Busy, busy, busy.

My apologies. I know it has been a few days since my last post, but it just seems like the last week or week and a half have been so busy. David and I were both on the road last week and when we finally got home, the only thing both of us wanted to do was sleep.

David had been on the road for the past two weeks, so he was just ready to be home. I was in Colorado picking up some stories for work, and it was cold and rainy the whole time I was there, so I came home sick. By the time we both got home, it seemed like we spent our weekend like dogs: eating and sleeping.

I was hoping to take some pictures while in Colorado - I mean, seriously, the state was meant for pictures. But, as I said, the weather turned out to be so nasty while I was there it just wasn't conducive to pictures.

Anyway, we made sort of a last minute decision to go home for the weekend, so David and I are both counting down the days until Friday.

David's best friend, Kyle, is going to be home and David hasn't seen him since the wedding. So, Kyle was reason No. 1 for going home. Then, of course, with everything that has been going on with my family in the past month, I decided it would be good for me to go home, too.

It will be another short weekend trip, but I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, checking out mom and Chuck's new shop and, of course, taking some new pictures. I'm hoping tht fall is finally in full swing at home so I can get some pretty shots.

And, speaking of pictures....the results are in. About a month ago, I decided that I was going to enter a photo contest put on by the Illinois Farm Bureau. It's for amateur photographers, so I should fit in nicely (seeing as none of my shots are anything too professional). There are three categories and a person may enter one photo per category - and the photos must have been taken in Illinois.

I don't have anything that I can enter for the "Kids and Critters" category (that is, unless I get something this weekend), but I do have pictures to enter in the "The Back 40" and "All in a Day's Work" categories. After asking around to see what pictures everyone else thought I should enter, the results were nearly the same:

The Back 40

All in a Day's Work

Of course, if you have a different opinion, let me know. Nearly any picture that would be eligible I have most likely posted on one of my blog entries.

So, that's the deal. I'm going to win.

Well, I suppose that's it for now. I had hoped something really interesting or some great insight would come to me while writing, but apparently, I'm empty for today. To be fair, the last two posts have been pretty insightful (yeah, I know - really humble, right?), so I think I'm entitled to a relatively mundane one this time.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

What do I owe you for that?

You know, that little piece of advice you offered?

I feel like I need to ask my husband this question when he gets home tomorrow. David has been gone all week for work, and like usual, I've missed him something awful.

Obviously, I miss him in the normal, everyday routine. I don't enjoy fixing supper and eating it by myself, having no one to fight over the remote with or crawling into bed to go to sleep, only to remember that the left side is empty.

But, this week has been especially tough for me, which makes his absence even harder to swallow. Still, even from 400 miles away, he has a way of putting things in perspective when I can't.

Before I tell you why, I first need to launch into this:

I'm a pretty indepent person. I've always gone where I wanted to and done my own thing. Traveling doesn't bother me and I enjoy experiencing new things.

Nebraska has been a new thing.

Most of the time, I enjoy living in a new state and getting to do new things (and, sometimes, I even enjoy the distance), but not this week. This week, the only thing I've wanted to do is go home.

Because of a few things going on at home (for right now, I'll just say some unexpected medical issues with family - most of you that read my blog probably know anyway), I've had this overwhelming urge to just get in my car and drive. It doesn't matter that, as I sit here, the clock reads 10:08 p.m. I would still rather be in my car, driving.

I just need to be home helping with chores and running errands. I hate feeling helpless. And depressed. More than anything, I hate not knowing what's coming next. I think that started to happen after Dad died - it's one of those side effects that you just don't expect to have and it usually creeps up at the worst time.

But, as I mentioned before, David is able to put things back into perspective. And, I still don't know how. His week hasn't been great. In fact, it has been downright crappy. He has driven all over the place, forgotten the camera battery back here in Lincoln, survived a fight with a hotel desk clerk that said he didn't have a hotel reservation tonight (at the hotel that he was supposed to have a reservation at) and hasn't been able to use the internet all week.

However, during every phone call (or email on the rare chance that he was able to snag someone's wireless), he's been more than supportive and focused on me. He's reassured me that everything will work itself out. When I become Debbie Downer, he's forced me to take a good look in the mirror and re-evaluate (and, when he is getting ready to force me to take a good, hard look in the mirror, he prepares me for it by saying first, "Not to be an ass, but...").

And, so far, he's been right.

This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me, but he's been able long-distance manage it.

Things are still a little rocky, but with his support, I've been able to change my attitude this week. I'm still worried about the stuff going on at home - and terrifying thoughts still cross my mind. But, it's funny how a little bit of poking, prodding and some reassuring words from a very stubborn (and strangely optimistic) husband can help.

I suppose, for this one, I'm going to owe him big time.

All that lies in a memory...

For me, writing serves as a kind of therapy. I've never been good at expressing my feelings verbally. But, when it comes to a paper and pen - or in this case, a computer screen and keyboard - it always seems like it's easy to say what I need to say.

Today is one of those days where I need to use my keyboard and computer screen to say what I need to say.

I'm sure that I won't be the only person that sits down today with the intention of writing about their memories and the thoughts surrounding the events of September 11, 2001.

At least, I certainly hope that's the case.

I was in high school when the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon were attacked and Flight 93 crashed. I remember hearing about the first plane to hit the towers as I was driving to school in my old pick-up truck. I thought, "Seriously? Some idiot just flew a plane into the World Trade Center?"

Then, after I got to school and took my usual seat in the commons next to my friends, I watched as a plane hit the second tower.

At that moment - when we realized that this wasn't some kind of terrible accident - I think our generation went from feeling innocent, protected and free to scared, confused and pensive about the world around us.

I'm not sure about my classmates, but the rest of the day, as I went from class to class, I realized the world we knew was gone and it would never be the same. For the first time in our lives, we literally watched as history unfolded in front of our eyes. The generations that came before use had experienced wars and conflicts - but, we never had.

As the day went on, some of our teachers decided to cancel the class work for the day and watch the television coverage with us. Others left the classroom TVs on as they went on with algebra or biology lessons. Others still decided not to watch the day's events unfold at all and continued on as if nothing had happened.

But, something had happened. It changed the way we thought, acted and felt about ourselves and our country. Time had stopped.

It seemed like everyday activities were hard to focus on. I remember going out to do chores after I got home from school. Instead of feeding horses or cleaning stalls, I stood there in front of the barn, listening to the radio, and I cried. I felt helpless knowing that there was nothing I could do for all of those people that had died - and all of the people still coming to grips with the fact that their loved ones weren't ever going to come home again.

But, at the same time, I felt proud. Seconds after the attack on each building - and even after they collapsed - firefighters, police and even civilians went charging back in to search for survivors. Strangers on a plane stood together and gave their lives so that more lives wouldn't be lost. Even as a member of the younger generation - and as a person that had never felt the sting of war - I knew that was something to be proud of.

I didn't know anyone that was killed in the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon or Flight 93, but that doesn't mean that I don't still feel a special connection to each and every one of them. The civilians that died are still in my thoughts. Their families are still in my prayers. Those that died trying to save others or protect our country in the following months - and those that still serve in the armed forces - will always receive my gratitude and respect.

I'm not a New Yorker, employee of the Pentagon or family member of a person that was on one of those planes, but I'm still directly connected to the events of September 11 because I'm an American.

After eight years, I still feel the hurt every time I think about September 11. I still feel like my heart is being ripped out every time I see video footage of those planes crashing into the World Trade Center or the Pentagon, see pictures of the people jumping out of the towers and hear the voices from the passengers and crew of Flight 93.

I think, for the most part, every American feels the same way I do - regardless of political party, religion or social station.

We have not forgotten, and I pray to God that we never do. It's our duty to remember those that perished and cherish - yes, cherish- the memory of that day. It's hard, but it's something that we must do. It's our defining moment and our greatest hour.

Where did summer go?

Are you kidding me? Labor Day weekend is officially over and that means that summer is, too. It's unbelieveable.

Luckily for us, Nebraska is still kicking out summer-like weather, so I'm going to keep pretending that summer hasn't officially ended and keep wearing my flip-flops.

Anyway, of course, since it was Labor Day weekend, David and I took full advantage of the three day weekend and headed home to visit the fam. You would think that with an extra day in the weekend we would have plenty of time to get everything done - but, you would be wrong.

Saturday, I spent the day sleeping in (okay, more like the morning). Then, I headed into town for lunch with a great friend from high school. Betsy has moved from Clinton to Chicago to San Diego to New York. She keeps getting farther and farther away from me (whether this is coincidence or on purpose I haven't decided), so I made sure to squeeze some time in for her. It was great to have lunch and catch up.

