Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Riley Factor #105

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
August 17, 2011, Issue No. 105
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Riley -- The Golden One turns two years old on September 3. He was born in South Dakota and joined us in December 2009 via CJ and a south shore pet store. He is a great dog to have in the family - hard to believe he has been with us nearly two years already. Normally calm, in control and not bothered by anything or anyone, we did find recently that fireworks drive him crazy - almost uncontrollable, running in circles, staring at the sky and cowering under any nearby chair or table.

Hitchhiker -- The other day while on the way to Cobleskill for supplies, Susan picked-up a lone hitchhiker (Yes, hitchhikers do still exist. Apparently.) This man was probably 75-80 years old and weighed all of 100 pounds. He stood, arm and thumb extended, dressed in full military uniform, and was on his way to the food pantry in Schenectady, a trip he makes three times per week. He lives in a mobile home on the outskirts of Sharon Springs and owns no car. Twice a week, he also ventures to the food pantry in Albany. All his trips are made via hitchhiking. A collector of military artifacts, he served for two years in the NY National Guard many years back. A very gentle old soul is he.

Planting and Plowing -- In early August, we combined four of our five acres of hard red winter wheat and soft white semolina wheat, before the combine decided enough was enough and broke the rear feeder beater. (Don't ask - I couldn't begin to understand. Or explain. But I will repair it.) Also broke a drive chain, which I will also repair. Then, on to combining the rest of the wheat and all the oats.

Horses -- CJ's friend Brittany was successful in calming-down Lady enough to accept the fly spray designed to rid horses of those mid-summer flying pests. Prior to Brittany's calming influence, Lady ran from Susan and me whenever she saw us with spray bottle in hand. Rio and the steer don't mind the spray and look forward to their daily fly relief.

Herd of Three -- Eli, our 1,500 pound two-year-old Holstein, has developed the new habit of standing in the water troughs during the day. While it may cool-off his feet, the other animals no longer drink from the vessels once Eli has completed his daily foot baths. It may be tough to solve this riddle, although the arrival of cooler temperatures may do the trick. Probably needless to say, there is no way to move a 1,500-pound steer unless he wants to move. Of course, at times, we do play a game, that around here we like to call Slap the Bull.

Mowings, Musings and the Woods -- In the woods, the old logging roads still lurk, waiting for me to get up and clear them for use by those who prefer not having to lug-along a chain saw when riding the trails. CJ plans to spend a week here in September, and we may get some chain-sawing done then.

Fowl Weather -- The 23 chicken chicks, all hatched on or about July 1, and the 9 turkey chicks, hatched on July 12, are all growing like mad. Day-by-day, they venture further outside of their little coops, never straying too far from one another or too far from the mother hens.

Visitors -- August 12 was a big day on the ranch, with my aunt Eva Paige House visiting with her husband Dick House and daughter Su-Ann Paige. Eva was originally married to Wayne, my mother Barbara's youngest brother, who died 20 or so years ago. Eva and Dick traveled all the way from their place in North Carolina, and were near the end of a month-long motor-home journey around the northeast, which included visiting Dick's cottage in Maine and also Eva attending her Agawam High School 60th class reunion. Coincidentally, Eva was a classmate of Ames Slate, Susan's father, and Eva actually grew-up in Agawam, less than a mile from where I enjoyed my misspent youth, at 16 Alfred Court. My cousin Sue now lives in Schenectady, less than an hour from Fort Plain, and is a fellow Harley Davidson rider. Sue promised to return to the compound some day on her bike. We had a great time, spending most of the day riding around the fields, trails and woods, and recollecting days gone by. We also fed the fish in the lower pond and spent quite some in and around the barn with the horses, steer, turkey chicks and chicken chicks. Eva and Sue held the turkey chicks, who loved the attention. As usual, around the house, The Riley was in the middle of everything and everyone, tail madly wagging and nose madly poking.

CJ arrived around midnight on the 12th, with girlfriend and other friends, Jen Nieves, James Godino, Andy Brooks and Brittany Josselin. They were here for their second annual Warrior Weekend, which included running a nearby 5K cross-country road race over a course that included a dozen obstacles - things such as fire pits, water pools, ladder climbs, obstacle walls, cargo nets and the like. Race day was preceded by a day of speeding around the trails on the ATVs, firing paintball and a late night bonfire. We did another bonfire Sunday night, after the great race.

Stevie and friend Crystal Raymond also dropped-in on their way back from a long weekend in Chicago. The NY Compound was a busy place that included Stevie and Crystal sleeping in the living room on Saturday night, as all the guest rooms at the inn were full.

Blog -- The Riley Factor's own official blog site is located at http://the-riley-factor.blogspot.com/. It contains 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 --

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. -- Winston Churchill

     The government does not create jobs. The private sector creates jobs, and prosperity. -- Monica Crowley

     President Obama demonizes the rich, then he parties with them. -- Stuart Varney

     You could take all the money away from all the rich people and give it to the poor people, and in 10 years the rich people would have it all back again. There is a reason the rich people have it in the first place. -- Jonas Max Ferris

Facts of the Month -- The impact of illegal aliens in the U.S.

1. $11 to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year by state governments.

2. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and who cannot speak a word of English.

3. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for Education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.

