shifting sand

Note: There is a link to my podcast at the bottom of this “It’s Saturday.”  It is with Jeremy Jungling a.k.a. The Five Year Man as it has been 5 years since he was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 38.  Jeremy and I discuss how that diagnosis changed his life and that of his family, how it inspired him to start chasing his dreams today instead of waiting for tomorrow and what lessons others can learn from his experience.

I saw this sign in a feed store in the Sand Hills of Nebraska.  You folks will have to decide if this “It’s Saturday” is quality oats or not!

Have you ever been on the sand dunes along the ocean, major lake or in a desert?  If you have, you were probably amazed with the sand dunes and also how they can change from year to year or storm to storm.  The sand dunes are ever changing (i.e. pretty much like our lives, at least mine—your life maybe is more like The Rock of Gibraltar).  The sand dune I remember the most is The Big Bear Sand Dune in western MI along Lake Michigan.  My extended family camped near there and we climbed it years ago. I know some of you have done the same.  It really impressed me.

When coming back from CO, I traveled through the Sand Hills of  NE.  This is huge massive cattle country.  I stopped in Arthur (i.e. population 56) at the Bunk House and had lunch with the locals.  A real old-time rancher, Brad, talked to me.  He looked the part and talked the part and dressed the part.  He was 88 years old; he and his wife Doris still ranch.  We talked ranching.  I asked him what kind of wood is those fence posts—hedge, hard as a rock; can’t get a staple in them; don’t rot—how deep do they put them in—deep enough sooo the top is up to a rancher’s sternum—soooo a tall rancher’s posts aren’t as deep; you got it young feller.  I stopped at Crusty's Feed Store and asked how much they cost—regular posts $4.50 and corner posts 6 to 8 dollars.  Where do they come from—KS. How was ranching this year—pretty good; cattle prices are good and had some rain.

Do you know what xenophobia means?  I didn’t but now I do.  It was Dictionary.com. website’s 2016 Word of the Year. There seems to be a lot of it going around; it’s pretty popular it seems.  But there is no vaccination for it.  We need to deal with it.  I have found out talking to many folks in the Sand Hills that we are all pretty much the same.  We all have souls, love our families, watch ESPN, believe in the same God, try to make a living, concerned about the world situation etc.  Ya, we do things differently and live a little different but we are basically the same. 

I was introduced to a lady the other morning.The person who introduced us told me later that she and her husband own a rather major local company; are good people; her husband is crazy smart (i.e. over the moon smart). Are you crazy smart? Do you know folks who are crazy smart?  Well, I’m not one of them; my IQ score and my ACT score will attest to that.  I would guess there are crazy smart folks up ‘er in ‘em sand hills doing what they enjoy doing.  CowgirlRita told me that her granddad was crazy smart; bought a lot of sand hills when no one wanted them (i.e. or was he just lucky). But not all crazy smart folks are CEOs or have some prestige jobs (i.e. they don’t want to be).  Maybe they don’t want to sit in traffic a couple hours each day; would rather drive their pu or ride their horse in the sand hills. Such is life.

Fall harvest is starting in IA.  I text a crazy smart friend who is a grain/farmer asking him if I can ride with him in the combine (i.e. I try to do it every fall)--I’m flexible, especially for you. Good cheap information is hard to come by these days! His response--One of the secret to life, there is a difference between cheap and low-cost. I told you he is crazy smart!

AverageJoe says--The NFL is one big cash cow and don’t you forget it.  They have had their image tarnished with the head injury issue and now they have to deal with this protest thing.  Sooooo probably most of the companies you folks work for would not think toooo highly of employees protesting like this (i.e. unless protected by a union contract); probably some employees would find themselves working in the mail room or driving truck down I-80.  If all the female employees of the convenient stores (i.e. making $15 an hour) would protest about “female abuse”, how much attention would they get? That is what I thought!  I’m just trying to put this in a perspective to look at both sides here (i.e. be open minded); when millions and billions of dollars are involved, the situation changes; don’t kid yourself folks.  The NFL and the owners have a problem and they don’t know how to handle it (i.e. hoping maybe it will just blow over--and it might).  I read in the paper, soooo it must be right—The way Hawkeye football players look at the hot button issue that is the national anthem:  Once you step into the Iowa’s Football Performance Center, political views are checked at the door.  And now we have a scandal in college basketball!  Guess what it is about—of course, money! OneCrazySmartPerson said to me—It’s called “situational ethics.” "It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." - Roy Disney ~  I tell you what folks, this is going to be interesting to follow. There might be major ramifications and maybe not. My opinion is that there is a pretty clear “right side” on this issue,. BUT I’m just a little old farm boy from a mile and fourth south of Roseland, MN soooo your opinion might be different. BUT isn’t it great to live in America?  I bet "The Little Rocket Man” would handle it way different. BUT TheAverageJoeAmerican can voice their opinion by where they spend their money; that is where this might be settled and not by talk. Money talks!  Such is life

