Taking a Break

Haven’t posted much in a while.  Thought I should get back to it.  Joshua has his new album out on CD and iTunes.  It was a long and difficult process, but I am pleased with the results.  We pretty much took this year off from farming.  Hopefully after the break we can get back into things, we just needed to take a sabbatical.  Laura’s book has been doing fairly well, I would like to see it reach a larger audience.  It is so well written and encouraging I think many people would enjoy and benefit from reading it.  Zechariah has been expending his energy running, biking and lifting weights.  I would like to see us do a 100 mile bike ride on the tandem this next year.  Samuel is in his final semester at Union and will graduate this December with his Bachelors in Political Science/History – I just hope he is able to find a good job after all of this hard work.  We just got back home from a short business trip to Baltimore.  I was able to take the family and visit with our friends the Browns.  Had a great time.  Made it back by Georgia just in time to see Harriet’s oldest daughter get married – we wish them well.  Now back here on the couch feeling a little sick I am glad I have tomorrow off.

Gas, Corn and Food

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the creeping price of food, along with gas.  We have such an interconnected process that when you mess with one part you mess with all of it.

When the government decided to mandate Ethanol mixture in gasoline and not open up more drilling, they did a few different thing things: 1.  they removed corn used in animal feed from the market; 2. they reduced the gas  mileage (ethanol has much less energy in it than gasoline) ; 3. Ethanol left in a small engine over time may deteriorate the seals causing the the 2 stroke engine to fry (don’t ask how I know); 4. Higher market prices for corn cause meat prices to go up; 5. Increased diesel prices cause everything else to go up; 6. leaving me with less expendable income so I don’t buy that Mocha or go out to eat; 7.  Less money available to spend in the local economy equals higher unemployment

So what can we do about it?  Not much except to convince the government to stay out of the market place.  The unintended consequences of “good intentions”. You can do a little bit to help yourself like growing more of your own food, being more selective on your purchases – but long term only the people that started this chain reaction can reverse course.

I take great comfort in this:

Psalm 47:1  O clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy.
2 For the LORD Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth.
3 He subdues peoples under us And nations under our feet.
4 He chooses our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom He loves. Selah.
5 God has ascended with a shout, The LORD, with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm.
 8 God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.
9 The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham, For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.

sherman

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Winter White Visits Again

 

Well this makes the second snowfall this season.  Laura has been making the most of it while typing and editing her book.

                               

Zech has been busy playing outside in the snow and taking pictires.  Maybe I will get out a bit later and make a snowman with him.  The lady bug mailbox looks happy but a bit cold this morning.