4. $3 Million dollars a day is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. 30% percent of all federal prison Inmates are illegal aliens.

5. $90 Billion dollars a year is spent on Illegal aliens for welfare & social services by the American taxpayers.

   6. Nearly one million sex crimes have been committed by illegal immigrants in the U. S.

Commentary of the Month --

     Obama Administration Rejects IBM offer to Reduce Health Care Costs

Samuel J. Palmisano, the Chairman of the Board and CEO for IBM, said in
a recent Wall Street Journal interview that he offered to provide the
Obama Administration with a program that would curb healthcare
claims fraud and abuse by almost one trillion dollars but the Obama
White House turned the offer down.

"We could have improved the quality and reduced the cost of the
healthcare system by $900 billion...I said we would do it for free to
prove that it works. They turned us down."

Speaking with FOX News' Stuart Varney, Mort Zuckerman, Editor-in-Chief
of US News & World Report, said,

"It's a little bit puzzling because I think there is a huge amount of
both fraud and inefficiency that American business is a lot more
comfortable with and more effective in trying to reduce. And this is
certainly true because the IBM people have studied this very carefully
And when Palmisano went to the White House and made that proposal, it
was based upon a lot of work and it was not accepted. And it's really
puzzling...These are very, very responsible people and don't have a
political ax to grind.

In Mr. Obama's shunning of a private sector program that would have
saved our country almost $1 trillion in healthcare expenditures,
presented to him    as he declared a "crisis in healthcare," he proves
two things beyond any doubt: that he is anti-Capitalist and anti-private
sector in nature and that he can no longer be trusted to tell the truth
in both his political declarations or espoused goals.

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Riley Factor #104

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
August 4, 2011, Issue No. 104
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Riley -- The hot days of July are a bit rough on The Riley, with his long golden coat. Swims are more frequent, but the pond water is so warm, swims are becoming more like baths. As the goldfish in the lower pond grow in size, Riley has taken to the occasional fishing trip ... so far, the big one has still only gotten away.

Planting and Plowing -- We spent two of July's hottest days rebuilding the small hay wagon. Lloyd Vanalstine lent his shaded and fan-equipped garage for the construction, and painting was done in the back yard under the pine tree. The two new larger hay wagons went back to Elam Miller for painting, as they were picked-up early (just after being built, but before painting) for use during the late June haying. Next up - combining the wheat.

Horses -- Rio and Lady are still much fun to be around. They love attention and are fond of placing their considerably-sized noggins on our own heads or shoulders, especially on Susan's (she's just the right height).

Herd of Three -- Eli, Michael and Raphael stood out in the pouring rain on July 29, the first real rain, except for a couple of hour-long showers, that we have had since June 29, a full month. On the hottest of days, they spend days in the barn or under the overhang and nights outside in the pasture.

Mowings, Musings and the Woods -- On Stevie's last visit, she wandered off to Pet Smart or Pet World or Pet Something and bought 40 two-inch goldfish, and added them into the upper pond. A day later, the newbies were seen happily swimming. The 48 large goldfish that we put in the lower pond in April 2010 have multiplied like bunnies, now numbering a couple of thousand at least. When we feed them late each day, they surface and roil like a (tiny) shark feeding frenzy. More and more of the little black ones are turning their natural orange color.

Fowl Weather -- The 9 turkey chicks are growing, about tripled in size since their hatching on July 12. The 23 chicken chicks (all hatched around July 1) are running around like 23 miniature penguins ever seeking their escape, like Hogan's Heroes (Susan is Hogan, I play both the parts of Colonel Clink and Sergeant Schultz). The mother who hatched one chick strolled into the back yard one afternoon with the little one in tow. The 3 chicks who were naturally hatched by mother hens sitting on their eggs spend 100% of their days staring at their respective mothers and following them within a foot of the hens wherever they roam. All 32 chicks love it when Susan picks-up and hugs them, often falling asleep in her hands.

Visitors --   Brother Greg and 11-year old daughter Kelly flew-in from sunny south Florida for a July 25-29 first-time visit to the NY Compound. Stevie joined-in for the family fest. We traveled to Niagara Falls for a day of sightseeing, and also to Amherst MA another day to wander around UMass and visit with my aunt Phyllis and my cousin Tom, who is a manager at the University of Massachusetts Library. We also worked-in a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and visits with Annie Kanagy and Lloyd Vanalstine. A great time was had by all. Greg's wife Christine was busy spending the week in Toronto on business.

In early August, Stevie returned and kidnapped Susan for the long-spoken-of mother-daughter voyage to ... Niagara Falls, Susan's first time ever visit to the Falls. Armed with passports, they ventured to the Canadian side, did some Falls hiking, and dined on Canadian cuisine. A good time was had by both, eh?

