Saturday, June 29, 2013

Snapshots on the Farm: 4-H Camp Edition


The boys spent most of this week at 4-H Camp. They had a wonderful time canoeing, making crafts with duct tape, sleeping in what appears to be a chicken coop, singing songs, and occasionally bathing.

This was Justin's first year and I was a little worried about how he would handle so many nights away from home. But he was happy from the minute we dropped him off to the day we collected him and his stinky bag of laundry.

He can't wait for camp next year.


Monday, June 24, 2013

Hang on There a Minute, Sloopy

Last week we attended the  Midwest (minor) League All-Star Game here in Dayton hosted by the Dayton Dragons. We had awesome seats, the kids brought friends and the weather was perfect.

But something was amiss...



During the course of the game, the Dragons announcer brought out a series of entertainers that represented different aspects of the arts in Dayton, interspersed with some fun facts about Ohio. They even had a video featuring Dayton native Nancy Cartwright singing "Take me out to the Ballgame" in her most famous cartoon voices, including Bart Simpson.

All of that was great. I was encouraged to see the Dragons helping educate visitors from out of town about the great things in Dayton and Ohio.

One of the last Ohio promotions started out pretty well. The Dragons Green Team members ran out on the dugouts while the voiceover said the following (this is my best recollection):

Ohio is home to some of the greatest sports fans in the country. We love our Cleveland Browns [some cheers], our Cincinnati Bengals [more cheers], the Cleveland Indians [really, aren't you a Reds affiliate?], the Cincinnati Reds [big cheers], and in Dayton we have the University of Dayton Flyers and Wright State Raiders [cheers for both].

But one team we can all agree on... [I start getting confused here. Is the team we all love going to be the Dragons?] ...the one team we can all agree on is THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES! [Brutus Buckeye mascot runs out on the dugout to screams and cheers. While Hang on Sloopy plays.]

[SCREECH. Insert sound of a record scratching here.]

Did we, in an attempt to celebrate Dayton, just blow off our two local universities in favor of a giant poisonous nut (Look it UP. They are POISON.) and a song about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks?

Really?

What message are we sending? Ohio State is big, I know. And lots of people follow their sports teams, wearing the gear they bought both on campus and at Wal-Mart, I know.

However, as an alumna of both Ohio University and the University of Dayton, I don't find myself among the "all" in the assumptive, "a team we can all agree upon."



And frankly, I'm tired of it. Are local universities even standing up for themselves? We all know UD doesn't have the balls (pun intended) to face Wright State in basketball anymore. But can they at least ask local organizations to stop inviting out-of-town mascots over to dance?

I'm not saying that there aren't a lot of OSU fans in Dayton but there are also Notre Dame fans, Cincinnati fans, even (gasp!) Michigan fans here. I think it's a reasonable expectation that people in Dayton want to watch Buckeye games on TV and hear about the scores of their games (and exploits of their players) on local news. That's fine with me.

HOWEVER, I don't think it is appropriate for local institutions to favor out of town universities over the great ones we have here. What would the Dayton Dragons say if the University of Dayton did a promotion with the Columbus Clippers, along with the implication that they are the favorite and very best baseball team they know? They are Triple-A, after all.

It feels like Dayton has made some improvements in self-image lately. We are reclaiming downtown as an arts and entertainment center and a great place to have a nice meal. So why do we roll over and let an out-of-town university claim the spotlight in events that Dayton should be owning.

It's time for us here in Dayton to say Hang on there a minute, Sloopy and reclaim our universities, our sports teams and our mascots.








Saturday, June 22, 2013

Amber Waves of Grain

Now that summer is officially here, it's time for my annual reminder of a basic fact of agriculture.




THIS is hay that was baled on our farm.



THIS is our neighbor's wheat, which will soon be harvested for wheat grain and straw.

Don't screw this up!

Monday, June 3, 2013

World Pork Expo Thong

Sometimes the punchlines for this blog write themselves.

Not only is there a real event called the World Pork Expo but I am headed there this week. AND... at the gift shop outside the trade show, they sell World Pork Expo commemorative THONGS. I can't make this stuff up. THONGS.


So check out my posts from past World Pork Expos and check back frequently for some thong-a-rific fun!



This is me at the 2012 World Pork Expo. I am preparing to show a pig. Yes, she does have a head. NO, I am NOT wearing a World Pork Expo commemorative thong.

Appointment Pooping

  NOTE: If you do not want to read about my healthy bowel movement, well too late you just did. I recently became you-better-get-a-colonosco...