Dear Blog Reader.
I hope that this finds you doing well. I am fine. It has been a while since I have set down to a blank screen and a blank brain. Most of the time the posts have marinated in my brain for several days. Certain lines and phrases have assembled themselves and been edited for maximum literary impact. The goal by the time I get to the blank page is to stitch those lines and phrases together into a semi-coherent essay.
Is it any wonder that my brain is blank? I am sure that several of your brains are blank too. We are at the end of February; at the end of a weird winter; a little cold, a little warm, very little snow. We were fortunate. We watched as blizzards went to our north and to our south, lining up to hit those out east or last week, our neighbors to the North. Like all winters, it has doing its best to sandblast my mind. The weather isn't the only problem. How many dark winter nights can you scroll through your Facebook "newsfeed" without some mental atrophy? You sit there scrolling cursing your cat because it doesn't do any tricks that are viral worthy. That kind of mindless pursuit is going to leave a scar. It is going to scour you blank.
I have found signs and portents of relief on the horizon. I was out in the pasture field yesterday. Sharritt land has 180 acres of tillable farm land and 30 acres of permanent pasture. Permanent pasture is an old time farm term. Back before farming evolved (or is that devolved) into corn and beans, farms had wet spots that wouldn't support a tractor and plow, or hills that tractors would tip over crushing the farmer. Yes, farming had limits. There were places where no farmer could go. Farmers, being practical, didn't try to go where they couldn't. They simply put a fence around those spots and put their cows, sheep or horses out there. Sharritt land has 30 of those acres.
Permanent pasture has several advantages. The tractor and the plow don't get stuck in bogs and the tractor doesn't fall on top of you. If managed correctly, a permanent pasture can provide the farm with meat, milk, even eggs for years on end. A cow can eat the tall grass in the wet spots and can eat the grass on the side of a hill without falling on top of you. Permanent pasture does take some management though. Nature left in a natural state long enough will return to its intended state. Indiana's natural state is timberland.
I find it amazing that 200 years ago Indiana was covered in trees. There may have been some prairie and grassland on the western edge but our natural habitat is woodlands. Our farming ancestors went out every morning with an ax and started chopping. That is a lot of chopping to clear the millions upon millions of acres in Indiana. Those trees don't return when plowed under every year or when hit with a dose of herbicide. However at the edge of those fields where the plowshare can't reach, in the fence rows the trees make their comeback. In the permanent pasture, where the plowshare never treads and for me, herbicide is never sprayed, the trees come marching back. It takes constant vigilance.
Constant vigilance isn't a hallmark of Sharritt leadership. I believe that we have a secret desire to see the wilderness win. The problem is the first rank of wilderness invaders is represented by the honey locust. In a field of lush spring grass a cow is not very discerning between a blade of grass and a two inch oak sapling. So while the cows are running amok, no wilderness is creeping back. Nature figured out a work around. It sends in the honey locust. A short lived tree with enormous large thorns come in and teach the cows a lesson. The cow takes a bite. The cow moos and moves on. The thorn tree survives that first year. Over the years they invite their friends and provide enough cover for the maples, oaks and walnuts to get established. As these bullies of the tree world spring up and blot out the sun from their lesser thorny brethren, the honey locusts fade away. The dominant trees shoulder their way into the sunlight until Abe Lincoln shows up with his ax fresh from Kentucky to spend his formative boyhood years cutting trees into split rail fences to section off the permanent pasture from the cornfield.
As I mentioned, constant vigilance isn't a Sharritt hallmark. This is the second time that the honey locusts have nearly made permanent inroads into our pastureland. Forty-three years ago, my father and grandfather marshaled forces to nearly clean out the pasture. I still remember being sent out as a ten year old with 5 gallons of diesel fuel and a book of matches to finish burning heaps of felled thorn trees during the winter on Saturday mornings. I know that you are shocked. A 10 year old with 5 gallons of diesel fuel and a book of matches with no adult supervision on January, Saturday mornings, it was paradise. To think that we don't even trust 25 year olds with their own health insurance these days. The decline of civilization is upon us.
Yes, you read correctly. My grandfather and father nearly cleared the pasture of thorn trees. They may have left 20 on a hill a quarter mile away from the house. The weather turned. It was time to build fences in that 2 weeks between ground thaw and planting I time. Those tress were left until the following winter when there would be plenty of time to wipe them out. That winter never arrived and the thorn trees have steadily marched their way across the valley. Taking 43 years to reach the back door again. So, I have got out the tree girdler and started working my way back. I don't have the time or the energy to attack them all at once. In order to keep a honey locust from growing back out of the same stump with four new trunks, you have to use a pretty heavy duty herbicide. It is the hydra of the tree world. Cut one head off and four grow back.
I could glove up and use protective gear, but as I mentioned earlier constant vigilance isn't a Sharritt hallmark. Before you know it I would be using the same cup that I measured out the herbicide to get a drink of water. It is just who I am. I read someplace that you could girdle a thorn tree. It would die. The roots would die. No suckers would branch off of the trunk. The thorns would decay on the trunk and the bark would slake off within two years. By utilizing a little patience the lumberjack experience would be vastly improved. I have decided to give it a try. So yesterday on a lovely late February afternoon, I was out girdling thorn trees. While I was out there stripping an inch wide strip of bark and cambium layer off, I noticed that the multi-flora rose had broken its dormancy. It's stems were turning green and the start of buds were appearing.
We are still a long way off from spring. There are still snow flurries in our future. However, the flock of robins in my front yard toward evening yesterday let me know that with a little vigilance on our part, this too shall pass.
Take care.
Roger
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
We Have a Winner
Dear Blog Reader.
I hope that this finds you doing well. To those of you out East, get out the sled and enjoy your self. Don't worry about the snow shovel. That just sounds like work. Maybe you haven't been keeping up on your aerobic activities. Your core is a little weaker. Who knows you may be one shovel full of snow away from a coronary. No you should stay in. Hopefully, the neighbor ignored the admonitions of those who know that statistically, we rarely need a snow blower. Hopefully, they went out and spent lots of $ on a really big snow blower as big as a Mack Truck. They have been waiting patiently for 24 inches of snow. All you have to do is wait. They will come by. It is best to play hard to get. Of course this will mean careful planning and listening to the weather persons every time they predict snowmagedeon; every time a flurry is predicted 10 days in advance. Don't worry Costco makes it much easier. You have to build an add on to hold the 1000 rolls of toilet paper. But you don't have to run down the the grocery every time a storm is named. So much easier than the olden days when you had to go out to the coop to collect the eggs and the barn to milk the cow and the granary for some wheat to make the bread. No French Toast snow days are much easier in these modern times.
Speaking of spending lots of $, I am assuming that since you are reading this you did not win the 1.5 billion power ball prize. That is amazing. $1.5 billion is mind blowing. Of course I did not win either. I am in awe of the power of those huge lottery drawings. My economics training is twisted all over the place. When I buy it, the ticket is worth $2. When I hold it in my hand, it is worth $1.5 billion. After mid-night on Saturday, it isn't worth a thing. Except for three lucky winners, at midnight it was worth $1.5 billion and by Sunday morning it was only worth $500 million. The same little sheet of paper was all of those things. Almost as confusing as Christianity and the Trinity.
Of course I didn't win. If truth be known, I should not win. It isn't some ethos against gambling. I don't believe that I will burn for playing the lottery once every three years. Although I do think that there is a moral prohibition against gambling for the good of society. In all honesty, society has left the station selling addictions to the masses. Cigarettes, alcohol, chocolate, purses and shoes, come one come all. The profit margins are high and demand stays high also. We are addicted. How else do you explain $4 Starbucks coffee?
No, I don't deserve to win. I am too greedy. The first thought out of my tiny, greedy little pea brain after I found that I would be sharing my $1.5 billion with two other people (3 if I count the government's portion) would be how can I knock off those other two people or destroy their tickets so that all of the $ would be mine. If no one claims the $ then they aren't winners. Someone contact Facebook, "Would you kill someone for $500,000,000? What about $1,000,000,000 would you kill two someone's for that?" There are a lot of people who don't deserve to win $1.5 billion. I must admit that I have that character flaw. It manifested early in life. I should have been happy and content with the candy bar from Grandma, but I was plotting how to get my sisters' and cousins' candy bars also. Even today, I charge kids candy tax for taking them Trick or Treating. I have found that if want to emulate someone emulate the government pilfering abilities. They are experts.
I'll bet that there is a movie or book idea in the premise. A maniacal sociopath wins the lottery for $1.5 billion and finds that he has to share it with 2 other people. He then sets out to find a way to destroy the other people and or tickets to have all of the money for himself and not have the guilt pinned on himself. It could involve wild car accidents, breaking into safe deposit vaults. All sorts of plot twists and turns avail themselves. Go ahead and take the idea. It is not on my resolutions list for 2016. I am way too busy for that. I see Joe Pesci or Dany DeVito in the lead. I would mind Justin Bieber getting whacked in a crossover roll from his "music" career. You could make it darker and have Christopher Walken play the maniacal sociopath. That's it. You have to do part of the work. Have fun.
This character defect also manifests itself when it comes to going in with your office workers to buy a block of tickets. I can't stand the idea of sharing my winnings with two people. Why would I want to share my third with an additional 10 people. Oh my gosh, I break out in hives just thinking about it. What started out as $1.5 billion is now suddenly approximately $45.45 million. That will put a crimp in your Life Style of the Rich and Famous.
