miles to Hawkeye's in Abbotsford. Folks come from a far piece to savor one of Hawkeye's cones. There are 25 flavors from which to choose and sometimes it is a downright difficult decision. I almost always have a dip of one flavor and a second of another. Ice cream eaters fall into two camps, the waffle cone crowd, and those who like wafer cones. Hawkeye's offers both. If we feel like heading south, Wisconsin Rapids has Herschleb's Drive In. They are family-owned and they make their own ice cream. It can be purchased by the cone, soda, sundae, or by the pint, quart, or gallon pail. Their product is delicious and often they offer unique flavors. Two of my faves are Cranberry and Cinnamon. Yumm Yumm! Wisconsin is also known for an ice cream-like product, Custard. Custard includes egg yolks that add another layer of creamy smoothness and flavor. Thirty years back there were many unique family custard stands in Wisconsin. Many are still in business. For years, frozen custard treats were available primarily in Wisconsin. Culver's has expanded nationally now and custard has been taken nearly everywhere. |
| The nature and appearance of barns are changing. The old wood frame barns are disappearing from the landscape. I fully expect a barn museum to pop up somewhere in the coming years. In this area, they are being cannibalized for the lumber, destroyed by high winds and fire, and often just left to disintegrate. Many that are still standing are no longer in use. Farming methods are evolving rapidly and the changes have set the traditional barn on a path to obsolescence. It's a sad turn of events as some barns are handsome structures and I'm sorry to see them go. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** What is replacing them in this area looks more like a corporate office in some cases. New facilities incorporate computerized records and other modern technologies, eliminate the need for repetitive stooping and bending which has killed many a farmer's knees and back, and protect animals from exposure to communicable diseases which can decimate a herd,. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| First, an announcement: since 1000 clicks seems to be some sort of a milestone, I can say that this one hit the mark yesterday. Now I can relax on that matter. The asteroid, 2004 XP14 will be passing by earth on Monday at 1225 EDT. Distance from earth will be 268.000 miles. Because if is only 1/2 mile in length, it will not be visible with the naked eye. A medium strength telescope will be required to see it. This asteroid is currently listed as one of 783 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PNA) by the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge Mass. There will be a visible occurrence like this in 2029 in Asia and North Africa. Mark that on your calendars. The Fab Four are back! A new show of Beatle's music opened Friday night on the Las Vegas strip and is expected to run there for ten years. The show, "Love" is the result of an idea hatched by George Harrison and his friend, Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, prior to George's death. I've been following the Wimbledon matches between soccer games. We only have a single TV and Tony is big on the World Cup. Two recent matches ended in a tie necessitating "shoot offs." It's my favorite part of a soccer match and does not happen all that often so I enjoyed them. Otherwise, I can take it or leave it. Tennis updates and other information can be found at http://www.wimbledon.org |
| Cervical cancer is the second most common malignant disease in women worldwide. There are an estimated 290,000 deaths each year. In the US alone, 10,400 cases will be diagnosed this year. Additionally genital warts are a common sexually transmitted disease and both conditions are caused by strains of the human papillomavirus. The Merck Company has recently received approval to market the new vaccine Gardisil. This vaccine protects against four strains of the human papillomavirus. It has been proven to provide effective protection against two of the strains that cause 70% of cervical cancer as well as the two strains that cause 90% of genital warts. Studies show that a majority of young women acquire HPV soon after the onset of sexual activity. For that reason, the Center for Disease Control's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends targeting girls aged 11-12 years for routine vaccination that girls as young as 9 could be vaccinated if parents and health care providers agree that women and girls 13-26 should be vaccinated as a "catch-up" that vaccination should be a part of the federal Vaccination for Children program which provides for vaccination of children who are uninsured, Medicare recipients, Native Americans or Alaska Natives. This vaccine is administered in three doses over a six-month period. The cost is $120.00 each for a total of $360.00. It is expected that Pediatricians will follow ACIP recommendations and that third party payers will cover the cost. Thank you CDC for the information. |
Menard's is Wisconsin's answer to Home Depot and Lowes. In order to compete, Menard's opened a new store in St Paul. It is a two-story affair with conveyer belt escalators to the second floor. They took a page from the Nordstrom book and added a grand piano with live music on weekends and holidays. There is something mildly incongruous but cool about classical music in "power tools and hinges.". I got a phone call this morning. A serious woman's voice on the other end said, "The McMillan Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum is having an open house Saturday from 1pm until 4 and we would like to invite you to come." This struck me funny and I burst out in nearly uncontrollable laughter.  Cold calling for a mausoleum has got to be one of those unappreciated occupations. I politely declined between giggles. She failed to see the humor in the exchange. In yesterday's news, there was a report of the conviction of a judge in ?Omaha. He has been found guilty of indecent exposure. It seems that for the past four or five years, he has been presiding over his courtroom, murder trials, and all, hooked up to a penis pump. Yes, that would be while court was in session. His clerk of court thought she was hearing a strange whooshing sound since 2001. In 2003, a law officer was testifying and also heard what sounded like a blood pressure cuff being inflated. He looked at the judge and could see a vinyl tube threaded up the judge's leg to his crotch.  It's hard to know if the clerk was hearing whooshing or heavy breathing.Because some of you have never set eyes on an Ag bag, I've included a photo for your edification. Notice the old car tires at the right side of the photo for size comparison. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| It's time for another ag update from your entirely unqualified ag reporter. Corn crops are lookin' good this year. Farmers in these parts are happy if it is knee high by the 4th of July and nearly all fields already exceed that mark.  First crop of hay was abundant and everyone has finished that chore. Some are cutting a second time on their fields. Gone are the days of the old labor intensive baling and storing of dry hay in barn haymows. Now, nearly everyone either makes big round bales that are piled along fencerows until needed or fills Ag bags. What the heck is an Ag bag, you might be asking. Some clever bloke invented an inexpensive and safe replacement for the silo. Ag bags dot our landscape in profusion now. An Ag bag is a large, long white heavy plastic sleeve. It comes all telescoped like a large bagel. A special chopper/fan chops and blows moist hay (or corn) into one end. It packs very tightly inside the bag and the bag distends as it fills. The chopper is slowly advanced backward and the result is a hundred foot long, white plastic caterpillar look-alike packed with haylage or corn silage. There are several advantages to the use of Ag bags. They are much cheaper than the cost of an additional silo. It is not a permanent structure, so the farmer is not taxed for it. It does not accumulate silo gas, a hazard of silos that can be lethal. Haylage yields better feed protein than dry hay. This method eliminates the labor-intensive method of making, moving, and storing small bales. The elimination of storage of small hay bales in barn haymows eliminates the nasty risk of barn fire from spontaneous combustion. This was an ever-present danger and no summer passed in our area without at least one barn fire. |
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