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 |   A Journal to impart knowledge and facts |
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July 22, 2015 I'm going to start today to record on a daily basis whatever happens to strike my fancy. So, it is a very cool breezy day. I just posted 5 short book reviews to The Monthly Reading Challenge. I'm suppose to put away some winter wood today from the woodpile outside but I'm playing hookey from work to write so starting this blog will get done. I'm having a daily fight with a flock of English Sparrows that are trying to take over my barn. They are making a terrible mess so they have to go. I have destroyed several nests so far they don't leave but they get out of the barn when I am around. I'm just starting the fight so I guess I don't know how far I have to go to discourage them. I'm trying not to spread myself to thin on WDC because I find so many things that are interesting here and I am trying to work on a new story. I really enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and reading blogs on WDC. |
Creation Saturday: Unbranded the movie A riding dream concludedThis is a review of Unbranded a movie that came out in 2015. It is 1 hr and 45 min. long. The movie is a documentary about 4 young men who rode from the USA side of the Mexican border North to the USA side of the Canada border. I've only been on three 50 mile over night trail rides. Looking back, that is enough to realize what this ride must have been like. When you view the vistas they rode through, it becomes an amazing adventure with horses as companions. There is a burro that enters the ride about half way through. I thought of Brighty a little burro that was used for taking supplies to the river at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I was sure when I first read Brighty of the Grand Canyon, that I was still in high school. I found a copy of the book on the internet. It listed the publisher as Aladdin and the author as Marguerite Henry. It also had a publishing date of 2015. So, I'm thinking it was republished at some time. Anyway, at one time only the trained burros were aloud to traverse the trail to the bottom of the Canyon but these young men took their horses through the trail to the other side? That must be a feat of its own. Then there is the fact that the movie is an indepth work about the wild mustang management in the USA. The horses used in the movie were Mustangs. The ride took longer than they expected. Even with IPods for communication, maps, and GPS they sometimes had to alter the route. Accurate ideas are portrayed throughout the movie about the abilities used to complete the ride. I especially liked that the movie is a picture about the horses and their companionship to the riders. It definitely shows the interaction between horse and rider that is sometimes left out in other types of movies. Happy Trails! apondia#1781748 |
Life caught up with me this week so I'm going to play catch with this blog. Catch is a baseball word. {center}  First some comments about the Fun Fact Friday Prompt.1. I can understand a wet cabbage leaf. It would not wilt to badly. The water would not absorb into the cabbage so it would keep the hat moist and cool the brain. A cool brain is an active brain. 2. Some people are able to handle more than one job at a time. That would be a plus in any ones world. 3.  Well, someone was just doing some real thinking about organization with this one. My question - When did an umpire split his pants which may have led to this rule?4. My question - why was he traded so many times? Did his teams win the series? 5. I knew he was a baseball player but I like his charisma in the horse adventures he made for the movies. 6. Wow! 6' 11.'' Did he have long legs? Was he a good runner? I think I better look up some of these facts so I get some answers. 7. This wasn't just a coincidence you know. This was prophecy. You never know when someone is going to know something before it occurs. It just is.  |
Wildcat Round: Invent a sport: D.O.T and C.O.T.If I invent a sport it has to involve pets and people so here goes. Hmmmm. How to organize this idea is the problem. I’m thinking some kind of fun for the elderly. I was reading in some book ??? Don’t remember which one, during this month that people who keep pets live longer. I’m guessing that means people who actually like to give love to an animal by proper care and feeding and whatever cuddling it takes. The animal shelters have lots of needy dogs  so they should run marathons about a month long. Only the elderly need to enter. (people over 60). I think it would be possible to compete even if you are in a wheel chair or on crutches. The animal shelters could lend them dogs and set up training schedules for the dogs. There would be a lesson a week for the human competitor and the dog. There should be people who are able to provide scheduled rides for the competitors from their homes to the shelter. Every one should be working under supervision.