Speaking of story problems, who was the genius who came up with $1.3 BILLION / 300,000,000 CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES = EVERYONE RECEIVES $4.3 MILLION: POVERTY SOLVED? Did you "Like" it? Did you repost it? Did you say "yeah, I knew it was bogus that the math was wrong. I just reposted because I thought that it was funny that it was so wrong. When the smart kid posted it is only $4.33 cents? Oh sure now you are all about keeping your decimals straight. Yeah, Leroy you were only off 6 decimal places. What is a million times wrong between friends?
If a strong democracy is dependent on an educated citizenry then I fear for our democracy. Yes, those people who don't know a million dollars from a hole in the ground get to vote. Bless their souls, their hearts are in the right place. Poverty is so intractable. We have been warring against it since the 60's and yet the poor are still with us. It is a problem looking for a solution and some well meaning, mathematically and economically illiterate human being thought that they had found 1,500,000,000 solutions. A little bit of math and an appropriations committee and we would be rolling in the dough. It does defy common sense. Most of the contributors to the power ball mania are poor hoping for a way out. The lottery is one of the most regressive taxes that we have. It is the poor who are throwing the Hail Mary for riches. The rich have access to much less risky ways of making money. 1.75% for tax free municipal bonds may only return $0.0175 on the dollar but you multiply that by 1.5 billion and let's just say the rich aren't looking for a power ball retailer near you. That plus their $26 million a year is tax free. So stick with me here, in 50 years they will have earned a second 1.5 billion tax free and even with inflation they are doing okay.
So the poor who don't have two dimes to rub together are putting most of the money into the pot and suddenly through the magic of randomly generated numbers it turns into $4.3 million dollars for all of the poor and the rich combined? Come on people. Let's just say if you believed it please, please stay away from the polling booth on November 7th. (I know it's the eighth but we are talking about people who believe everything that they see on the web. I am doubling down.)
This lack of economic common sense and mathematical ability concerns me in the opposite direction also. If a segment of society believes that you can make 300 million people millionaires with $1.5 billion, I am guessing that a larger segment of society has no concept of how much each of them owe on the national debt. The national debt currently stands a little north of $19,000,000,000. That's $19 trillion. A little quick math and you all owe $63. Quick do create a meme. Get it out there on Facebook. "If we all just contribute 30 Starbucks coffees the USA would be debt free."
I'm kidding. 19 trillion has 12 zeros not 9. You all owe $63,000. See how easy it is to lose track. I might be able to swing it with the equity in the house and a few trips to the pawn brokers but my 5 year old nephew is screwed. Yes, we won't be paying that loan off any time soon, and you can take that to the bank on your way to the voting booth on November 9th.
Take care
Roger
I hope that this finds you doing well. To those of you out East, get out the sled and enjoy your self. Don't worry about the snow shovel. That just sounds like work. Maybe you haven't been keeping up on your aerobic activities. Your core is a little weaker. Who knows you may be one shovel full of snow away from a coronary. No you should stay in. Hopefully, the neighbor ignored the admonitions of those who know that statistically, we rarely need a snow blower. Hopefully, they went out and spent lots of $ on a really big snow blower as big as a Mack Truck. They have been waiting patiently for 24 inches of snow. All you have to do is wait. They will come by. It is best to play hard to get. Of course this will mean careful planning and listening to the weather persons every time they predict snowmagedeon; every time a flurry is predicted 10 days in advance. Don't worry Costco makes it much easier. You have to build an add on to hold the 1000 rolls of toilet paper. But you don't have to run down the the grocery every time a storm is named. So much easier than the olden days when you had to go out to the coop to collect the eggs and the barn to milk the cow and the granary for some wheat to make the bread. No French Toast snow days are much easier in these modern times.
Speaking of spending lots of $, I am assuming that since you are reading this you did not win the 1.5 billion power ball prize. That is amazing. $1.5 billion is mind blowing. Of course I did not win either. I am in awe of the power of those huge lottery drawings. My economics training is twisted all over the place. When I buy it, the ticket is worth $2. When I hold it in my hand, it is worth $1.5 billion. After mid-night on Saturday, it isn't worth a thing. Except for three lucky winners, at midnight it was worth $1.5 billion and by Sunday morning it was only worth $500 million. The same little sheet of paper was all of those things. Almost as confusing as Christianity and the Trinity.
Of course I didn't win. If truth be known, I should not win. It isn't some ethos against gambling. I don't believe that I will burn for playing the lottery once every three years. Although I do think that there is a moral prohibition against gambling for the good of society. In all honesty, society has left the station selling addictions to the masses. Cigarettes, alcohol, chocolate, purses and shoes, come one come all. The profit margins are high and demand stays high also. We are addicted. How else do you explain $4 Starbucks coffee?
