We got home from Cody and Powell, Wyoming last evening. It was great fun (aside from a bit of a tummy bug which sent me to bed--sound asleep--from 7pm-7 this morning), and no, we were not on the look out for nor did we spot the escaped convicts from Arizona (we were, however, surrounded by biker gangs wherever we went, so it would have been hard to spot them anyway, no offense to bikers). I was surprised how desert-ish the Cody area is since it's just over the Beartooth and Absaroka Mountains from us. It reminded me very much of south eastern Arizona. Our drive home through Yellowstone (from the east gate to the north gate) was beautiful, although we got stuck in a buffalo jam for an hour (we saw close to 2K bison in the 3 mile stretch just before Artists Point at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone). I'll post pictures later, but here's a postcard I bought:
***
***On an entirely different note...
The city girl (or, suburban girl, to be more accurate) in me still finds some things about my rural life hilarious (full-on visits in the supermarket aisles) and/or disturbing (meth, the meth look, wranglers). Some of those things have become heartwarming. Like the mid-session grain report at 11:30am on our local am talk radio station. Nothin' says "Country Roads" like following wheat futures.
I admit I know little to nothing about agriculture and even less about commodities futures, but I find myself rooting for local durum and hard red, feeling a little deflated when they've fallen in Chicago, but they're hangin' tough in the Kansas City market. Today I learned that there is a World Supply/Demand report (it's due out on Thursday--isn't that a helpful bit of info?) Who knew? All I know is that my affection and respect for the rancher, farmer, and cowboy/girl [ranch hand? I don't know]--Ag Life, let's just say, has increased exponentially since moving to Montana. [Aside: did you know that farmers and ranchers will resent being lumped together --if they read my blog, that is--? Previously, I didn't know they had a thing--like the Swedes and the Norwegians, they seem similar and pretty equal from the outside, but I hear the ranchers making farmer jokes all the time. Here's one: Why do farmers wear those baseball-style caps? So their heads will fit in the mailbox when they pick up their subsidy checks! LOL! Ag Humor!]
I have repented of my ignorance and really do feel deep gratitude to people who make it their mission to supply my family with fresh, delicious American grains and fruits and vegetables and chicken and pork and tasty, tasty beef. My corner of Montana has nearly every kind of farm or ranch you can think of and I feel so lucky. If I want, I can actually know my dairy farmer or meet the cow who will be next year's quarter of beef, or even get a loaf of bread that was wheat in a field just an hour or two ago. Hillbilly Hell or Eden? I'm leaning toward Eden. Time for the next report on the Northern Ag Network--gotta run!
The city girl (or, suburban girl, to be more accurate) in me still finds some things about my rural life hilarious (full-on visits in the supermarket aisles) and/or disturbing (meth, the meth look, wranglers). Some of those things have become heartwarming. Like the mid-session grain report at 11:30am on our local am talk radio station. Nothin' says "Country Roads" like following wheat futures.
I admit I know little to nothing about agriculture and even less about commodities futures, but I find myself rooting for local durum and hard red, feeling a little deflated when they've fallen in Chicago, but they're hangin' tough in the Kansas City market. Today I learned that there is a World Supply/Demand report (it's due out on Thursday--isn't that a helpful bit of info?) Who knew? All I know is that my affection and respect for the rancher, farmer, and cowboy/girl [ranch hand? I don't know]--Ag Life, let's just say, has increased exponentially since moving to Montana. [Aside: did you know that farmers and ranchers will resent being lumped together --if they read my blog, that is--? Previously, I didn't know they had a thing--like the Swedes and the Norwegians, they seem similar and pretty equal from the outside, but I hear the ranchers making farmer jokes all the time. Here's one: Why do farmers wear those baseball-style caps? So their heads will fit in the mailbox when they pick up their subsidy checks! LOL! Ag Humor!]
I have repented of my ignorance and really do feel deep gratitude to people who make it their mission to supply my family with fresh, delicious American grains and fruits and vegetables and chicken and pork and tasty, tasty beef. My corner of Montana has nearly every kind of farm or ranch you can think of and I feel so lucky. If I want, I can actually know my dairy farmer or meet the cow who will be next year's quarter of beef, or even get a loaf of bread that was wheat in a field just an hour or two ago. Hillbilly Hell or Eden? I'm leaning toward Eden. Time for the next report on the Northern Ag Network--gotta run!
UPDATE:
Mi amiga, Lisa, reminds me that I should have remembered that the ranchers and farmers "had a thing" from watching (starring in) Oklahoma. Here's the refresher she sent me:
5 comments:
I love your sense of humor Jamie. You always make me smile!
I was listening to NPR last week and they were talking about a wheat shortage. The farmer they interviewed has already sold his 2010 and 2011 crops and about a third of his 2012 crop. The next person they interviewed found it interesting there was a shortage since we have apparently SILOS full of the stuff from a couple of years ago. Weird how the futures game works. The reporter said something that made me think the agricultural futures are the next bubble. Nice that we learn so well!
I remember getting a little jar of wheat kernels as a visual aid/hand out in BYU Relief Society circa 1992. On its label there was a quote from Brigham Young that said something like, the day will come when a bushel of wheat will be more valuable than a pound of gold (for obvious reasons--you can't eat gold--but it makes me go, "hmmm" when I consider the grain markets and the gmo/ seed monopoly and manipulation companies like Monsanto are doing--FREAKY-- gadiantons!)Anyway, if you see that quote anywhere, let me know. It woudl be awesome for our booth at the Provident Living Fair.
OK--just answered my own question. Of course it was Journal of Discourses--here's the link (very Nibley-esque):
http://momnmb.blogspot.com/2008/10/brigham-young-journal-of-discourses.html
PS: RACHEL, I LOVE YOU!!!!
Love Miss Annie Oakely!
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