Blogs

Back in the late 1980s, Wendy’s hamburger chain ran a series of commercials which featured three old ladies contemplating big buns and little meat patties. The catchphrase that swept the country became, ‘Where’s the beef?’ What’s funny is it’s probably more applicable today as we look at the latest monthly milk production reports from the USDA.

As a person who’s been at both the end of a halter and as a judge in the center of the show ring, I’ve been exposed to many showing “techniques.” Many of these don’t fool the judge, but have become common practice.

It may come as a shock that I, a man who cannot fry eggs without searing an impermeable layer of formica on the bottom, who still has not mastered Minute-Rice and whose idea of a salad is a jalapeño and Miracle Whip, would keep abreast of the latest trends in haut cuisine.

Infinite Time: The way I’ve been able to absorb the concept of ‘No beginning and no end’ is that time must be like a rolling ball. Of course, in my mind, time recycles itself over a long period. Thus, my surprise when I read about the natural gas boom in Pinedale, Wyoming, and the record high price of farmland in Iowa.

I travel in military vehicles only. Our Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) has armored Humvees and armored tactical SUVs. But sometimes I must get out of the weeds. So our operations officer schedules a Black Hawk helicopter, and we go up. There are other kinds of tactical and nontactical vehicles here. But these three take me where I need to go.

I received notice that a friend of mine was having a retirement party. He was only 55. I was abashed! Why, he’s in his prime. He’s too young to retire. He should suffer more anxiety, exhaustion and life-draining challenges; what’s the matter with him? Retiring at 55 is like: