NE Iowa has lots of dairy farms, and I worked on my neighbors dairy farm in high school (was my FFA project). Was supposed to hear my banker in Dyersville tell me that independent dairy farmers are doomed by consolidation and competition from corporate (Wal-Mart, etc.) dairy farms.
Picture of an 80 acre cornfield in Iowa I co-own with my brothers.
My nephew on horseback and my daughter playing in the grass on my brother’s farm in Iowa
Yes, but it’s not universal. Anybody that plants and/or sells corn and soybeans knows it will be a bad year, but the cattle market, horses (for recreation), and others are sky-high.
What will really drive a vibe-shift past the usual “bad year” stuff would be foreclosures.
This is the plot of the 1988 film “Miles from Home” starring Richard Gere and directed by Gary Sinise that was filmed in my Iowa hometown.
This was filmed just down the road and a few months before “Field of Dreams,” but nobody remembers it because it does not have a magical happy ending.
Spent the night at the Inn at Blackstone. The hotel was once a women’s junior college. I did not get a chance to stay in the Bea Arthur suite, but maybe next time!
Completed the PADI Advanced Open Water dive certification today in Lake Phoenix, VA. 5 foot visibility and 48 degree water when we dropped 62 feet to swim around a sunken Cessna and later an old school bus.
Absolutely worth it.
A real conversation last night:
Rookie: When did you join the department?
Me: Seventeen years ago this month. April 2009.
Rookie: Oh wow, I wasn’t even born yet.
Told a patient last night that I enjoy working as a paramedic at rock concerts because every shift I get to do a cool job I love with a cool soundtrack playing in the background.
Spring cleaning and decided it’s finally time to rehome the PS3 I got in 2010 and have not played since the kids were born.
Started it up to see if it still works, and, ah, maybe I’ll keep it.
Was a good evening for a driveway Jeep parade
The Jeep Wrangler I’ve owned for 18 years an the Power Wheels Jeeps I got for my kids
Weather was nice, so I washed the Jeeps
Neighbors gifed my kids some Barbie playhouse items, but I have no idea how to explain a 5.25 floppy disc to my 5 year old daughter.
I read this book, and while I was waiting for the next volume to be published read his WWII trilogy. All fantastic books.
I added the book to my list. Thank you!
Up early today staffing the medical tent for an Easter event held at dawn at the Lincoln Memorial.
They picked a good spot for it.
Spent my first day as a formal EMS instructor, and it was awesome. These young people are great.
Trip to the local used bookstore on a Friday night. Wonderbook.com for those interested
It’s the weekend. Time to get lit(erate).
Describe your BlueSky account with a single image (gif).
I have a Led Zeppelin tattoo, and I love everything about this video.
Lol, I'm not cool enough to have a nickname that based.
Me spending my 30th birthday (some years ago) using a Stihl chainsaw to clear down trees from the field entrance on our farm. Growing up, my dad only had old McCullouch and Homelite saws, and the first year my brother returned home from wildfire work, he drove those saws into a creosote railroad tie to prevent them ever betting used again.
All day, everyday (and twice on Sunday)
I worked for a retired CRO at my first DC office job. Guy was built like a linebacker, chill AF, and rode a Segway to work. He taught me how to avoid shin splints without ever seeing me run using only my description of my stride. He quit to manage a wilderness camp for wayward teens.
GOAT.
Revising my own words helped me improve my thinking and my writing.
“Why did I write that?” and “What am I really trying to say here?” are not questions that AI can answer for me.
The “Iowa Scenic Views by Foot” FB page brought to my attention a McCulloch chainsaw museum exists in Dike, IA, and suddenly my whole childhood flashed before my eyes.
Working the part-time paramedic gig today. Guy in the office next door looked mean but overall was pretty quiet.
Chicken wings my brother brined and then smoked in his driveway just for funzies.
Monticello is in the middle of that flavor triangle, and it’s entirely based on garage beers and driveway meat smokers.
I was in high school, and my buds packed in two cars for the hour drive to Cedar Rapids where the nearest theater was located. We made a point to stop at Taco Bell to get the promotional combo meal.
There was much that made no sense to us, but the lightsaber duel was the main takeaway.
A zillion people were out on the Tidal Basin enjoying the cherry blossoms today, and I got to help some of them.
Was a good day.
For as many times as my kids have held a flashlight or socket wrench while I busted a knuckle trying to fix something in the house, I was amazed that they never picked up any of my dialog.
The Taylor Swift Pandora channel does a good job recommending songs by other artists.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is that Sabrina Carpenter taught my 5 year old daughter the f-word.
I am both shocked and relieved that she did not learn these words from her salty AF firefighter dad.
Still furloughed but lucky to have a part-time gig with nice surroundings.