Blog -- The Riley Factor's own official blog site is located at http://the-riley-factor.blogspot.com/. It contains 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 --

     California has made as many mistakes as Yogi Berra reciting Shakespeare. -- Gordon Gekko, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

     You're only as good as your last at-bat. -- Tom Comer (no doubt sourced elsewhere)

     You want to walk off the stage while they are still clapping for an encore. -- Jerry Seinfeld

     The definition of 'insanity' is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. -- Albert Einstein

     Never spend all of your income. Always put away a large chunk for use in the future. -- Stuart Varney, FOX Business Channel

     Poor people are not poor because rich people are rich. -- Star Parker, Center for Urban Renewal Education

     Don't trouble trouble, until trouble troubles you. -- Ward Cleaver, to June, when discussing whether to have a talk with The Beaver

Facts of the Month --
States with 10 highest tax burdens paid by residents (income tax, sales tax, property tax):
   10. PA      5. RI
     9. ME     4. WI
     8. VT      3. CT
     7. MN 2. NY
     6. CA     1. NJ (highest in the U.S., also 3rd worst business environment in U.S.)
     (Editor's note: it's hard to believe that MA is not in the top 10 highest taxed states)

States with lowest resident tax burdens:    10. NM    5. WY
     9. LA     4. TN
     8. SC      3. SD
     7. NH 2. NV
     6. TX       1. AK (Alaska residents actually receive a check from the state for their share of oil company taxes, rather than paying income or sales taxes)

     $50 dollars saved per week (or $2,600 saved per year), earning 5% per year, grows to $325,000 in 40 years.
Commentary of the Month --

                    on the monstrosity of government controlling citizens

     If it were just economic, we would survive, but it is not. We have now in place the apparatus to take our relatively benign Fascist State to the next stage of its inevitable evolution, a far more intrusive police state. There are no rules now, except that which the state will ultimately impose. The Empire is destroyed but does not yet know it and there will very likely be war as our outposts around the world are probed during the chaos. -- Tim Straus, Eastons Point Capital

                    and, on government's increasing financial regulation ....

     The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”) is now the law of the land. This Rube Goldberg monstrosity offers 2,319 pages for lawyers to explain; 243 rulemakings for regulators to conjure up, and investment managers and bankers to worry about and lawyers to interpret; and 67 studies to ensure that no professor or graduate student goes hungry. This opportunity (to fix Wall Street) was squandered and used instead to publicly vilify and to punish Wall Street firms by creating a bill stuffed with virtually every item on the Democrat Party’s financial markets regulation wish list. Dodd-Frank also promotes a wide variety of public policy objectives that have nothing to do with the cause of the crisis or the failure of AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. Dodd-Frank is almost twice as long as the NASA operating manual for the space shuttle (which is 1,176 pages long). How can a law 2,319 pages long possibly make any sense? What were these people thinking? -- Ron Resnick, Counsel Works

In Memoriam ...

     Arthur Joseph Fuchs, August 4, 1920 - December 1, 2001
     Barbara Arlene Paige Fuchs, April 26, 1922 - July 23, 1978

    " ... He noted that first came the date of birth
          And spoke the following date with tears,
          But he said what mattered most of all
          Was the dash between those years.... "
                                                from The Dash, Linda Ellis

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Riley Factor #103

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
July 24, 2011, Issue No. 103
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Riley -- It is no fun wearing a fur coat during the 90-degree heat wave days. Riley is a good sport and continues on his daily runs on the trails, but really all in anticipation of dropping into the pond for long soaks at runs ends. The pond fish are not bothered at all by him any more, swimming within a foot or two of Riley as they feed during his swims.

Planting and Plowing -- The wheat is starting to turn golden brown, and will be ready for combining by early August.

Horses -- Brady Barrett and Stevie became rider numbers 2 and 3, each putting Rio through his paces. Lady looked-on longingly as if she was not invited to the party, which she wasn't.

Herd of Three -- Steer are steer and that's that. Content to roam the pasture day and night.

Mowings, Musings and the Woods -- Went into the woods for the first time this year on July 16 and continued clearing a few of the logging roads. Much work still required - will need some chain-sawing.

Fowl Weather -- Nine turkey chicks have joined the flock. These Broad-Breasted American Whites were hatched in town on July 13 and should be in the 20-30 pound range by mid-November. Riled is fascinated with them and likes to lie next to their cage and stare at them as they run around under the heat lamp. They get along well with the 23 recently hatched chicken chicks.

Visitors -- Barbara the Elder and Nancy dropped-in over July 4th weekend, and joined us at Fort Plain's 4th on the 3rd party and fireworks. Stevie was here July 4-6. Greg and 12-year old daughter Kelly are scheduled to visit from south Florida for the last week of July. When I told Greg it would be warm and to expect temps around 85 degrees, plus or minus 5 degrees, he said they would be bringing sweatshirts -- ahhh the Florida life.

Blog -- The Riley Factor has its own official blog site, 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.)

Best Political Bumper Stickers --

     1.20.13 ... The End of an Error

     Pro Life, Pro God, Pro Gun, Anti Obama

     Obama ... Why Stupid People Shouldn't Vote

     Bankrupt America ... Yes We Can

     Honk If I'm Paying Your Mortgage

     ObamaCare ... Call Us When You're Shovel Ready

     And We Thought Carter Sucked

     OBummer

Quote of the Month --

   The problem with this administration is that they are academics, they've never had real jobs. They want to punish companies that succeed and subsidize companies that fail. -- Chris Tekola

Fact of the Month (with some editorial commentary) --

     A person working for the federal government is more likely to die at work than to be fired or laid-off. A couple of departmental examples - during the last fiscal year, neither the Federal Communications Commission nor the Federal Trade Commission laid-off or fired even a single employee.
   Government employees have not suffered the unemployment woes of the private sector over the last few years - their unions and administrators make them think they are forever entitled to taxpayer money and government employment, without any performance or quality standards. Unlike in the private sector, taxpayers have no alternatives - what are you going to do when you encounter unhelpful or incompetent government officials, go to another government? The only hope for a reasonable and rational future is for citizens to take at the voting booths. Elect official who realize the government is overstuffed with useless federal and state departments and programs, and see the need for government payrolls to be reduced by half.

Commentary of the Month --
          A Bit of Poetry and Time Machine
Long ago and far away, in a land that time forgot,
Before the days of Dylan , or the dawn of Camelot.
There lived a race of innocents, and they were you and me,

For Ike was in the White House in that land where we were born,
Where navels were for oranges, and Peyton Place was porn.

We longed for love and romance, and waited for our Prince, Eddie Fisher married Liz, and no one's seen him since.

We danced to 'Little Darlin,' and sang to 'Stagger Lee'
And cried for Buddy Holly in the Land That Made Me, Me.

Only girls wore earrings then, and 3 was one too many,
And only boys wore flat-top cuts, except for Jean McKinney.

And only in our wildest dreams did we expect to see
A boy named George with Lipstick, in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We fell for Frankie Avalon, Annette was oh, so nice,
And when they made a movie, they never made it twice..

We didn't have a Star Trek Five, or Psycho Two and Three,
Or Rocky-Rambo Twenty in the Land That Made Me, Me.

Miss Kitty had a heart of gold, and Chester had a limp,
And Reagan was a Democrat whose co-star was a chimp.

We had a Mr. Wizard, but not a Mr. T,
And Oprah couldn't talk yet, in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We had our share of heroes, we never thought they'd go,
At least not Bobby Darin, or Marilyn Monroe.

For youth was still eternal, and life was yet to be,
And Elvis ;was forever in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We'd never seen the rock band that was Grateful to be Dead,
And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson , and Zeppelins were not Led.

And Beatles lived in gardens then, and Monkees lived in trees,
Madonna was Mary in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We'd never heard of microwaves, or telephones in cars,
And babies might be bottle-fed, but they were not grown in jars.

And pumping iron got wrinkles out, and 'gay' meant fancy-free,
And dorms were never co-Ed in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We hadn't seen enough of jets to talk about the lag,
And microchips were what was left at the bottom of the bag.

And hardware was a box of nails, and bytes came from a flea,
And rocket ships were fiction in the Land That Made Me, Me.

Buicks came with portholes, and side shows came with freaks,
And bathing suits came big enough to cover both your cheeks.

And Coke came just in bottles, and skirts below the knee,
And Castro came to power near the Land That Made Me, Me.

We had no Crest with Fluoride, we had no Hill Street Blues,
We had no patterned pantyhose or Lipton herbal tea
Or prime-time ads for those dysfunctions in the Land That Made Me, Me.

There were no golden arches, no Perrier to chill,
And fish were not called Wanda, and cats were not called Bill

And middle-aged was 35 and old was forty-three,
And ancient were our parents in the Land That Made Me, Me.

But all things have a season, or so we've heard them say,
And now instead of Maybelline we swear by Retin-A.
They send us invitations to join AARP,
We've come a long way, baby, from the Land That Made Me, Me.

So now we face a brave new world in slightly larger jeans,
And wonder why they're using smaller print in magazines.
And we tell our children's children of the way it used to be,
Long ago and far away in the Land That Made Me, Me.

Friday, July 1, 2011

The Riley Factor #102

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
June 17 2011, Issue No. 101
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Riley -- We are experimenting with allowing Riley outside with us, untethered by leash or other tie-down. He is about a C+/B- student. Some days, Riley will stay within 50 yards of Susan for hours when Susan is out in the greenhouse or gardens, without wandering away at all. Other days, he runs immediately into the pasture to chase chickens or guinea fowl back and forth, following the menace he secretly hides deep within his golden dog brain. Overall though, he is making progress and behaving fairly well.... To be continued.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish -- The Pond Experiment -- A little over a year ago, we put four dozen carp (think gold fish, 3-6" long) into the lower pond. Most of the fish were orange, with a few being silver with orange and black spots, and one fish was totally black. We did not see much of them swimming last summer and fall, but also didn't see any floaters or escapees. The pond is about 100 feet in diameter and 12 feet deep at the center, so they can tend to get lost. Well, we now see hundreds of one to two inch long fish swimming about, mostly black, with some orange, and also some black and orange or black and silver. And many of the original big fish are also still swimming around. It is peaceful to sit by the pond in early morning or early evening and toss pond fish food into the water to see the feeding frenzy. The Riley loves to swim around when they fish are feeding, and they don't mind him much.

Planting and Plowing -- The last of the planting was done on June 6, with the final few rows of sweet corn going into the ground in the greenhouse garden. The corn is already growing, and a few small tomatoes, cucumber and squash are showing. The potato plants are looming large, hopefully developing subterranean crops.

Horses -- In the great heat, Lady and Rio are inclined to remain in their stalls all day. They do consume large quantities of water, sometimes 10 gallons per day each in the barn, in addition to what they gulp from Rock Creek. When pasturing, horses and cattle get 70% of their fluid needs satisfied from eating grass.

