Life's Stories

The Devils of Spring

Every spring thru summer, the weather brings us the massive thunder storms and many times the tornadoes.  Life magazine did a short article on the captivating pictures of these massive storms.  Soaring thunderheads are spectacular and fearsome.  They roar a bellow with lightening cracking the thunderbolts’. 

Skin crawls, eyes bulge and the wonderment rivals the fear.  The crashing of hail, pounding on roof, beating venation to its knees.  Lightening flashing across, striking the tree, fire erupting to be extinguished by the drops of water.  Huddling in the cellar, listening to the roar slashing overhead, waiting for the quiet. 

The fearsome beautiful monster passes on by.  Trees twisted, homes in pieces and shambles, dreams to be rebuilt. 

Storms will always be with us and a few will always be in harm’s way.  Then there are those who go storm chasing.  Wanting to watch the brute power form, hear the effects of the monster scream across the land.  Cameras in hand, recording the beasts.

Weather has been recorded in literature and myths throughout the eons.  The thunder god of the Norse and his Hammer, the lightning bolts being hurled down off the mountain by Zeus and the list goes on. 

Harness the energy of the weather, has been a quest for centuries.  The sails on the boats, one of the earliest.  Then the windmills to grind grains and then to pump water and do other chores.  Yet all the energy of the fierce storms goes untapped because of its strength.  Just way to much there for man to tame, so they record it and take pictures. 

The beauty of nature in its many forms. 

Bills…. Grocery and Taxes

 

Next few months going to be interesting.  Politicians will be spewing deep do do all over and spending money galore.  to  tell us how to spend out money they are spending more money…. For what?

Then there are other things going on the politicians have no control over, the weather.

The drought is going to have a major impact on our lives and the politicos' will think they have the power to change things.  Weather is driven by hot air that is not from our nations capitol.

Living in farm and ranch country the weather is very important as is the markets.  Both are closely watched and the most complaints are about the weather then the politicos' garbage.

Lots of the corn crop around here  is withering and drying up into nothing.  Moisture in the ground for winter wheat crops is minuscule.  this problem stretches across the land, right through the heart of the grain belt.

There are pockets that have moisture and there is irrigation water. These two factors are going to make some farmers very rich.  It will also take a bigger chunk out of our paychecks.

 

The price if corn is headed out of the roof and wheat is following and that will pressure other crop prices to climb.  Domestic prices may climb enough to slow down exports.  Then it becomes a world wide problem.

Grocery prices have climbed steadily these past 4-5 years and are now about double over those years.  Things will push the prices into the stratosphere.  One will have to take out a loan just to buy food.

One interesting thing I read was about the requirement of ethanol.  That is being lifted and or allowed to float.  The mandate of ethanol for fuel is being floated.  I find that interesting.  Maybe the bureaucrats have felt the grocery bill in their pocket. 

Now one of the other things we are facing is tax hikes.  A choice… pay more taxes or buy food?  Will it get to that point?  Lots of discretionary spending will change.  Those out of work will even have it rougher.

Some of these problems come from politicians meddling in social lifestyles, social engineering.  Laws that dictate a certain behavior are a type of engineering, quite often is under the guise of safety or health.  They have become known as mandates.  What do they really do….. they take one’s freedoms of choice away.

As more and more laws are passed, more and more freedoms are lost.

This farmer will soon have enough money to buy some new tractors to add to his collection.  Farming is no longer a tough life.  It has become very lucrative, plus the government sends them a nice check occasionally.  Farmers have been getting a type of welfare for decades called farm subsidy and price supports.

I run into farmers here and there that would like to discontinue lots of the government programs for farmers.  They feel they could make more money in an open market. 

Ranchers have no government support programs unless they raise a crop of some kind, like hay or feed grain.   They roll along and make a good living ranching and the meat market varies very little.  Now that will change for most beef goes to feed lots before they go to the slaughter house. 

Cattle feed prices are going up also as the grain prices go up.  The drought has also pushed the hay market up in the areas where pastures have dried up.

It is a very complex situation but also simple….. prices are going up. 

 

Have a good weekend.

Bits Here and There

 

Nature is my neighbor, sometimes not enjoyable when it is mice and spiders.  Then when Mr 10 point shows up.

He spent the afternoon there, relaxing in the shade under the semi trailer.  Later that afternoon I saw why he was lounging there.  As he grazed, he hobbled.  He had injured a leg and was not up to speed.  That evening some of hos does showed up for the evening meal.

Better then any television show.

A few days later on the way to the clinic I spotted this guy in the bar ditch.  When I went past, it just watched me.  Making a U turn and going back slowly it did not like.  To wing it took and landed in the pasture to watch me.  Make another U turn and as I’m leaving it flies back to the ditch to finish its meal.

One of many reasons why I like to avoid driving on the main highways.

We finally got some nice showers in the area.  The brown pasture above should show some green spots shortly.  Lots of lightening rolls in with the storms.  As long as there is no damage, lightening is spectacular to watch.

I hope other dry spots in the country get moisture.  We are right on the edge of the dust bowl and dry land makes the old timers nervous.

Drought makes for some spectacular Dust Devils.  This one was close to 300 feet in the air, about 10 miles away.  Hoping this area got some showers also.  Knock the dusty devils down.

Nature has its own rhythm, it’s just that sometimes we don’t want to dance to the tune.

Snow Day

 

The snow gods are smiling upon us at last.  I know, I’m an oddball,  I like snow.  I love watching it rearrange in patterns on the landscape, cover things and kind of make life miserable for a short time.  Yet it is this white stuff that brings the flowers of spring and the greenery.  The nourishment of the land.

Like many, I do not try to fight it.  For it happens no matter how hard the combat zone is, nature will run its course.

The soft lacy flakes lay out their pattern.  Making the nuisance tumbleweed a bit of beauty for a moment.   Soon the beauty will fade into a memory and life will move on.

In the future the green shoots will usher forth from the ground.  While man struggles against the snow.

Vehicles slip and slide, visiting ditches,bouncing off curbs.  Backs will ache, coated shovels mute in their work.  Prints across the white mantle, wildlife searching out a tiny morsel.

Business cry because of lost job time, others shout with joy for the extra work they will get.  Banged up cars, more snow shovels/blowers, wreckers towing more cars.  Life evens out, no matter the noise.  Man struggles to control nature, the leash is broken as nature scoots along.

What is so important in life to go do battle with the snow storm.

 

May you have a blessed day.