(just to keep the shelter workers happy). During the competition they would work the dogs on sit, stand, heel and down.  Plus, learn grooming. At the end of a month a short showing to a panel of judges who have kept tabs on the affair for the duration of the competition. The handlers could show off their tricks. The judges would have to take into consideration the type of dog that is being worked. It’s breeding, approximate age, how much handling it has already had, if anyone knows how much handling it has already had. The judges would have to take into consideration the person working the animal. Their previous experience with dog training, did they show up for each lesson over the month. How efficiently groomed the animal has been. And, any other types of animal participation they have been involved in. After all, an expert dog trainer participating against a rank amateur should not be given as much credence as an amateur who has met his goals and achieved good results. We could call the sport. D. O. T. (Dogs and Oldsters Train). I’ll make up a little TV commercial to advertise all the participating shelters and dogs. Dogs trained by D.O.T. would become the rage. Probably the competition part of this sport needs to be tweaked especially after we run it once.  And, of course it needs to expand to a cat competition all its own. That would require a lot of thought about balls of yarn or catnip toys. Hello out there all you cat people how do you train a cat. I need some help here. Mostly my cats all trained me not the other way around.  One of them trained me to sit still ( I was allowed to read a book or crochet or knit)for an hour after lunch so he could take a nap on my shoulder. Of course we need to run the cat part under a different name. C.O.T.  would work so the two parts of the competition would be separate but easily recognizable.Now, you need to sit still and run some images in your head about how some parts of these competitions would look. After this email me I’m sure you can give me some input about the organization of D.O.T. or C.O.T. Contributions of funds are welcome. Best wishes to all competitors-Let the games begin  All competitors get a ribbon.  O. and D. and C. |
| War Chest Wednesdays: Tour De France begets “Tell us about your memories of your bicycle.” I like the Tour De France https://www.letour.fr/en/ If I had a sports channel maybe I could watch the Tour De France or other bicycle competitions or horse competitions. I hope you are writing my memoirs or at least keeping them in your psychologist notebook for further reference. I have as many bicycle memories as I do horse memories. First of all I learned to ride on my cousins bicycle at my Aunt Marge’s house. My brother and I spent weeks with Aunt Marge in the summer while Dad worked. They had a long front porch which I would use to get on the bike. Then, my cousin Danny would push me down the road (it was dirt with very little traffic). After he got tired of pushing he would let loose and I would be riding down the road by myself. Then, I learned to push off from the front porch and go down the road by myself. (Great Fun!) Then we stopped going to Aunt Marge’s so I did not have a bicycle. At some point, I started begging Dad for a bike of my own. He said he couldn’t afford a new bike. Then I started begging him for any bike I assured him I would take even a beat up old bike with out fenders as long as it had two wheels, pedals, and a chain. He was so impressed with my need he went out and bought me a brand new bike. I can remember sitting at the top of the stairwell listening to my Dad and my older brother put it together at night. I think it cost him a great expense for awhile. He made me promise to take good care of it and always keep it in the barn out of the rain. I named it trigger and rode for hours up and down the road that ran in front of the house. It was a Shwinn. The year I was a Freshman in High School another cousin who went to the same school came out and stayed all night with her bike. It was the last day of school. So, we rode our bikes the five miles to town. That is probably the last time I ever rode that bike. Now, I have a brand new Walmart Bike. It is a girls 24 inch. I can still ride but, I’m not so quick about riding it on the rode because traffic is a lot heavier, faster, and meaner. Even though the rode is still dirt. I keep my bike inside the house. The metal in the new bike is not as good as the old Schwinn. I bought Schwinn's for my children. There is still one of the 24 inch 10 speeds here from when my boys were growing up. I rode it for a while but it is a boys bike and more difficult to mount than a girls bike. Schwinn's don’t rust out the metal is better. Walmart bikes cannot take the weather as well. When the children were growing up I remember putting a child seat on a bike and