Herd of Three -- The cattle are content, with much mooing. On one day of pouring rain, the herd got caught on the other side of Rock Creek. All day, they ate grass while being rained on -- leather coats were shrunk to fit.

Mowings, Musings and the Woods -- Deer sightings are everywhere these days, mostly does with their recently born fawns. One day, Susan came across a mother leading her newborn fawn out in the trails -- the fawn was so small that it first appeared to be a rabbit, but was really the smallest deer she has ever seen, with legs only about six inches long. The next day, The Riley locked his radar onto a large doe and chased her back and forth around the trails. Both were running about half speed, not really wanting to run away or catch anything. On our way to Amsterdam one day in the pouring rain, on three separate occasions miles apart, we saw beaver waddling next to or crossing route 5S -- very peculiar-looking creatures, complete with buck teeth and wide flat tails.

Fowl Weather -- The French Guinea Fowl apparently learn nothing from seeing their brethren run down by speed demons on route 163. Of the original batch of 16 chicks that arrived in April 2010, only three remain. The past couple of weeks have been especially bad, with four of the Keets being hit by traffic. I fear that the remaining trio should be placed on our endangered species list.

Visitors -- One for the record books >>> With her last appearance in Fort Plain, Stevie has visited us here in Middle-of-Nowhere every month for a year straight. And she says in a recent e-mail, "I'm riding one horse next time I come up! Be prepared!"

Blog -- The Riley Factor has its own official blog site, 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.)

Best Lines --

     Best headline this week following Boston Bruins' Stanley Cup victory, after a 39-year hiatus from the team's last hockey championship in 1972 >>> "Out of Hibernation"

     Best headline, from the New York Post, following President Obama's harsh criticism of NY Congressman Anthony Weiner's photo sexting >>> "Obama Beats Weiner"
     Best new opening pick-up line, from movie Hall Pass >>> "Do these bar napkins smell like chloroform to you? ... Just kidding. Can buy you a drink?"

Quotes of the Month --

     Any success I have ever had has come form working hard. -- Tim Thomas, goalie, Boston Bruins

     Blessed are the cheese-makers. -- Monte Python

     Job creation on main street has collapsed. -- National Federation of Independent Businesses, June 3, 2011

     Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. -- Thomas Edison

     You cannot trust Chinese companies. You cannot build a small or large fortune in China without committing high crimes and misdemeanors. That is their way of life. That is why China is doomed to fail. -- Gordon Chang, Author

     China is a totally corrupt country, to which we have given a pass due to its economic might. -- Doug Schoen
     You did not bear the shame. You resisted. You bestowed an eternally vigilant symbol of change by sacrificing your impassioned lives for freedom, justice and honor. -- Memorial to the German Resistance, Berlin

     Unnecessarily restrictive gun control laws empower bungling bureaucrats, and make it harder for law abiding citizens to access guns to defend against criminals. -- Robert Farago

     Nothing is so healing as the human touch. -- in 2005, final words of Bobby Fischer, former world chess champion
Facts of the Month --

     25% of the world's food supply is lost to spoilage.

     Jobs lost during the Obama Administration: 2.5 million. Jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007: 6.8 million.

     More people access the Internet now by smart phone than by PC. -- John Reed, CEO, Robert Half Technology

Commentary of the Month --

The High Cost of Cheap Meat

Published: June 2, 2011, New York Times

The point of factory farming is cheap meat, made possible by confining large numbers of animals in small spaces. Perhaps the greatest hidden cost is its potential effect on human health.
Small doses of antibiotics — too small to kill bacteria — are fed to factory farm animals as part of their regular diet to promote growth and offset the risks of overcrowding. What factory farms are really raising is antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which means that several classes of antibiotics no longer work the way they should in humans. We pay for cheap meat by sacrificing some of the most important drugs ever developed.
Last week, the Natural Resources Defense Council, joined by other advocacy groups, sued the Food and Drug Administration to compel it to end the nontherapeutic use of penicillin and tetracycline in farm animals. Veterinarians would still be able to treat sick animals with these drugs but could not routinely add the drugs to their diets.
For years, the F.D.A. has had the scientific studies and the authority to ban these drugs. But it has always bowed to pressure from the pharmaceutical and farm lobbies, despite the well-founded objections of groups like the American Medical Association and the World Health Organization, which support an antibiotic ban.
It is time for the F.D.A. to stop corporate factory farms from squandering valuable drugs just to promote growth among animals confined in conditions that inherently create the risk of disease. According to recent estimates, 70 percent of the antibiotics sold in this country end up in farm animals. The F.D.A. can change that by honoring its own scientific conclusions and its statutory obligation to end its approval of unsafe drug uses.

Friday, June 17, 2011

The Riley Factor #101

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
June 17 2011, Issue No. 101
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

The High Cost of Cheap Meat

Published: June 2, 2011, New York Times

Thursday, June 2, 2011

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.

