The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
November 15 2011, Issue No. 112
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit-to-print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)
Fort Plain, NY
November 15 2011, Issue No. 112
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit-to-print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)
Riley -- Riley and Gabby run until they drop every morning. Then a day full of naps readies them for their late afternoon run. Cool weather has made the daily swims now a rare occurrence. Even the goldfish now surface for feeding only on the warmest of sunny afternoons.
Planting and Plowing -- No real farming going on this late in the year. We picked the final apples on November 1st - bumper crop this year - best ever. Carrots and parsnips were pulled from the ground in the first week of November. And the crops are gone for 2011.
And They're Off -- A horse is a horse, of course, of course. And no one can talk to a horse, of course. That is, of course, unless the horse is the not so famous Rio or Lady. The two equines always come running when we are at the fence and love to put one of their giant eyes about six inches from your face and stare into your mind. Unless I am totally misreading them and all they want is more apples and grain.
The Herd of Four -- Always somewhat a sad time of year, it is approaching butchering season for one or two of the steer. Eli, the Holstein, is 27 months old and about 2,000 pounds. That would convert to 900 pounds hanging weight and about 600 pounds trimmed and packaged. The two Dexters, Michael and Raphael, are 31 and 32 months old, respectively, and weigh about 1,000 pounds each. This would translate into about 1,100 pounds hanging weight and 700 pounds trimmed and packaged. Butchering is scheduled for mid-December. More to follow.
Mowings, Musings and the Woods -- Plenty of firewood remains to be cut and split. We still have about a half dozen large trees on the ground out back near the upper pond. And the equipment shed has about a hundred 18-inch lengths just waiting to be split. Good work for warmer fall days. As deer hunting season approaches (November 19 - December 11, here in New York's Southern Zone), we are seeing more deer wandering around the fields and trails. One day while mowing the second field, I saw a good-sized doe with a similarly-sized buck, about six points on the rack. They stood still as I approached them on the tractor from about 200 yards and did not move at all until I got about 25 yards from them and had to turn. Then, the pair slowly wandered through the hedge row into the third field. Beautiful animals. Hunters say that deer possess an internal clock that knows when hunting season starts, at which time the deer vanish for about three weeks, before slowly returning in mid-December. Who knows. But as deer season approaches, they are still roaming and plentiful.
Fowl Weather -- It must have been a plot. Our American White Broad Breasted Turkeys grew much more slowly this year than our turkeys in either of the last two years. So slow was their growth that they were not ready for Thanksgiving. For which they (presumably) gave their own thanks.
And in a related story, I recently read a piece on having fun with your chickens. (Yes, I know that says a lot about my life, but I digress). The article suggested naming your chickens. My two favorite names from the article are -- Egghead and Gregory Peck. And the article also suggested naming your chicken coops. The author named her first chicken coop, which was a small coop on wheels, 'Hennebago'. Her final coop, a large stationary model, she named 'Coop d-Etat'. What barnyard hilarity.
Visitors -- Barbara stayed with us for nearly a week in the wake of the late October snow storm that created such widespread power outages in Western Mass. At its worst, 87% of the City of Agawam was without power, with Southwick and West Springfield not far behind. It took Western Mass Electric over a week to get most people back up on the grid. In Suffield, CT, Susan's sister, Beverly, fared much worse, and was without power for well over a week. And Barbara and Barbara Jean returned to visit for a few days in mid-November.
Rest in Peace -- Norman Brennan, July 1952 - November 15, 2011
Blog -- The Riley Factor's official blog site is located at http://the-riley-factor.
Quotes of the Month --
Effort requires no talent. -- Rod Marinelli, Defensive Coordinator, Chicago Bears
History is history. Tomorrow's history is being written today. -- Mike Tomlin, Head Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers
Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. -- John Wooden, late legendary basketball coach, UCLA
In 1950, spending for social programs was only one percent of the total Federal Budget. As the economy grew, social programs expanded to include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Unemployment Compensation, Supplemental Security for the Disabled and educational programs. In 1983, as the United States pulled out of an ugly recession and brought inflation under control, social programs consumed 26% of the budget. In fiscal year 2012, they’ll eat up an estimated 57% of the budget. -- Janet Tavakoli
It's very simple. If you spend more than you earn, you lose your butt. -- Senator Alan Simpson
Facts of the Month --
Population -- As of October 31, 2011, there are 7 billion people on planet Earth (it took 12 years to increase from 6 billion to 7 billion Earthlings). Here's the build-up:
2011 7 billion (12 years)
1999 6 billion (12 years)
1987 5 billion (13 years)
1974 4 billion (15 years)
1959 3 billion (17 years)
1942 2 billion (25 years)
1917 1 billion (a few million years to create the first billion people on Earth)
But world population growth is slowing. The World Population Model predicts that the 8 billion population level will be achieved 17 years down the road, in 2029, and that planet's population will begin to decrease before the end of the 21st century. The planet's peak population is expected to occur in 2059, at just short of 8.8 billion.