riding around the neighborhood with a lot of children. It was fun. I think I wrote this blog once before. I wonder how this one compares with the other bike blog? And, I have a bike I try to ride often in my basement. Actually, right now there are two indoor exercise bikes. The first one is a cheap one that we bought. The second one was given to me by my daughter and son-in-law. It is a more expensive model with a magnetic pedal. It is a good bike and I’m using it. However, it is way more boring than a real bike. I have to find a home for the cheap one, it’s part of my on going clean it out urge. There is a hikers, horse back riders, bike trail in a small town near a lake. I like to go there to ride but don’t get there often anymore. Still not bad to be able to continue to ride a bike. I like exercise. Walking the dog is fun too. ![Merit Badge in Cheerleading
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| Talk Tuesdays: Talk Up the Accomplishments in Your Life Most of my accomplishments are not sporty. I left my bicycle for a horse in my teens. The winter when I was 15 my dad allowed me to keep a horse from a local riding business. They offered rides around the local lake. In the winter they let out their horses to local farmers to keep until spring. That saved them the cost of feed and the kids got to ride the mounts. The first one was a small Bay quarter type horse called Teddy. I have some photographs of him. He was the first horse to be regaled with choral music as I would sit in his empty feed box and learn my chorus music. He was a biter. My dad showed me a trick of anticipating the bite and flicking him quickly on the softest part of the nose before he accomplished his action. It wasn’t only one of two times and he stopped his nips. I learned grooming, saddling, foot care, and other necessary rider to horse disciplines on Teddy. Here I might say I’ve read every Black Stallion and Red Stallion book. They have excellent ideas about horse training in them. The second year I kept a small paint named Colonel. I was 16. Colonel and I spent our evenings and weekends on the road, in the fields, and woods. We knew all the deer trails and in and outs of riding places I never would have explored alone or on foot. Coronal was a true companion he was trustworthy and true. He once saved my life. I was riding home on a nearby road when a large feed truck came barreling toward us. It was driving down the middle of the road and veered right toward us. Colonel leapt sidewise at a right angle with all four feet at once. We landed across a ditch against a fence uninjured. Horses do make decisions on their own. The Sport: The first horse I owned was a 17 hand Tennessee walker. He was 10 year old gelding that had been passed around to many riders until he became mine. I have a picture of my 4 year old son sitting on him right after we bought him. I was 21. We ended up stabling him on Randolph Air Force base. I joined a riding class there. The other members of the class were 12 and under. When we came to the jumping part of lessons the teacher was dismayed because: Tennessee Walkers don’t jump. Also, posting at the trot was an impossible situation on the back of a horse that was bred to go for long rides across a plantation at a that barely registered a movement across his back. I went to the base library and found a book that explained the riding moves a saddleseat rider would use to change a pace to a regular trot. Then every day when I was practicing my equitation I would practice moving Henry’s pace to a trot. The next time the teacher complained in class that the horse could not trot so I would never learn to post properly I asked him, “Do you need him to trot?” when he replied, “Yes.” I made my moves which put Henry into a regular trot. The astonished teacher asked, “How did you do that?” He was an equitation teacher for balanced seat which is different than saddleseat riding. This was the first time I succeeded in gaining knowledge about horses that my teachers did not know. Henry could not jump higher than 18 inches. He wasn’t bred for the moves. Soon, there were people in the stable who had good horses that were offering me there mounts just for my lessons and I was accepting. One, particular Colonel was taking care of his daughters horse who had entered college. He was glad to have me ride the horse but warned me how hard the horses mouth was and to be careful because the horse had a habit of running away with people. I never had any trouble with that mount, so I still wonder why the horse was running away with people. My first class of equitation I entered for the showing experience, on advice from the teacher, was memorable. I was showing against 5 to 7 or 8 year olds. I did not win anything but I was there to console two young children lined up before the judge on either side of me who were both tearful because they did not win a ribbon. I felt bad for them. Later, when