Monday, May 23, 2011

The Riley Factor #99

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
May 23, 2011, Issue No. 99
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Riley -- Riley has developed a phobia of Amish men and boys wearing the traditional black suits and straw hats. He barks, whines and hides behind one of us when they enter the yard or house. After a few minutes, he returns to normal, such as is 'normal' in Riley-World. Riley has made two new friends, Jesse Kanagy and his nephew seven-year-old Kevin, both of whom love to take Riley on walks (in Kevin's case, Riley walks Kevin, who weighs about half of what Riley weighs, pulling him all around the yard).

Planting and Plowing -- Planting and plowing have been halted due to rain. After 10 straight days of sun and 70-degree temps, we experienced a solid week of gray skies and rain. When the precipitation lightens a bit, we will take a canoe out to the fields and see if anything is growing. Susan reports hearing rumors that the barley is growing big.

Horses -- On May 18, we took our first rides on Rio and Lady. Susan had ridden dozens of times as a child and looked completely at ease on Lady's back. I had never been on a horse before mounting Rio, and was completely ill-at-ease. When I was 3 minutes into my riding career, Rio walked over to peer into his stall from the outside. Lady apparently liked the idea and walked up behind Rio to get to her stall. Rio startled, jogged a bit toward the chicken coop and ran into the 6-foot chain-link fence. Apparently this was an unexpected obstacle. Rio turned right. Lady bumped him from behind. Rio BOLTED up the hill pass the well, where he slipped a bit in the mud, which caused him to BOLT faster and farther. Now he was running (I suppose I should be using some special equine term, such as "paced", or "trotted", or "cantered", but I was too busy hanging on saving my considerable ass to think in terms of all that horse-people language.) I finally got him to slow down near the main gate. Good thing I held the saddle horn fast. Or I could have been left behind. (Rio does respond instantly to the reins and WHOA command. So far. And he is not a big fan of a rider screaming wildly.)

Last Saturday night, we went out to dinner, and left the upper stall doors open so the horses and steers could enjoy the warm evening weather. When we returned at 9:15PM, Rio was out in the pasture grazing. He has figured out how to open the latch on his stall and let himself out. I checked - he has not grown opposable thumbs. No damage was done, and the latch was completely closed when we left for dinner. Lady, apparently not as clever, was dancing about in her stall wanting also to go out. In the end, Susan let Lady and the Herd of Three out into the pasture for the overnight. In the morning, all five looked hungover.

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 --

     You know, this used to be a hell of a good country. Can't understand what's gone wrong with it. -- Jack Nicholson to Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider, 1970

Fact of the Month --

     From 2000-2009, the average private sector job saw wages increase 29%, while the average unionized government job worker wages increased 89%. And all this while the country saw the unemployment rate rise to nearly 10% and remain at nearly 9% -- an unemployment that is completely within the private sector, while government workers see almost zero unemployment. -- Matt McCall, FOX NEWS Channel

Commentary of the Month --

     Vic Ketchum recently ranked the NFL's top 15 quarterbacks. Notable inclusions were no. 12. Mark Sanchez, 11. Eli Manning, 8. Michael Vick, 7. Matt Ryan, 6. Drew Brees, 5. Philip Rivers, 4. Ben Roethlisberger, 3. Peyton Manning, 2. Tom Brady and the No. 1 quarterback in the NFL ... Aaron Rodgers.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Riley Factor #98

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
May 17, 2011, Issue No. 98
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Riley -- As wired and happy as always. When he meets new visitors, he is beside himself with excitement, jumping up, running in circles, even barking at times (barking is a Riley rarity). He is getting very comfortable riding in the front passenger seat of the pick-up -- looks like he's been there his whole life. When we leave him in the vehicle, even if only for a minute, when we return, he is always sitting in the driver's seat. Fortunately, he has neither a driver's license nor feet long enough to reach the pedals. (And the whole lack-of-opposable-thumbs thing makes starting the ignition a tough task for Riley. Plus, he has no pockets to carry the keys in.)

Planting and Plowing -- Lately, much has gone into the ground. Only cold-loving vegetable plants outside (spinach, broccoli, onions, cauliflower, potatoes). Inside the greenhouse, the tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, melons, peppers, squash and various herbs started from seed await their fate to be transplanted. Susan also put-in a wide selection of green beans, navy beans, kidney beans and lima beans, outside near the greenhouse. Out in the fields, we have about five acres of hard red winter wheat and semolina planted from last fall (most wheat is planted in the fall and harvested mid-summer the next year). Also, on May 11, we planted two acres of oats, and expect to plant another two acres soon. And, we put-in a small patch (less than a quarter acre) of barley. Only corn planting remains for this year's field crops, plus the final few vegetables in the garden.

Horses -- Rio longed for the return of Lady, while she was sway being trained. Fortunately, she took to being ridden very well, and returned on May 16, after being away for only a month. At the King Farm in Danube, Lady shared a new small barn with four stablemates, including two other Morgans, one of which was a yearling. They had a view of the pasture where the dozen working mules called home when not hitched to a wagon or some farming implement. Trainer Chris King rode her almost every day, usually on saddle but occasionally bareback. We visited her once or twice a week. Now, she is back in our pasture with Rio and the bovines.