Unemployment -- We have all heard for a couple of years now that the unemployment rate is over 9%. As of October 28, 2011, the rate according to the government was 9.1%. But here's the breakdown -- the unemployment rate is 13.1% for those individuals without a high school diploma, while it is 4.4% for college graduates. It is generally believed that the true unemployment rate is not 9.1%, but is in reality over 15%, when you consider unemployed individuals who are no longer able to collect unemployment compensation and when you consider those individuals who were previously full-time employed and are now working part time. -- Patricia Powell, CEO Powell Financial Group, November 5, 2011
Bumper Sticker of the Month --
ELECTILE DISFUNCTION: the inability to become aroused over any of the choices for President put forth by either party for the 2012 election year.
Commentaries of the Month --
WOMAN
A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she ...told him."I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."
Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"
"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say. The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.
Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"
God said, "When I made the woman she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children. I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly. I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart. I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly. And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."
"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."
NFL --
September 8 ... Green Bay Packers 42, New Orleans Saints 34 / Patriots 38, Dolphins 24
18 ... Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 23 / Patriots 35, Chargers 21
25 ... Green Bay Packers 27, Da Bears 17 / Bills 34, Patriots 31
October 2 ... Green Bay Packers 49, Denver Broncos 23 / Patriots 31, Raiders 19
9 ... Green Bay Packers 25, Atlanta Falcons 14 / Patriots 30, Jets 21
16 ... Green Bay Packers 24, St. Louis Rams 3 / Patriots 20, Cowboys 16
(And then there was one)
23 ... Green Bay Packers 33, Minnesota Vikings 27 / Patriots (bye week)
30 ... Green Bay Packers (bye week) / Steelers 25, Patriots 17
November 6 ... Green Bay Packers 45, San Diego Chargers 38 / Giants 24, Patriots 20
13 ... Green Bay Packers 45, Vikings 7 / Patriots 37, Jets 16
And then there's this --
| |
| January 2009 | TODAY | % chg | Source | |
| Avg.. Retail price/gallon gas in U.S. | $1.83 | $3.95 | 115.8% | 1 | |
| Crude oil, European Brent (barrel) | $43..48 | $99.02 | 127.7% | 2 | |
| Crude oil, West TX Inter. (barrel) | $38..74 | $91.38 | 135.9% | 2 | |
| Gold: London (per troy oz.) | $853.25 | $1,504.50 | 90.5% | 2 | |
| Corn, No..2 yellow, Central IL | $3.56 | $6.33 | 78.1% | 2 | |
| Soybeans, No. 1 yellow, IL | $9.66 | $13.75 | 42.3% | 2 | |
| Sugar, cane, raw, world, lb.. Fob | $13..37 | $35.39 | 164.7% | 2 | |
| Unemployment rate, non-farm, overall | 7.6% | 9.4% | 23.7% | 3 | |
| Unemployment rate, blacks | 12.6% | 15.8% | 25.4% | 3 | |
| Number of unemployed | 11,616,000 | 14,485,000 | 24.7% | 3 | |
| Number of fed. Employees | 2,779,000 | 2,840,000 | 2.2% | 3 | |
| Real median household income | $50,112 | $49,777 | -0.7% | 4 | |
| Number of food stamp recipients | 31,983,716 | 43,200,878 | 35.1% | 5 | |
| Number of unemployment benefit recipients | 7,526,598 | 9,193,838 | 22.2% | 6 | |
| Number of long-term unemployed | 2,600,000 | 6,400,000 | 146.2% | 3 | |
| Poverty rate, individuals | 13.2% | 14.3% | 8.3% | 4 | |
| People in poverty in U.S. | 39,800,000 | 43,600,000 | 9.5% | 4 | |
| U.S.. Rank in Economic Freedom World Rankings | 5 | 9 | n/a | 10 | |
| Present Situation Index | 29.9 | 23.5 | -21.4% | 11 | |
| Failed banks | 140 | 164 | 17.1% | 12 | |
| U.S.. Dollar versus Japanese yen exchange rate | 89.76 | 82.03 | -8.6% | 2 | |
| U.S.. Money supply, M1, in billions | 1,575.1 | 1,865.7 | 18.4% | 13 | |
| U.S.. Money supply, M2, in billions | 8,310.9 | 8,852.3 | 6.5% | 13 | |
| National debt, in trillions | $10..627 | $14..052 | 32.2% | 14 | |
| | | | | |
Just take this last item: In the last two years we have accumulated national debt at a rate more than 27 times as fast as during the rest of our entire nation's history.
Over 27 times as fast. Metaphorically speaking, if you are driving in the right lane doing 65 MPH and a car rockets past you in the left lane. ……..27 times faster, it would be doing 7,555 MPH!
Sources:
(1) U.S. Energy Information Administration; (2) Wall Street Journal; (3) Bureau of Labor Statistics; (4) Census Bureau; (5) USDA; (6) U.S. Dept. Of Labor; (7) FHFA; (8) Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller; (9) RealtyTrac; (10) Heritage Foundation and WSJ; (11) The Conference Board; (12) FDIC;
(13) Federal Reserve; (14) U.S. Treasury
(1) U.S. Energy Information Administration; (2) Wall Street Journal; (3) Bureau of Labor Statistics; (4) Census Bureau; (5) USDA; (6) U.S. Dept. Of Labor; (7) FHFA; (8) Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller; (9) RealtyTrac; (10) Heritage Foundation and WSJ; (11) The Conference Board; (12) FDIC;
(13) Federal Reserve; (14) U.S. Treasury
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