I became a teacher and dealt with some parents I realized that many children ride because their parents put them on a horse and if they don’t win it is a major family problem. Soon, I had to buy a new horse but, I could not let go of Henry. He was with me the rest of his life. My next horse was a King Ranch bred gelding named Tweet Hornet. He was a 17 hand blood bay cross between a quarter horse and a thoroughbred. I did most of the major showing in Texas on him. He was the horse I jumped over a hay wagon. We won second place in my first cross country event. I changed stables and teachers after I bought him. I rode for a stable called El Dorado. Which I don’t think it exists any more. My teacher was now female. She was a bold rider and teacher. I also taught a few lessons there to beginners and helped run a small business selling second hand riding equipment and clothing. While I was in Texas I needed money for my horse passion so I took lessons in dog grooming from another dog groomer who I rode with occasionally. She even took some lessons with me at one time. So, I groomed dogs to earn money to ride horses. I’ve ridden western barrels, and poles. I’ve owned quarter horses, welsh ponies (they are great with children), thoroughbreds, and of course my Tennessee Walker. I like thoroughbreds the best, they are kind, intelligent, and trustworthy in any job you give them. We moved back to Pa. With 40 horses and ponies. Some of the animals were the first boarders in the stable we were building. later I shipped some of these animals to their owner who had retired from the military to New Jersey. I liked riding and teaching but I never really cared for competition and a lot of riders base their riding on competition. I always won ribbons and trophies but one day I found them in the attic and threw them all away. I kept the silver platter and gravy bowl though. I’m happiest (even though I probably won’t ever have another horse) on the trail taking long walks and trots and watching the wildlife. In Texas there were lots of armadillos on trails. Here in Pa. I saw deer, fox, rabbits, grouse and other wildlife who like to graze or lounge around on the well mowed trails. Horses and deer get along really well. The trails aren’t mowed any more and the last time I was on one was last year with a 4 wheeler. After 1978 I was raising sheep, dairy goats, children, rabbits for meat, haying, Sunday school, church, 4H, cub scouts, knitting and crocheting. When ever there was a new subject to learn I was reading every book I could find on that particular subject. I’m good at all these subjects. I have a lot of knowledge because I always opened a book or listened to the teachers, farriers, veterinarians experience stories and advice. One of the best pieces of advice I could give to a younger person is go to class, read the assigned books and listen to the teachers tales of their own experiences in the subject they teach. Someday in your life you may need the knowledge they impart. Now, I read, I blog, I take care of my creatures and house that’s about it. |
Motivation Monday: We'll discuss quotes attributed to people from all walks of life. Today a quote by Billie Jean King. Women in sportshttps://www.olympic.org/women-in-sport Okay. I had a bit of trouble with this particular quote. I don't know what she was wearing that would have kept Billie Jean King out of the photo or what the photo was for or who the photo was by.  Give me some facts, facts I say.I really believe gender equality is being addressed in sports in a real and purposeful manner. When I was riding horses I had a prominent female instructor and male instructor. Both of them addressed riding properly. In classes, there was always male and female riders. A horse or rider was evaluated for its physical abilities not its gender. Females and Males compete in the same classes, Ride the same size fences, and complete the same Dressage tests. I've seen males riding and winning on small horses and females riding and winning on large horses. Color doesn't matter either. Although I have seen more black people compete in saddle seat than in jumping. And, Spanish jockeys race a lot of thoroughbreds. Color in horses only matters when they are bred not when ridden. Horses are evaluated for their conformation and abilities within the constraints of conformation. Anyway gender bias is more sexually motivated than anything else. That is a societal issue. How many times has someone complained because a woman is wearing slacks instead of a dress? Where does the problem start? Do you know enough history to have a great answer? I saw so many websites and quotes about gender equality. In order to address the issue today it was broken down into gender equality in sports. Beach volley ball is especially susceptible to gender issues because the women are treated as sexual objects instead of athletes competing in a sport. See the 5 quotes in the link above. https://www.billiejeanking.com/equality/ Billie Jean King was wearing tennis shorts, instead of a tennis skirt, the day the picture was taken. This trouble about clothing comes out of the church. In the new testament, Paul, separated women and men by clothing and hair style. We are two thousand years away from the situations of that time. Can you tell a man from a women if they are both wearing shorts or jeans or if their hair is long or short? Another thing the prominent women in tennis had to deal with was smaller prize money if they won than if a male won the match. Even when females were playing against males and winning. Billy Jean King has worked for gender equality all during her life. ![Merit Badge in Celebration