No, I don't deserve to win. I am too greedy. The first thought out of my tiny, greedy little pea brain after I found that I would be sharing my $1.5 billion with two other people (3 if I count the government's portion) would be how can I knock off those other two people or destroy their tickets so that all of the $ would be mine. If no one claims the $ then they aren't winners. Someone contact Facebook, "Would you kill someone for $500,000,000? What about $1,000,000,000 would you kill two someone's for that?" There are a lot of people who don't deserve to win $1.5 billion. I must admit that I have that character flaw. It manifested early in life. I should have been happy and content with the candy bar from Grandma, but I was plotting how to get my sisters' and cousins' candy bars also. Even today, I charge kids candy tax for taking them Trick or Treating. I have found that if want to emulate someone emulate the government pilfering abilities. They are experts.
I'll bet that there is a movie or book idea in the premise. A maniacal sociopath wins the lottery for $1.5 billion and finds that he has to share it with 2 other people. He then sets out to find a way to destroy the other people and or tickets to have all of the money for himself and not have the guilt pinned on himself. It could involve wild car accidents, breaking into safe deposit vaults. All sorts of plot twists and turns avail themselves. Go ahead and take the idea. It is not on my resolutions list for 2016. I am way too busy for that. I see Joe Pesci or Dany DeVito in the lead. I would mind Justin Bieber getting whacked in a crossover roll from his "music" career. You could make it darker and have Christopher Walken play the maniacal sociopath. That's it. You have to do part of the work. Have fun.
This character defect also manifests itself when it comes to going in with your office workers to buy a block of tickets. I can't stand the idea of sharing my winnings with two people. Why would I want to share my third with an additional 10 people. Oh my gosh, I break out in hives just thinking about it. What started out as $1.5 billion is now suddenly approximately $45.45 million. That will put a crimp in your Life Style of the Rich and Famous.
Speaking of story problems, who was the genius who came up with $1.3 BILLION / 300,000,000 CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES = EVERYONE RECEIVES $4.3 MILLION: POVERTY SOLVED? Did you "Like" it? Did you repost it? Did you say "yeah, I knew it was bogus that the math was wrong. I just reposted because I thought that it was funny that it was so wrong. When the smart kid posted it is only $4.33 cents? Oh sure now you are all about keeping your decimals straight. Yeah, Leroy you were only off 6 decimal places. What is a million times wrong between friends?
If a strong democracy is dependent on an educated citizenry then I fear for our democracy. Yes, those people who don't know a million dollars from a hole in the ground get to vote. Bless their souls, their hearts are in the right place. Poverty is so intractable. We have been warring against it since the 60's and yet the poor are still with us. It is a problem looking for a solution and some well meaning, mathematically and economically illiterate human being thought that they had found 1,500,000,000 solutions. A little bit of math and an appropriations committee and we would be rolling in the dough. It does defy common sense. Most of the contributors to the power ball mania are poor hoping for a way out. The lottery is one of the most regressive taxes that we have. It is the poor who are throwing the Hail Mary for riches. The rich have access to much less risky ways of making money. 1.75% for tax free municipal bonds may only return $0.0175 on the dollar but you multiply that by 1.5 billion and let's just say the rich aren't looking for a power ball retailer near you. That plus their $26 million a year is tax free. So stick with me here, in 50 years they will have earned a second 1.5 billion tax free and even with inflation they are doing okay.
So the poor who don't have two dimes to rub together are putting most of the money into the pot and suddenly through the magic of randomly generated numbers it turns into $4.3 million dollars for all of the poor and the rich combined? Come on people. Let's just say if you believed it please, please stay away from the polling booth on November 7th. (I know it's the eighth but we are talking about people who believe everything that they see on the web. I am doubling down.)
This lack of economic common sense and mathematical ability concerns me in the opposite direction also. If a segment of society believes that you can make 300 million people millionaires with $1.5 billion, I am guessing that a larger segment of society has no concept of how much each of them owe on the national debt. The national debt currently stands a little north of $19,000,000,000. That's $19 trillion. A little quick math and you all owe $63. Quick do create a meme. Get it out there on Facebook. "If we all just contribute 30 Starbucks coffees the USA would be debt free."
I'm kidding. 19 trillion has 12 zeros not 9. You all owe $63,000. See how easy it is to lose track. I might be able to swing it with the equity in the house and a few trips to the pawn brokers but my 5 year old nephew is screwed. Yes, we won't be paying that loan off any time soon, and you can take that to the bank on your way to the voting booth on November 9th.
Take care
Roger
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