The Riley Factor #100

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
June 1, 2011, Issue No. 100
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Milepost -- Well, this is the 100th issue of The Riley Factor.  No idea if we have accomplished anything.  But life in Middle-of-Nowhere is still fun and interesting. 

Hail, Hail the Hail's All Here -- For 20 minutes at 8PM on May 27, we experienced a hail storm unlike any seen here (or anywhere by us) before.  Large hailstones fell nonstop torrentially by the thousands, ranging in size from the size of a normal marble to that of a small tennis ball.  Most were slightly smaller than a golf ball.  All were solid ice, making an incredible racket as they bounced off the steel roofs and vehicles.  No damage done except for a few dents in the Xterra and Silverado, and the windows in the garden cold frames, all of which were broken.

Oh Deer -- Recently, we have been seeing deer all around the place.  Susan came-upon a small doe lying down under a small tree in the second field.  Lloyd was with her in the Ute and they drove to within 10 feet and the deer didn't move, just lied there looking at them.  After a couple of minutes, they drove on and the deer just watched them leave.  A few minutes later they found another doe out on the back trails, which also simply stood still and watched them from about 25 feet away, also unstartled and not moving.  The next day, Stevie, Susan and I saw two deer standing still in the orchard, just surveying the situation, only about 100 yards from the house.

Riley -- The Golden One is still working on conquering his irrational fear of Amish men and boys dressed in traditional black suits and straw hats.  For no good reason, they bring out the bark in Riley, as he hides behind Susan or me upon the arrival of any Amish men or boys.  Five minutes later, he is their best friend.

Planting and Plowing -- On May 25, the final major field planting was completed ... two acres of oats in the third field.  In the ground we now have about four acres of oats, five acres of wheat and 1/8 of an acre of barley.  We also just planted about eight rows of corn, each with about 100 plantings, in the first field near the road.  Also planted some transferred watermelon plants and sunflower seeds.  The average date of last frost here is May 20, but to be safe, one really needs to wait until June 1 to plant anything that frost would damage or kill.  Last year, on May 27, we had an overnight temperature of 25 degrees, which killed about 80% of the upstate NY apple crop and necessitated replanting thousands of acres to replace any corn that had been in the ground long enough to be up out of the soil.  Grains, really a form of grass, are immune to the effects of frost.  So are the underground crops such as potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips and the like.  Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, eggplants and other warmer weather plants are not.  This year, spring has been so wet that the NY Farm Bureau has advised dairy farmers who usually plant feed corn to plant instead barley for feed.  This represents dozens to a few hundred acres of crops for each/most dairy farmers.

Horses -- Given the warm weather, one evening we left the top half of the outer stall doors open, and Susan snuck-up on Rio around dusk and caught him trying to open his stall and let himself out into the pasture.  Lady was standing-by taking notes, keenly observing her mate's activities.  When Susan pounced, Rio looked extremely guilty and immediately stopped.

Herd of Three -- The bovines are content and growing.  At two years of age, both Dexters are tipping the scales around a thousand pounds, their fully-grown weight.  Eli the Holstein is about 1,200 pounds at 18 months old, and well on his way to a ton.

Mowings, Musings and the Woods -- At about midnight on May 26, we had a severe thunderstorm, complete with a tornado watch.  Two large trees on the edge of the woods were snapped in half, and a 55-gallon barrel was blown into the middle of the back yard, but otherwise, no damage done.  The storm did open three of the four gates in the pasture, but Susan closed the potential escape routes early morning while out riding the fences.  A nearly hundred-pound wooden storage box from an old sawmill was picked-up from the garden shed porch and hurled 30 feet into the blueberry patch.

Fowl Weather -- Recently, we had a three night stay in the chicken coop (not a good thing) by a weasel, nasty little creatures that kill chickens and other small animals by chewing on their necks and sucking-out their blood.  We learned that a four ounce weasel can kill a four pound bird or other animal.  Fortunately, after three nights and five dead chickens, the weasel has apparently vanished.  If he returns, it will be shotgun time.

Visitors -- Stevie and Scotty rolled-in to the compound for Memorial Day weekend, along with canine accomplices Bruin and Dexter.  Riley and the two puppies had great fun running around the place and swimming in the pond.  Also, Barbara and Barbara Jean dropped-in from Western Massachusetts for a visit on May 28 for the day.

Blog -- The Riley Factor has entered the 21st century, and its own official blog site is located at http://the-riley-factor.blogspot.com/ and you can see all 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.)

Quotes of the Month --

     Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose.  And nothin' don't mean nothin' hon if it ain't free. -- Janis Joplin

     Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.  America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. -- Senator Barack Obama, 2006.  We must raise the debt ceiling immediately. -- President Barack Obama, 2011


Facts of the Month --

     Relying on the Government - For the first time in history, the U.S. is paying-out more in entitlements ($2.3 trillion) than it is collecting in tax revenue ($2.2 trillion).  Leading the entitlement spending is Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, about tied, with unemployment compensation and the myriad of economic subsidies following right behind.  By 2050, without changes, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid spending alone will surpass total tax revenue.  --  FOX Business Channel, May 23, 2011
    
      Cash - Nearly half of Americans couldn't get their hands on $2,000 within a month, for unexpected expenses. -- National Bureau of Economic Research

     Jobs - The federal government is the only place in this country where jobs have been created in the last two years. -- Charles Payne, FOX Business Channel


Commentary of the Month --

     Foreign aid - I believe in self-sufficiency, and generosity to those who support our values. -- Doug Schoen, Democrat Party Consultant

     Which side of the fence? 

If you ever wondered which side of the fence you sit on, this is a great test!

If a Conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn’t buy one.
If a Liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.  

If a Conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn’t eat meat.
If a Liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.  

If a Conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a Liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.  

If a Conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A Liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.  

If a Conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.  

If a Conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
A Liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced.

If a Conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.  A Liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.