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| Share thoughts and opinions on the headline. Sunday News, The mayor of Annapolis, Maryland, Gavin Buckley wants to stop the random murder of American citizens. References: https://culberson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398944 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Pennsylvania Opinion!! So, do I. In case you don't remember or did not see the news about it; at one point , President Trump had a meeting with the NRA.(March1,2018--11:04 pm/ in the oval office) I heard on a news broadcast that President Trump told the NRA that the shootings had to stop. (Does he think the NRA controls these shootings in some way? This is kind of old news now but maybe still relevant?) Another Bill to read about if you are looking for relevant news about gun laws is the Manchin-Toomey Bill. Here was a democrat and a republican teaming up to try to resolve some gun issues. Really the issue is how do you stop a criminal from committing a crime before it happens? One of the reasons the issue of guns and gun laws is running into opposition is that law makers believe these issues should be addressed at the state level. Pennsylvania has some laws that I agree with. One of the ones I was surprised to learn is that there is an open carry law. If you strap on a holster and walk down the street with a gun in it, your legal. Another reason gun laws have a difficult time passing is the general population of the USA who legally maintain guns in their possession think, that sooner or later they will need their firearms to protect themselves, as the criminal populations of the nation seem to be getting bolder as time moves forward. Also, there are a lot of crazy ideas out there about what freedom is really all about. The idea that individual freedom can run over the top of anyone who you don't agree with??? Real freedom has to take into consideration a lot of different people and ideas without trampling on anyone. On one hand we are upholding freedom of speech on the other fighting hurt feelings. When I was taking journalism classes we learned that journalists are quite often targeted because they are likely to tell facts others don't want the general public to know. The information was referring to the embedded journalist covering war. The Capital Gazette covered a story in 2011 about a criminal harassment charge that had been leveled against Ramos (The shooter), The suit was eventually settled in the newspaper's favor by a court. Also, the shooter had threatened The paper through social media. This is another case where someone should have taken the threats more seriously, especially, because it was journalism and the shootings in the USA are escalating. It isn't just about guns. It's about changing irregular thoughts that can lead to violence. Where was the one to one communication with the perpetrator before he started shooting? Was he mentally unstable when he was first charged with criminal harassment? Could this have been stopped earlier before it escalated into a hate crime? See, I always have more questions that need answers. Maybe the congress gets bogged down with these questions too.  See Ya!  |
| Using a feature of any Jules Verne's tale, write a story or poem. Jules Verne wrote many stories I have a book of 33 of his stories on my kindle. His stories were adventures the science was just the creme on the top to create interest. Jules Verne takes a ride in a helicopter by apondia "Duck your head as you run forward Mr. Verne." As he entered the helicopter the pilot instructed him “you have to buckle this belt it will hold you in your seat and put this on your head. Yes, just like mine. OK, now we are ready.”The machine began to slowly hover , raising high in the air , they flew out over the water. “I read your interview that was in the year 1894-January for McClure magazine by R. H. Shepard.” “Mr Shepard asked me many questions. He was interested in my whole life. Partly, he was looking for the reasoning behind my stories that had many types of scientific machines? I told him many things about my writing efforts.” “I’m going to show you some modern machines. Machines that are as amazing as