Bad Winter, Really!

People in this area are always talking about the weather.  It seems to be a topic that brings to light how forgetful we have become.  Some are saying how bad this winter is compared to years past.  Really.  Has this winter been that bad for this part of the country? Let's put it in perspective.

This is a current photo of the snow pushed up around our house.  Yes it was deep at one foot of snow.  Now,  look back fifty years ago to see what we dealt with then.

This was the driveway to the farm house that had to be dug out by hand because the snow was too deep to get the tractor to the other end of the drive.  Now that was a deep snow.  Oh how I hated to dig the driveway with a shovel.  It was pure drudgery.

This is me standing on a snow drift at one of our barns.  It measured at least five feet deep.  Did not have to shovel there but just had to carry hay out of the barn for the livestock. 

Looking back, those winters were worse.  As long as one has photos to refresh the memory it is easy to put things in perspective.  Memories fade over time so take numerous photos to help you remember the past.

"BEST COW" Award

My "Yuppie" daughter was visiting us several years ago and noticed I had started displaying a trophy I had won in 1963.  It was a Fitting Award, which means I had the cleanest animal in the show competition.  She referred to it as "THE BEST COW" award. 

 

When I was growing up on the farm, my father determined that the best thing to pay for my future college fund, was to raise and show cattle.   

As you can see from this photo this was several years ago.  Between this time and two years later I had learned how to actually clean and show cattle.  It was a constant learning process. 

I am proud of my years in the 4-H Club.  It taught me about responsibility and accountability.  The decision my father made to raise show cattle paid off in the long run.  Each year I had a new heifer to raise, groom, and teach how to stand for the judges.  After the show process was over for the year, the heifer was turned out to pasture, breed and started providing calves.  This process was repeated for the next six years.

Each year the calves were sold and the money deposited for future college tuition.  Upon graduation from seven years of college I owed three thousand dollars.  With today's college tuition, I don't think this can be repeated.  My dad was smart to think ahead like that.  Thanks DAD!

It is that time of year!

About eight weeks ago an elderly gentleman is shopping for eggs in Walgreens.  He did not see any in the cooler so he asks the manager if they were all sold out.  The manager told him there were more in the back of the cooler and he would get them for him.  The manager brings out a partial case of eggs which contained twelve dozen. 

The manager places the partial case of eggs on the chair at the photo counter and the elderly fellow buys three cartons. The manager places them in a bag for him.  He tells the manager to leave the eggs in the bag on the counter as he had to go to the restroom and he would get them on the way out. 

The manager had to assist several other people and totally forgot about putting the partial case of eggs back in the cooler.  He sees the bag of eggs on the photo counter and started to check with the clerks to see if the fellow was still in the store.  The clerk at the front counter said he had left with the box of eggs that he told her he had already paid the manager for the eggs.

The manager and I watch the video of the fellow and are rolling on the floor watching the man walk out of the store with eggs.  I said I know that man as he is a regular customer at the pharmacy.

The lost prevention manager was told of this and said that senior citizens were a group that needed to be watched as they are on fixed incomes and were prone to leaving stores without paying for items.

NOW THE REST OF THE STORY—

Yesterday the same elderly fellow is again shopping and getting more eggs.  The same manager is helping with the holiday rush at the island register.  He has three people in line when this fellow hobbles up to the line and tries to walk in front of a person already in line.  The manager tells him that he is assisting a couple of other people but he is welcome to place his six dozen of eggs on the counter while waiting.  The eggs were already in bags but he insisted on putting them on the counter.

The manger completes the sale for the first customer and the total is $26.00.  The elderly fellow tries to hand the manager the money thinking it is what he owes.  

Finally it is his turn to be checked out.  The manager asks him if he had already paid for the eggs since they were in bags.  “No, I still have to pay for them as the other clerk just put them in a bag for me.”  He paid for the eggs and left the store. 

The manager asked the clerk at photo why he put the eggs in a bag but did not check him out.  The photo clerk told him he had checked the fellow out and he had paid for the eggs. 

Is it that seniors are trying to take things without paying OR is it that they or losing their memories.  What is he doing with all of those eggs?  I will have to ask him the next time he is at the pharmacy counter.

Jo Jo

When the family came home in December for Christmas, it was a sad time.  My mom had just pasted away the Thursday prior to Christmas and the day after Christmas my daughter and son-in-law had to have their dog put to sleep.

He was a chihuahua mix.  He was not the snappy type of dog that you expect from that breed.  The first time I saw this little dog was Christmas 2009.  My daughter was in for the holidays and her then boyfriend, later to be husband, was not able to travel to Illinois.  He came for Christmas and brought Jo Jo.  He told us that he did not know how long the little fellow would be around as he was old.  Jo Jo walked around the house like a little old man.  But the day that Nick was going back to Northern Virginia, Jo Jo was full of life.  He jumped around and was excited to be leaving. He was like a young pup.

This year when they came for Christmas, Jo Jo had grown much worse with age.  He paced around the floor trying to get comfortable, but to no avail.

We buried Jo Jo about fifty feet away from the house.  We covered the site with the left over stones used to cover our new house's foundation.  My wife found a pet marker in a catalog that you could personalize.  We went to Seagle's Funeral Home and they gave us the temporary aluminum marker that we pasted a picture of Jo Jo. 

I know my son-in-law misses that little fellow as they were together for fifteen years.  Jo lived a good life and his final resting place is now well marked.

Good Bye January!

I am so glad that January 2014 has gone.  What a cold miserable month.  Thank goodness we did not have snow as the misery would have been worse.

 The cold polar vortex arrived on January 6 and this was the temperature as of 9:39 p.m.   And we still had to go through the dark hours of the night.

 This was the temperature a few minutes past midnight.  -1.5 F.  Coldest night in a number of years.

Awoke to find this temperature.  -4.8 F.  Oh for the warm days of spring. 

Now anxiously awaiting warmer days.  Goodbye January 2014.  You will not be missed.