Then, Janell and I headed to Haycraft's in Wapella to do a little bit of shopping (unfortunately I didn't make it out without buying a pair of jeans - this is a post script you'll read several times in this post). Then, we headed home for some pictures (me, of course), some riding (Janell) and some chores (this took both of us).

We finished up the day by driving into David's with Brian to watch a movie - and do a little bit of birthday planning.

Sunday, Janell and I headed to Champaign for more shopping. Unfortunately, because I'm an idiot, I didn't bring my camera so I wasn't able to take any pictures of campus - which, coincidentally looked BEAUTIFUL.

But, I did get a chance to visit my old residence: 4-H House. At least I think it was my old residence! They have redone the bathrooms and basement, painted the dining room and removed some unnecessary doors since I lived there - it didn't even look like the same house.

After our quick trip to the house, Janell and I headed to Pard's because Janell wanted to look for some jeans (again, unfortunately I wasn't able to make it out of the store without a pair of jeans). I also chatted with some of the folks I used to work with - all in all, a good visit.

Finally, Janell and I finished up on the north end of town by going to Plato's Closet (nope, didn't make it out of this store either without a pair of jeans) and a few other stores. It was nice to be able to head back to my old stomping grounds and spend some time with my sister.

After a visit to Great Grandma Louise, Janell and I headed home for yet another dose of chores.

At this point, I need to offer up my disclaimer:  Hold on to whatever meal you just finished eating.

A couple of weeks ago, one of my mares got caught in the fence and cut her leg clear to the bone. Amazingly, she didn't break her leg, so mom and Chuck have been spending 40 minutes a day doctoring for two weeks. Of course, I made sure to help and this is what I saw:

Yep. Yuck. Daisy seems to be getting along okay and the vet told mom that as long as the bone stays pink to white, she'll be fine. After it heals, it won't ever be pretty, but, she'll be able to move around on it.

Anyway, after a busy day, I headed into David's and spent the night at his house. Monday morning, I headed back into town to meet mom so we could go watch Angela (a trainer that's working on our two-year-old) ride Di.

Then, it was on to finish my rounds: Lunch with Brian, congratulating Brandon on his engagement, out to Grandma and Grandpa's to chat and finally, to Ted and Cheryl's for a quick conversation.

And, just like that, the weekend was over. Bummer.

But, David and I are looking forward to this weekend: We're headed back into Illinois (this time the northern portion) for a brewery and winery tour with several friends. Seeing as how our friends have rented a bus, this should be a GREAT weekend.

You know me - I'll take pictures and post them. Well, some of them.

Initiative.

It only takes a little bit to change a mind - whether yours or someone else's. A little bit of initiative can get a lot accomplished.

I have to say, I've been pretty down on my chosesn profession in the past few weeks. Well, probably longer than that because the assault on production agriculture has been going on for quite a bit longer. But, my bad attitude toward journalism has gotten progressively worse over the past few weeks mostly because of the recent TIME magazine article.

Unfortunately for those of us involved in production agriculture, we have relied too heavily on the mainstream media to tell our story. This is unfortunate because, as has become all to apparent in the last few weeks, journalism has changed greatly over the past few years. In fact, it has morphed from th Woodward and Bernstein era (the two gentlemen that could find dirt in a snowstorm and uncovered the Watergate scandal)  to the Kenner and Walsh show (director of Food, Inc., and writer of TIME's most recent recylable), where facts don't matter and it's okay to dress opinion pieces up as hard news.

The thing that makes this especially dangerous for the agriculture industry is the fact that consumers - for more than three or four generations - have been removed from their farming roots. Even though many consumers' great-grandparents spent their lives raising food for their families and America, consumers are too far removed from their farming past. This has created an information gap where consumers, who still believe they're living in the Woodward and Bernstein era of journalism, tend to believe everything they read. And, agriculture, the industry that once trusted the media to tell it's story truthfully, doesn't know how to rebound from ill-written articles that misrepresent the industry.

But, this is where I can circle back to my original thought: initiative.

As I said, I've been very distrustful of the mainstream media - and the monster it has created - as of late. But, that's when I read this:

http://www.embraceyourheart.com/blog/2009/08/27/the-soul-of-farming-busy-womans-guide-to-eating-better/

If you haven't read this - and are a fan of agriculture (or even if you aren't) - make sure you take a look at this entry. Eliz Greene was very much a fan of organic foods and small, local farms and was very much against larger farms and traditional agriculture.

Then, she decided to go out and take the initiative to see a farm herself. She and her children traveled to an 800-cow dairy farm in Wisconsin to check out the operation.

Much to her surprise, the cows were dirty, mistreated, sad or ill-cared for. The cows were healthy and happy. And, the farmers did everything they could to make sure it stayed that way - 24 hours a day.

By just taking the initiative to go out to a farm and see for herself, Ms. Greene found out that the "issues" surrounding production agriculture weren't as black and white as editors and directors like Bryan Walsh, Eric Schlosser, Michael Pollan and Robert Kenner would have her believe. Sure, she admitted there was more she needed to know, but she began to understand that farmers do care about their land and their livestock. If they didn't, they would have a livelihood.

Can you imagine what would happen if we could get everyone to take a little bit of initiative to come out and visit the farm themselves? I'm not saying that we haven't done enough to "open our doors" - I know the agriculture industry has offered to accomodate industry critics more than once.

But, it does mean we need to make every effort possible to make sure that our story  - the correct one - is out there and that we are doing everything we can to make sure people outside of the agriculture industry feel welcome enough to take the initiative to visit the farm themselves. And, to make up their own mind, rather than having it spoon-fed to them.

Losing my cool.

My poor husband. For the past hour, he's sat on the floor and listened to me sighing, groaning, cursing and pounding my fist.

The good news for David is I'm not mad at him.

I'm losing my cool because of an article I read last week. I've tried to put it out of mind, but that just hasn't worked. And, by now, I'm quite sure my husband and best friend are really getting tired of hearing me talk about it.

But, it's something that must be talked about.

An article published in the August 31 issue of TIME Magazine, called "Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food" (you can find it at this link: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1917458,00.html?xid=rss-top-aol), has many farmers and members of the agriculture industry up in arms - and rightly so.

This piece - in the very first paragraph, no less - serves up every incorrect stereotype about the modern agriculture industry on one giant silver platter.

But, that's not what bothers me most.

I'm no expert on crop or beef production, but growing up in the agriculture industry, I feel as though I probably know more than most (I say this because, unlike most consumers, I know the hamburger I ate tonight came from a beef cow and not the refrigerated section at the supermarket). And, even though I don't work in the beef, pork and grains production industries on a daily basis, I can see that there are gross misrepresentations in this article (in fact, there are more than five - count 'em, five - factual errors in this piece).

These factual errors have organizations, farmers and members in the agriculture industry in a twist. And, they're troubling to me, too.

For me, the worst aspects of this article don't lie in the slams, jabs and kicks aimed at the industry that feeds the world. Instead, it lies in the writing itself.

As a writer myself - and someone who has earned a degree in journalism - I find it extremely troubling that this article actually made it to the pages of TIME.

It bothers me because the author didn't do his research (I'm not going to go into the factual problems with the article here, but I'll be sure to include them in my letter to editor of TIME -I'll also be sure to include the references so they know that I didn't pull my information out of left field).

It bothers me because the author didn't take the time to report both sides of the story. In the entire nine page article, he included only ONE quote from a member of the agriculture industry (even though the National Beef Board was only too happy to provide half a dozen sources for interviews and research papers to back up their positive information about agriculture). It's easy to write a scathing article when you don't take the time to present the counter opinion to your readers.

Finally, perhaps the thing I find most disturbing, is the fact after he wrote this article with no research or counter opinions, the managing editors at TIME cleverly disguised this piece as hard news and presented it to the country as their feature story.

I may be younger than the average writer for TIME, and I may have less experience, but even I can tell you that (only a year ago when I was completing my journalism degree) my professors taught me the importance of unbiased, fair reporting. In fact, I'm quite positive that my advanced reporting and editing professors would lose faith in the entire profession after reading this article.

However, there is one good thing to come from this article (but, let me tell you, it by no means outweighs the many kicks, punches and stabs this article landed): the writer aimed his outlandish claims at more than one industry. Hopefully, this can serve as the uniting force the agriculture industry has needed for far too long.

In the 24 short years that I have been deeply involved in the agriculture industry, I have watched time and time again as one sector of the industry after another is stomped on by the government or special interest groups trying to serve their own needs.