The Herd of Three -- A new favorite snack of Eli, Michael and Raph is grass cut from the lawn. As soon as a mower starts-up, the Herd comes running and mooing for the grass buffet. Susan routinely accommodates, at the expense of adding grass cuttings to the soil in the garden beds. One experiment that went terribly awry was letting the steer out the lower gate to munch the longer grass, untethered and unconstrained by fencing. "I thought they were trustworthy", commented Susan the CEO. I retorted, "Those little bastards will run for the hills". Needless to say, we spent the afternoon wandering the south woods and trails first locating and then coaxing each half-ton-plus behemoth back through the gate. At days end, Susan summed it up, "Well, we had our first rodeo." "Yeah", I said, "but the steers took home all the trophies."

Fowl Weather -- The chickens are hitting their stride laying eggs, producing almost three dozen per day. The two roosters constantly chase the hens seeking to mate. Best pick-up line overheard to date is ... "I say, I say, hey you cute chick, haven't I seen you here before? Of course, I could be wrong since all you hens look the same." We now have 35 laying hens, and they set a record on May 9, leaving 40 eggs. On the dark side, we have a weasel that has tunneled into the barn, killing five of the chickens over a three night period. Weasels are nefarious ... one as small as four ounces can kill an animal weighing four pounds. More to follow on this topic.

Mowings, Musings and The Woods -- On a recent sunny day ride over to horse trainer Chris King's to visit Lady, we saw a wind farm on the northern horizon across the NYS Thruway and Erie Canal. We saw more wind mills than we have ever seen before, here in the east. As I sped along Clark Road in Herkimer County (all the back roads in NY have 55 mph speed limits), Susan counted 45 of the giant spinners. It is fairly common here in upstate NY to see from one to dozen commercial wind mills in a grouping, usually atop some hill or small mountain.

Visitors -- CJ and a friend spent the May 13-15 weekend here in Middle-of-Nowhere. We went to Robert Hancock's auction at Glimmerglass Pools, where they were selling everything from a 12'x24' log cabin to a circa 1900 lower half ladies lingerie form. Susan bought a table and a couple of crocks, while CJ's friend bought an old sled.

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 is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on , or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States when men were free. -- Ronald Reagan

     The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that the buck stops here. Instead, 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. Americans deserve better. -- Sen. Barack Obama, March 20, 2006

     It remains to be seen whether Barack Obama will be a worse president than Jimmy Carter. -- Michael Reagan

     Working is fine for killing time, but a shaky way to make a living. -- Brett Maverick

Fact of the Month --

   We have reached the tipping point - Now, more than 50% of all American households pay absolutely no federal income tax. -- The Wall Street Journal (51% pay no tax, according to a just-completed Congressional study of 2009 income tax returns)

     The 15 highest-taxed counties in the United States are located in ... New York State, north of New York City.

     The world is currently burning four barrels of oil for every one barrel of oil that is being discovered.

     20% of working-age men in America do not work at all (the highest percentage for any country in the developed world). 8.2 million Americans receive payments for being on permanent disability.

Commentary of the Month --

555 PEOPLE by Charlie Reese, in the Orlando Sentinel

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, Why do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, Why do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 555 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 555 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who was the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She was the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 555 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 555 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 555 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan. If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 555 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 555 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Monday, May 2, 2011

The Riley Factor #97

The Riley Factor Fort Plain, NY
May 1, 2011, Issue No. 97
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Auction Season -- This year's spring auction season ended on April 30 with the annual Armitstead Farm Equipment auction, held a mile from our house in Canajoharie, at the intersection of Clinton Road and Cherry Valley Road. Perfect weather for the thousand or so attendees. You could buy anything at the auction from a large tractor or hay wagon to a lot of 400 pairs of tweezers or a lot of five gallon buckets filled with empty coffee cans. Who on earth accumulates this stuff and then brings it to auctions ... one of life's great mysteries. We saw many folks we know and bought only a couple of small items.   A great day of relaxation.

Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy. And Cattle -- First, a brief primer on "cows". Although we all call cows, well cows, in fact, the proper generic term for these dairy or beef bovines is "cattle". A "cow" is a female that has borne at least one calf. A "calf" is of either gender, less than one year old. Male bovines are "bulls" and neutered males are "steers". A female over a year old that has not delivered a calf is called a "heifer". Why all this tutorial? Because Susan just bought a heifer, named Lily, from our friend Bradley Chadwick. Lily is a two-year-old Jersey (the iconic white and black patched breed) and will be artificially inseminated (AI) in July. There will be no video. We plan to take possession of Lily in August, and watch her pregnancy "blossom". Nine months down the road, sometime next April of so, the plan is for Lily to deliver a calf. At that time, Lily will become a dairy cow, producing milk for many months, and we will also have a heifer calf or a bull calf. No doubt, more to come.

Visitors -- Stevie was the most recent visitor to Middle-of-Nowhere, on April 19-20, and Susan spent a long Easter weekend in Hopkinton.

Planting and Plowing -- Rains have come and finally gone, with enough falling to jump start the growing season. Here in Middle-of-Nowhere, this spring has been a wet one, delaying any field plowing or planting. Around town, many a mud-stuck farmer's tractor has needed to be rescued by another bigger better tractor and pulled-out of the mud field to stand and wait for better times. Even Lloyd across the street, a 50+ year farmer, buried his new Kubota mower to the axles in his front lawn. Our greenhouse is in operation with a few hundred seedlings springing-up in pots and trays, having been meticulously planted seed-by-seed and watered by Susan, in anticipation of being transferred outdoors into the ground beginning about June 1, comfortably after the likely last hard frost of the year. Currently leading the field in the indoor growing competition are tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, eggplants, peppers, squash and melons.

