And so it begins…..the countdown to Spring.

Three weeks. Twenty-one days.

Then all will be warm and lovely and there will be peace in the world…

Nice try.

We almost topped zero at sunrise this morning (no, I didn’t see it for myself) and at least two snowstorms are forecast for the next week. This is Iowa. It’s still winter here and will be for longer than I want to admit. Continue reading →

It’s been some time since I’ve posted.

I swear I have not been ignoring those of you who take the time and effort to stop by for a read. It was neither intentional neglect, nor innocent oversight. Rather, just the natural order of things.

Life here on the North Fontanelle 40 (I just came up with that) has, indeed, pretty much gone on as usual. In the last few weeks — Continue reading →

An article in the New York Times last week raked the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center for animal abuse. The center, located near Clay Center, Nebraska, is the USDA’s premier research facility and is charged with finding ways to make meat production in this country more profitable.

Yes, there were parts I found disturbing. But then, most of those were scenes taken out of context. It’s easy to create drama around isolated images.

In my work I frequently use scientists from the U.S. MARC as sources, and have never had any reason to doubt the accuracy or ethics of their work. Continue reading →

A cluster of mid-month deadlines put me in a position to not fully appreciate the changing of the year. Instead of “after the first of the year” I found myself muttering “after the 15^th.

Tasks like year-end filing and bookwork were done on an as-needed basis. In other words, if it wasn’t going to screw up my 2015 bookkeeping, it could wait.

Same goes for household chores, correspondence, new project proposals, and a host of other activities – not to mention any thought of long-range strategic planning.

Finally, this week, the milestone arrived. Deadlines met. Projects complete. I’ve turned the corner and what do you know? Continue reading →

I’ve gone subterranean.

The thermometer has barely registered above zero all week, and I’ve decided the basement is the safest, and warmest, place to be.

The move was made all the more crucial by an aging furnace that struggles to keep up with a normal Iowa winter. There didn’t seem to be a need to tax it further. I’m hoping it will be appreciative of the reduced workload from the lower thermostat setting and keep doing its best for another year or so.

I am lucky I have a finished basement where I can retreat. It’s a typical basement, with furnishings no longer upstairs-worthy and decorated with mementos that don’t seem to fit anywhere else in the house. Continue reading →