the ones you wrote about, stated the pilot as he made a large turn and began a descent. Floating in the water below was a large mass of huge ships. The helicopter landed on the deck of a ship that was shaped kind of like a large bullet. Jules Verne disembarked for an internal tour of the submarine. He was amazed by the size of the ship and the size of the crew. Then he reentered the helicopter strapped on his seat belt and they took off for Japan In Japan the pilot of the helicopter disembarked with Mr. Verne. Together they toured the factory and talked with the people who were developing the prototype of a two seater drone. “I never studied science. I was writing to earn a living and because I enjoyed it so much. As I told Mr. Shepard “I had quite the good fortune to enter at a time when there were dictionaries on every possible subject.”” The pilot and Jules Verne once more entered the helicopter. They visited automobile factories, tractor factories, large farms using many types of machines in every day life to create a living for their families. They visited the annual hot air balloon festival in Meadville, Pennsylvania, USA where they rode a balloon high over the city watching the views. At the end of the helicopter tour they had moved through time and space actually reading the plaque left on the moon by the astronaut. They visited museums and great libraries where every type of knowledge is kept. The helicopter returned in time and space to the place they began. “You were given this tour to show you how the stories you wrote influenced ideas and spurred machinists and scientist to move forward in their endeavors to advance societies. I know you believed that the French did not appreciate your efforts to write. Now you see it was worth your efforts and how much the French and Americans do appreciate your life efforts. I got this idea after reading “Jules Verne His Own Account of His Life and Work” by R.H. Shepard” the book is about 20 pages long and can be purchased on Amazon for 99 cents. It is what I used as a reference while writing the story. {{center}  Write ON! |
| Give us your take on Jules Verne's writing life. https://blogthinkbig.com/inventions-jules-verne-predicted Who doesn’t like Jules Verne’s tales. I guess, like all people, Verne needed money to make a life. If he was a successful stockbroker that would have given him both time and finances to delve into what he really liked to do, write. He was educated enough to be able to combine science with adventure. The adventure took his own mind into worlds he could imagine. I would not go so far as to call him a prophet. He certainly was a man, who was able to read the signs of the times. He wrote about submarines that were already being developed by scientist. Other types of Things he thought and wrote about were electric batteries, and helicopters. Scientists and inventors were also thinking of these things, even trying to develop parts of such types of machines. The minds of humans are interconnected. What a writer can dream up and put on paper or any other type of writing technology some other person will bring into the world as a accomplished machine for the use of mankind. Guess we are going into space for sure sooner than later. You can get some of his stories on Amazon for free on kindle. There is a book there for sale with a lot of stories for 49 cents. |
| I'd like you to detail your day for us--break it down into your daily routine. But then, if you are up to it put a twist on it. Give us the same routine as if it was 100 years past or 100 years future. I’m retired. I don’t have a set schedule. I’ll do today for you. Wake up. Pick up a book and read for an hour crawl out of bed about 6:30 a.m. My daily routine is in about the first 4 paragraphs after that it is a summer twist. Morning routine for myself, then feed, water, and clean parrot cages. Feed, water, and clean cat box for the cat. Turn on the TV to PBS so the parrots can watch cartoons. (Yes. They follow the stories.) They don’t like Dinosaur Train because one time the dinosaur children were running from some large lizard and were screaming for help. It scared the parrots. They don’t like any type of extreme violence in their shows. My birds are very kind, gentle souls. Besides, because of that one incidence I’m sure they can’t discern between real and animated. When I go down stairs I put the dog out, start the computer, put it on sleep for later, bring the dog in and fix breakfast for both of us. Then, I take a few minutes to drink water or tea. Some mornings I take time to drink my morning beverage on the balcony upstairs, where I can interact with a noisy bunch of red squirrels who like to steal cat food off the balcony. Then I’m off the the barn to feed, water, and groom the pony. This morning I’m going to see if I can throw some hay off a wagon into the mow. The dogs will be on the back porch while I’m in the barn this morning. It’s 8a.m