Riley -- On April 20, The Riley took his first big swim of the year, with his new best friend, Bruin, Stevie & Scott's Black Lab/Bluetick Coonhound/Beagle Mix. Riley paddled his way around the lower pond, staying within 5 feet or so of the shore, while six-month-old Bruin was petrified of the water and had to be tossed-in several times by Stevie to prove that he wouldn't sink (which he didn't). A week later at the pond, Susan and friend Annie saw dozens of newly born goldfish/carp swimming in the shallow waters, along with their six-inch long parents who were standing (swimming) watch.

Horses -- Lady is still away on holiday, not yet back from her month-long experience being trained to ride under saddle. She is calmer than ever and "very sweet", according to CEO Susan.

The Herd of Three -- Becoming more vocal, mooing their little (well, actually fairly large, no doubt) hearts out. Normally, they are seeking guess what? Yeah, more food -- hay or grain will do. Lately, in the wet weather, they have preferred to stay in the barn and be hand-fed by Susan. One day, when the sun had miraculously shown itself after yet another rain-soaking night and morning, we went to the barn to let the herd outside for the afternoon, and found the trio napping in their stall and not interested even in standing to see the great outdoors. Actually, Raphael was sound asleep on his feet, standing next to one wall, eyes wide shut.

Fowl Weather -- Alack and alas, we decided that the Narragansett Heritage Turkeys were not destined to successfully breed here at Rock Creek Farm, so we decided to butcher the final five hens for Easter and other spring events. The flock of French Guinea Fowl is down to seven in number, having lost one of that flock to a speeding pick-up truck on Cherry Valley Road, and a second Keet who seems to have just wandered away.

Mowings, Musings and The Woods -- Now that the drying-out has begun, it is time to cut-up and move those last half dozen large trees that were cut down last fall for use as firewood. They are lying across some of the trails, which makes dealing with them soon more important. The woods really does need some opening-up, and this is a good start. About 20 large chestnut trees, a large pine or two, a couple of maples, a couple of oaks and 50 or so medium-sized beech trees were taken down last fall, all on the edge of the woods and fairly close to the north side of fields 3 and 4. The beeches and some of the other wood were cut, split, stacked and burned over the winter.

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.)

Tales from Back in the Day -- On April 26, the pick-up gas gauge read 1/2, so I stopped at Valero for a taste of diesel at $4.359 per gallon. $76.20 and I was all set with 17.5 gallons, exactly half of the 35-gallon tank. Yes, that extrapolates to over $150.00 for a tank of gas. And in a related story ... Summers when I was in college and worked two jobs -- Riverside Park and Agawam Park & Recreation -- for 65 hours work over all 7 days per week, my total weekly gross wages were $130.00. Progress. And inflation.

Quotes of the Month --

     It is finished. -- Jesus, on a Friday afternoon, while hanging on a cross almost 2,000 years ago; his final words

     America's reputation in the world has not been this weak since the days of Jimmy Carter in the 1970s. -- Stuart Varney, FOX Business Channel

     President Obama has the arrogance of a third world dictator. It is not helpful to the United States. -- Allen West, U.S. Congressman, Republican, Florida

     A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore. -- Yogi Berra

     Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. -- Arthur C. Clark

     God helps those who help themselves. -- Ben Franklin

Facts of the Month --

     When Obama was elected in November 2009, the average retail price of a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline was $1.88 per gallon. At that time, Obama stated, "Of necessity, energy prices are going to sky-rocket." As of April 20, 2011, the average retail price of gasoline was $3.98, an increase of over $2.00 per gallon. -- FOX News Channel

     In the past one year, as of April 21, 2011, the price of gold has risen 30% to $1,506.00 per ounce, while silver has increased in price 146%, to $46.10 per ounce. Bank interest rates are near all-time lows, with the average savings account paying only 0.25% interest per year to depositors. -- FOX Business Channel

   On Gardening -- Most vegetable plants in a garden prefer require a minimum of six hours of full sunlight per day to produce healthy crops, and prefer 6-8 hours. Even in a small home garden, crops/plants should be rotated at least every two years -- rotating annually on a four-year schedule is best.   And, over-watering damages more garden crops than under-watering.

     Oil production in the United States has declined 45% in the last 20 years.

     Ninety percent of blind people in the world live in poor areas of developing countries. Eighty percent of them could see again if they had adequate eye-care services.

     And last, and least, here is the dreaded Body Mass Index (BMI) calculation.

       The formula: (703 times weight in pounds) divided by (height in inches squared)
       Example: 200-lb. person, height 5'10" >>> (703 x 200) / (70 x 70) = 140,600 / 4,900 = 28.7

       Now for the dreaded interpreting-the-results table ...        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention BMI Categories       BMI                Weight Status
         Below 18.5      Underweight
         18.5 - 24.9       Normal
         25.0 - 29.9       Overweight
         30.0 - 40.0 Obese
         Above 40.0       Extremely obese
         Definitions apply to all adult men and women. Oh boy ... please pass the celery.