Sunday, February 16, 2014

Pig Farmer Olympics

Our farm family has really enjoyed watching the Olympics in Sochi. This winter has been tough on the farm, with both bitter cold and lots of snow making it challenging for us, and by us I mean Husband and Ryan, to get the work done.

Watching the Olympics has made me appreciate these dedicated Americans who have worked hard outside in the elements, sometimes under adverse conditions, to pursue their passion. Like some farmers I know.

Here are a few of our family's gold medal farming events:

Ice Dancing - My not-so-graceful journey in the snow to get into my van and drive it down the lane. My farmer Husband spends his shoveling time and energy on pig pens. Our driveway is last priority.

Curling - Husband raises his pigs in small pig-height buildings. To ensure we have pigs the right size for our state and county fairs, Husband has a lot of pigs being born in the winter. He stays up many nights, curled up in the little house, waiting to ensure the piglets get under the heat lamp right after they are born.

Half Pipe - Many of our waterers have frozen this winter, leaving Husband hauling water by hand to provide fresh water to his pigs.

2-Man Bobsled - I have gotten my van stuck in my own driveway four times this year (see Ice Dancing). In each instance, Husband comes to my rescue, driving the van out onto the road for a quick switch of drivers on the yellow line.

Skeleton - On his Groundhog Day birthday, husband walked out the door and slipped on the ice. From dragging his boots through the heavy snow or climbing into and out of pig pens to shovel, Husband has had a very physical, exhausting winter.

Biathalon - With all the hard work Husband does 365 days a year, it is amazing to me that he can take the time (and has the energy) to help coach both of our sons's basketball teams. This weekend he coached all day, then came home, dressed in his warm clothes and went outside to feed the pigs in the cold and dark.

USA farmers don't get medals. Sometimes all farmers get is low market prices, disease and expensive feed, but like true champions, we push through adversity. And every time you bring your fork to your mouth, you taste the results of our hard work.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Adam & Eve, Y'all get OFF That Dinosaur and Come Watch Bill Nye Debate

Earlier this evening I saw something unbelievable, incredible really. It was so miraculous, I guess it's appropriate it happened at God's Creation Museum and Zipline Complex. (Motto: Our Bible-based engineers have designed this zipline to.... OH CRAP!)

I saw two people engage in a civilized discussion/debate over something they both felt passionately about. God was involved. There was even sex and naked people. And still the conversation was orderly and civil. What's up America? What happened to the good old days when you could just scream at people who didn't agree with you and then protest at some other guy's funeral?

The nerve of that Godless Bill Nye to march into the very home of Adam, Eve and their Triceratops and rattle on about carbon dating and 6,000+ year-old stars. Thankfully Creation Museum founder, Ken Ham, plus some guy from CNN, were on hand to facilitate a very orderly and non-yelling dueling PowerPoint presentation.

Photo source.

Now, some say that Bill Nye the Science Guy shouldn't have taken the bait. Some say he shouldn't have legitimized creation scientists by agreeing to debate them with his actual Science Guy celebrity, and his actual science.

But it was a fascinating event, if not surprisingly civil. Even the Kentuckians in attendance behaved; it appeared very few of them were even spitting tobacco. Anyway, Bill Nye was all the Bible is as reliable as a game of telephone and Noah couldn't have been that good at building boats and a bunch of smart science-y stuff.

But Ken Ham fired back with Bill, there is a book out there that explains everything... and all ways to measure rocks are fallible, but I know one infallible source of information and some stuff that used science words but wasn't science.

If you would like to see the debate for yourself and/or help fund the "Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Technicolor T-Rex" display*, please check it all out here.

*Not a real display, so don't worry about that statement while you are praying for my soul.

UPDATE: I forgot to include a link to this hilarious article in alternative magazine, The Beast. The editors punked Ken Ham during the museum's opening in 2007.


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...