when I reach the barn. That’s because some of the time since I woke up about 5 a. m I was reading. The book for today is “Swamplandia” by Karen Russell. It’s a book about a gator park in Florida and the family that runs it. I borrowed it as an eBook from the local library. It’s on my kindle. Plugged in the kindle when I got up so I could continue reading later. I stayed in the barn until 10 a.m unloading hay and stacking in the hay mow. I was able to get 41 bales put away before my energy started to fade. I’ll take an hour or more off now to see if I get enough energy returned so I can stack more hay. This is not a typical day or week. We have been putting in hay all week. I have helped some but most of the work is being done by my son and his family. From what I see there is probably 40 or so bales still left on the wagon. The bales weigh between 30-50 pounds. K works Thursday mornings so he will help when he gets home. I got a hang up telephone call since I came back in the house so probably the neighbors are checking to see if I’m still conscious. I need a snack. Yesterday, I baked cookies, washed laundry and dishes, blogged, and read an audio book while I knitted. It was a slow day. The main floor of the house needs vacuumed but that isn’t going to happen until the first of next week. Friday we will all be putting in more hay. During hay season we eat a lot of take out and keep bottled water stocked in the refrigerator. It is ideal weather for hay right now, long hot sunshiny days. I heard this week the good weather will end for about 10 days, so the rain will return. Whatever hay we put in this week will be enough for winter. If the weather goes back to hot and sunny we may put up more hay. Our haying help also continues to work their regular jobs during the day and hay in the late afternoon. Everyone works 10 to 12 hour days. It is difficult to be aging. It’s harder to keep up. Haying is a harvest. You see the result of your labor all year round. The animals eat well and stay happy during the worst types of weather. If I was fortunate to be here in 100 years I would probably be still doing what I do now. I like routine and although haying is only one part of a small farm it is still a necessary part of life. In 100 years maybe the farming will shift into lots of other types of products. More and more people are going to live longer because we are all shifting to better foods for better life. One of the nice things here is the continuity of life. The red winged blackbirds are still showing up first in the spring. Robins like to build nests above the back porch. Deer show up at dusk to eat apples that are falling under the trees. In a 100 years, I may have more rooms finished. I would like some solar to run electric heat in the winter. I would still be vacuuming and the vacuum would run itself.I would still be reading and writing. Machinery will just keep upgrading until people have more time to sit around and watch the machinery do the work. If you could send a Mower out into the field to mow the hay by itself like the robot vacuum cleaner. More people would farm. The old house that was here when I was growing up was unheatable. It had slat walls and no internal heat source. There was no running water. Water was pumped by hand with a hand pump and carried in buckets to the house. An outhouse was yards from the house and very cold in winter. I put up a new house. Since the house was built we have remodeled and added lots of insulation. We have running water in the house, barn and the garage. Computers, kindles, TV, and internet are part of our lifestyle. We use tractors balers, air tools and other convenient implements. 100 years ago. My Dad was living on this property as a boy. His family farmed dairy cattle and used horses to pull machinery. We are using a hay rake that was here when I took over the property. There was a one room school house at the end of the road. Dad told me when the weather was extreme in the winter he was not allowed to go to school because he was the youngest in the family and too small to walk to the school. The family also attended church at the school house. My Grandfather ran a school bus part of the year with a team of horses and a hay wagon. Dad always loved the horses and told me about using them to mow the lawn. He was proud of the fact that he was one of the first farmers around to own a tractor. Since I graduated from high school I’ve lived in North Dakota, the Panama Canal Zone, and Texas. When I returned here I was set to stay. I don’t have much urge to leave and I like it that way. My nomad cells have been satisfied with wandering at a younger age. Now I find it an adventure to see how many bales of hay I can unload and put away by myself and still stand up when I’m finished. If I get a yen to explore I go surfing on the internet. ![Merit Badge in The Monthly Reading Challenge
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