I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--In Making Sense of God, pastor Tim Keller writes, "All judgments that something or someone is good or bad are based on an awareness of purpose.... How then can we tell if a human being is good or bad? Only if we know our purpose, what human life is for." For the secular person living without a belief God or a higher purpose, human life is not for anything. It is ultimately meaningless - we are here only by chance due to random physical forces. For the follower of Jesus Christ, however, we are here for a reason. Pastor Rick Warren begins his popular book, The Purpose Driven Life, this way:  "It's not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose." Saturday question—Sooooo who is really a crazy smart person?

Sooooo I go down the road to Mullen (i.e. population 563).  I went into the courthouse (i.e. an old building of the 50s—the inside was the same as then).  I asked the assessor if he had a minute—a minute lasted about an hour.  There are less than a thousand folks in Hooker County.  Use to be more but a rancher use to hire 8-10 cowboys but now the ranches are 10x as big and a rancher and his wife run them.  It has the largest school district taking in parts of 3 counties.  Depending on the part of the county (i.e. rain fall is different) it takes about 17 acres to support a cow/calf.  The sand hills cost about $700 an acre currently. There are some huge massive ranches.

The reason I stopped at the courthouse is I wanted some information about The Sand Hills Golf Club that is maybe about 16 miles south of Mullen in the middle of nowhere (i.e. in the sand hills).  Some rate it the #11 best in the world.  I drove out there and they treated me very nice; shared a ton of information.  Most of you will not be interested in if you are not a golfer.  It amazes me that they have a private club which is very low key in the sand hills of NE.  In 8 years, they were out of debt.  These tidbits might interest you--they hire all local people, one green keeper and 18 hs and college age kids; 10 caddies which are all local hs kids. Very interesting to me.  I have made a copy of the brochure if you want to enlarge it for more info. 

"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." - Henry David Thoreau 

Soooo I go down the road and have breakfast at Burwell (i.e. population 1,210 and the county seat).  Burwell claims to be in the middle of the sand hills, They have a huge massive rodeo facility at the edge of town; Big Rodel.  Soooo I ask a local where I should eat breakfast—Verdas across from the post office.  There are three retired guys sitting at a long table; I sit by the table next to them. I had my IA Hawkeye cap on and one says—you from IA—ya, I was wondering if that sign that says Big Redo really mean big rodeo or just for show—this is big rodeo country and we have the biggest rodeo in Nebraska; guys wear their spurs to church here—are you guys rodeo/cowboys; one guys was—Did I see that the Huskers are 0-3 (i.e. did that get them excited)—how are the Hawks going to be—we are average but we are 3-0!  A couple of ranchers came in and sat with the other 3.  They talked about the price of cattle, hay baling, dry land corn yields, good cattle horses etc.  I really enjoyed listening to them. I paid and when leaving I said—I will leave you Huskers soooo you can cry in your beer some more.  They laughed and cried and complained! They love their Huskers!

LuckieEddie says—You can’t make a person someone who they don’t want to become. Have you ever tried to make someone into someone they don’t want to become?  How did that go?  That is what I thought. CadillacJack says—It’s really hard to change someone who has been programed by their genes and also many years of their environment; many folks are just who they are.  I know some of you think I’m just crazy (i.e. not crazy smart); I do know that I bumped my head the other day sooooo...!!! I would guess many of the ranchers up ‘er in ‘em sand hills were raised there and really it is just their life.  They love it!

That’s my jam for the week!

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyFriendJean says—Language, like linen, looks best when it is clean.