The Riley Factor #94

The Riley Factor Fort Plain, NY
March 29, 2011
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Blog -- The Riley Factor has entered the 21st century, and now has its own official blog site.  Go to http://the-riley-factor.blogspot.com/ and you can see all 93 issues to date.  (If you actually spend the time and do this, you may need more help with your life than we are able offer.  But we digress.) 

The Snows -- Have ended, we hope.  We received 7-8 feet of snow this year.  The biggest single snow fall of the winter fell on March 6-7, when we unexpectedly received 15 inches overnight of heavy wet snow, following several days of temps in the 40s.  Nearly impossible to snow plow, since the underlying ground was mushy and muddy in many places.  But man and machine eventually conquered nature, yet again.

Auction Season -- Spring auction season began on March 26, with the annual Amish spring consignment auction at Mohawk Valley Produce Center, on Fordsbush Road in Fort Plain.  Several hundred people were in attendence, with three auctioneers running concurrently.  We bought a few small things, but nothing too significant.  Equipment auctions loom for the next few Saturdays.  Always fun.

Visitors -- On March 19, those effervescent twins, Barbara and Betty, stopped-in with Nancy for a visit.  We had a late St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage repast, and they were back on their way before sunset (for some reason or another, a departure deadline).

Solar Project -- The switch was flipped at 7:45 PM on March 4 and we are officially off the grid, being powered completely by 30 photo-voltaic panels on the south side of garage roof and two wind turbines mounted on the east end of the garage.  We are still adjusting the controllers and such, but so far so good.

Planting and Plowing -- Plowing continues its dormancy.  Manure continues its spreading.

Riley -- We took Riley for a hike after the early March snow storm and he ran off the trails further and further as Susan and I trudged along behind.  At one point, Riley got into a drift that got deeper and deeper.  As he struggled along, finally he needed a rest and took a seat.  The snow was up to the top of his front shoulders and all we could see was his head, looking like someone had placed it atop the snow.  When he did a reversal and began walking out, following the trail he had made walking in, all we could see was an occasional fluff of golden fur as he walked along.

Horses -- Lady stepped on Riley's front paw one morning and he yelped like he was being murdered, after which he sulked back to the Utility Vehicle and lied down on the floor.  I feel his pain, since Lady has planted her 1,500 pound frame on my own foot three times.  I think Riley was faking, because a few minutes later, he walked limp-free.  On March 29, when we were in the barn for the routine morning feeding of the animals, followed by the normal daily release of the herds into the pasture, we saw a red chicken standing on Rio's back, as he ate his grain.  After a minute or so, the chicken sat down and settled-in for a ride or a nap.  When we let Rio out, the chicken stayed on, riding bareback, until Rio accelerated into a trot, then full-on run, at which time the chicken went flying (both figuratively and literally).

The Herd of Three -- Eli, Michael and Raphael, each topping a half-ton, are finally beginning to get accustomed to Lady and Rio.  Apparently, only we humans realize that each day we place enough hay in the pasture for all three steer and both horses to fill their considerable bellies -- so they chase each other back and forth attempting to gain control of the two or three fresh hay bales.  On one of the first great weather spring days, Raphael took great pleasure in chasing our lone tom turkey around the barn, as the tom waffled between protecting his flock of five hen turkeys and running for his life.  We have decided that that tom turkey is the slowest of all the animals at Rock Creek Farm.

Fowl Weather -- Confined to a two month breeding season annually, the turkeys have started to do their thing.  You haven't lived until you have seen a 25-pound tom turkey walking up and down on the back of a 15-pound hen turkey.  I don't think our tom actually knows what the heck he is doing, but the hens seem to enjoy the spa treatment.  It is unclear if any actual breeding has taken place.  This month, we built 10 nesting boxes, five for the turkeys and five for the chickens, which were placed in the coops for the mother birds to lie in and sit on their eggs.  More to come on this grand experiment.  There will be no film at 11.  (Editor's note: late last week, the big tom turkey was hit by a car as he was protecting his hens, and had to be put down.  :-(  Now the hens are each trying to mate with one another.  Again, there will be no film at 11). 