Each time the agriculture industry logs another loss on the scoreboard, it is mortally wounded - and so is our ability to produce and market the safest and most cost-effective food source on the planet. And each time, the agriculture industry stands by and waits for the problem to disappear.

The fact that this article - and all of it's misrepresentations - was published in TIME Magazine is a blow in itself. However, the added blows to the beef, pork and crop production industries made this piece doubly painful.

That's why I'm so pleased to see the mobilization and action on the part of many of the membership organizations associated with these commodities. With the National Corn Growers Association, Cattle Network, Brownfield and many state farm bureaus providing coverage of the story, issuing statements and letters to the editor already, I can only hope that many in the agriculture industry follow suit.

As members of the agriculture industry, we understand the blessings given to us and the lessons learned. Despite the information in the article, we know that we care for our animals and our land - many times, better than we care for ourselves. And, in effect, we also care for our planet - and the people that live on it.

When we all make a stand, we can tell our agriculture story - and we can tell the correct one.

Back to the grindstone.

Whew. I feel like it has been a really busy couple of weeks, but it really hasn't. Maybe, I'm still trying to recover from our trip home a couple of weekends ago.

David was traveling for work the week before we came home, so I had to wait on him to leave Lincoln. Unfortunately, David didn't get home from Alliance, Neb., until about 6 p.m., so that's when we finally took off and headed east. Since David had been driving all day, I took the reins for the drive home and it was brutal - in fact, right up until we pulled into the hotel parking lot, I was pretty sure we were never going to make it to Peoria.

Anyway, at about 1:30 in the morning, we finally drove into Chillicothe, Ill., and found our hotel. Of course, being the concerned wife, I made David stay in the hotel room with mom, Janell and I (he was really happy about this, as I'm sure you can imagine) instead of driving the rest of the way home. After a few hours of sleep, though, we were up again. Janell, mom and I headed to the show grounds for the Paint show in Peoria and David headed home.

After my last showing experience - which we all know did not end well - I decided to take another stab at it. So, I showed in showmanship, two-year-old western pleasure and a walk-trot class. Much to my excitement, I wasn't as rusty as I thought. I ended up getting third in showmanship (and there were 14 in my class, thank you very much) and a third and sixth in western pleasure.



But, almost as soon as I was done, I had to hit the road for home (Clinton home) again to go to a "concert" that Jimmy Holland was putting on. David and I were asked to be the "official photographers" (I use the term loosely) for the '50s and '60s themed event, and let me tell you, it was a lot of fun! Lots of great singers and acts - very entertaining.




Needless to say, after showing all day in the heat, driving home, showering and heading back into town for a long evening, I was pretty much shot at the end of the night. Unfortunately for David and I, we had to get up and head west the next morning.


But of course, that never quite happens like you think it's going to...


I left David's house in the morning to run home and visit with mom, Chuck and Janell. I also wanted to see Grandma and Grandpa and I knew that my cousin had some home-grown green beans for David and I to take home. I headed home and, of course, took some pictures around the farm, then decided I needed to get going and make the stops I had originally planned on.





First stop, my cousin, Chris's, house. I ended up with two large grocery bags of green beans and a bucket of tomatoes to take home.

Next stop, Grandma and Grandpa's. This time, I ended up with a large box of tomatoes and some sweet peppers (yes, David and I have been eating green beans and tomatoes with every meal. We had them again tonight with chicken macaroni).

Anyway, after visiting at home, heading back into town to say goodbye to David's family and heading back out to my house to drop off Janell's car, David and I didn't leave for Lincoln until almost 5:30.

Yes. That means that the trip home was BRUTAL. David drove the first four hours, then I settled in for the last four. At hour three, I just couldn't make it anymore. David and I pulled over at Nebraska City to switch drivers and, according to David, I was asleep before I even finished buckling my seat belt.

After what seemed like weeks after we left, we were finally home. Just in time to start the work week over again. And, let me tell you, I didn't think I was ever going to graduate to this weekend.

This weekend, David and I stayed home. We ran some errands in Lincoln (two pairs of work pants for David just weren't cutting it, so I dragged him to the mall for some shopping) and we saw a movie (this is where I interject that EVERYONE must see The Ugly Truth - HILARIOUS!).

That means, after all that, we're back to Monday again. Back to the grindstone. And, I think I'm still tired from a week ago...