Mowings, Musings and The Woods -- For much of January and February, we could not even get out back to the woods, owing to drifting snow on the main trail that gets to four or five feet deep when only a foot or foot-and-a-half of snow actually falls.  Occasionally, we were able to collect a load or two of firewood, which we cut into 18" lengths last fall and left in piles out back in the woods to season some -- mostly chestnut, with some oak and beech.  For a brief period, we got to the woods, but with the spring thaw, we are back to waiting for firm, dry ground on which to travel to the back.

Quotes of the Month --
     Federal spending has to be trimmed with a buzz saw, not with a scalpel. -- Elizabeth MacDonald, FOX Business Channel

     An error doesn't have to become a mistake, unless you refuse to correct it. -- John F. Kennedy

     The worst addiction that this nation faces is the belief that there are simple solutions to complex problems. -- Morris Chafetz MD

     With Socialism, eventually you run out of other people's money. -- Stuart Varney, FOX Business Channel

     Global Thermonuclear War.  A strange game.  The only way to win is not to play. -- WOPR, War Games

     The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this: You cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal,' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians.  It creates a hostile work environment. -- Maxine

     Two little mice fell into a pitcher of cream.  One soon gave up hope and quickly drowned.  The second mouse swam around and around like mad, so furiously that eventually the cream turned to butter, and then he walked out of the pitcher. -- Frank Abagnale Jr.


Facts of the Month --

     Gasoline -- The highest ever national average retail price for regular unleaded gasoline was $4.11, which occurred in the summer of 2008.  We may get back there again late this spring, but only time will tell.  As of the beginning of March, the average retail price per gallon across the nation was $3.70.

     Federal Government Spending -- The True Facts -- A Troubling Imbalance
Right off the top there is some sobering math to consider. The U.S. government spent $4.3 trillion in 2010.  That stands in stark contrast to the $2.2 trillion in government revenues (which included $1.7 billion in personal income and payroll taxes). Interesting to note is that corporate taxes were $180 billion in 2010, up from $130 billion in 2009 (and down from the peak of $367 billion in 2007), but a small percentage of the total.
So, U.S. government posted a $1.3 trillion deficit in 2010, down slightly from the $1.4 trillion deficit of 2009.  (Changes in actuarial assumptions related to benefits, expenses, and obligations for veterans, military and civilian employees and government-sponsored enterprises reduce the deficit from the simple math of revenue minus expenses).
          Where the Money Went

• DefenseThe U.S. government spent more money on the Department of Defense than anything else in 2010. Net Defense spending totaled $889 billion in 2010, or more than 20% of the government's total spending.
• Social SecuritySocial Security accounted for $754 billion in 2010, up 2% from the level of spending in 2009 and almost 18% of 2010 spending. Medicare was likewise a huge expense - in excess of $500 billion for the year - while Medicaid spending topped $300 billion and the two combined for nearly 20% of U.S. spending.
• InterestAlthough much is made of what the U.S. pays in interest every year, it amounted to $215 billion in 2010, or only 5% of the total.
• The Department of LaborThe Department of Labor (DOL) also accounted for a sizable chunk of spending in 2010.  Federal unemployment benefits flow through this department, so the $179 billion spending in 2010 (up from $140 billion in 2009) is not altogether unexpected. Along similar lines, much of the $134 billion that went to the Department of Agriculture went to food assistance programs, while farm subsidies amounted to $14 billion and food safety initiatives a little more than $1 billion.
• Department of TransportationOther odds and ends of note include $80 billion to the Department of Transportation, more than half of which goes to the Federal Highway Administration, along with sizable allocations to the FAA and the Federal Transit Administration, which provides money to a variety of public transit systems. The Department of Education got slightly more, nearly $90 billion, while Homeland Security got by on $50 billion, or more than double the amount allocated to NASA.

      o  The Rest
          The remaining 45% of 2010 spending went to all those other but smaller governmental programs.