THE CALIFORNIA FARMER

I found this poem in the "papers" left by my Great-Great Grandfather The Rev. Johnson: I did a quick google search and didn't find anyone else to credit this poem to. So governor Schwarzenegger pay attention..

The California farmer gets up at the alarm of a Connecticut clock; buttons his Chicago suspenders to Detroit overalls, washes his face with Cincinnati soap in a Pennsylvania basin, wipes on a Rhode Island towel, sits up to a Grand Rapids table, eats Kansas City meat and Minneapolis flour with Idaho potatoes cooked with Indiana lard on a St. Louis stove, burning Wyoming fuel.

He puts a New York bridle on a Colorado broncho fed on Iowa corn; plows five acres of land,(covered with Ohio mortage) with a Chatanooga plow. When bedtime comes, he reads a chapter from the Bible printed in Boston; says a prayer written in Jerusalem; crawls under a blanket made in New Jersey; only to be kept awake by fleas,-- the only product of his home state.

(Poem probably circa 1945 just a guess)

WHAT IS DIFFERENT TODAY: THE FLEAS CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE IN CALIFORNIA, ALL MORTAGES ARE (TOXIC) ,AND EVERYTHING IS MADE IN CHINA.

JOE TODD

Some See a Rat in the Year of the Ox For Investors Seeking Advice

THE BEAN TOOT REPORT

Apparently Obama feels we CAN handle the truth - this has not been tried by a US president since Carter told us we should learn to conserve energy and wear sweaters indoors - that did not go well for him

Obama Warns of 'Lost Decade'

"The incoming U.S. president and [Treasury] secretary were both born in the Year of the Ox," said one client. "Is that a problem?"
Mr. Yeo's answer: Yes. The pair of oxen in charge of the U.S. economy could be an accident waiting to happen. Hold out until after January 2010 before investing in the U.S., he advised.
Forget your broker. Here in Hong Kong, when a feng shui master talks, people listen.
He's negative on the U.S. for now. President Barack Obama, he said, may want to consider wearing the emblem of a rat to balance the traditional misfortune of being an ox in the Year of the Ox. "Maybe someone should present him with a Mickey Mouse hat,"

Mr. Yeo said. He told his audience to watch out for a "financial terrorist attack"

Poem: Invictus

Invictus
by William Ernest Henley; 1849-1903
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul. (taking responsibility for one’s destiny by William Ernest Henley)

I remember the day just like it was yesterday. I was in the tenth grade and for extra credit we could memorize and recite "poems". I chose Invictus, For many many many years I used this poem as my "mantra for life" . Then , one day I had a moment of clarity, an insight. I had been beaten in the game of life and hadn't died (close though). I became willing to rely on a God of my "no" understanding for direction. So, how do I look at this poem today? First, I am not covered by night I live in the sunshine. I believe there is just one God but he/she/or whatever has a lot of names. "Fell clutch of circumstance" is just life on lifes terms. I have winced and cried aloud. As a matter of fact crying is a "good thing". Today my head isn't bloody but it is bowed with gratitude. Today, life isn't a place of wrath and tears but a place to be of service to my fellow man. Death ,probably not such a bad deal., after all don't caterpillars turn into butterflies. All the years I used this poem as a "manta" I was scared to death. Today I am not. Today I know I am not master of my fate nor am "I" captain of my soul. What "I" must do is rightlly align my will with God's will and let him be both master and captain. In doing this I have found, for me, life is good and I have the promise; "everything is going to be ok".

Paradise

Well, it is February and Todd starts thinking of his garden (although he is pretty stingy with his produce), I start getting wanderlust. My favorite place, or paradise, I should say is the Dominican Republic. My husband and I go to Punta Cana where you will find the most pristine beach in the world. We stay at different resorts which are all-inclusive, and we relax on the beach, eat, read, listen to live Caribbean music, enjoy the hospitality of the Dominicans, and rejuvenate after a long, long winter. My three favorite sites are Tripadvisor, Debbie's Dominican, and Doylestown Travel where I, usually, get my best deals. I am thinking of going this year about mid June as a retirement/25th anniversary trip.

ONE OF THREE PEACH TREES IN (BACK YARD GARDEN)

I AM READY FOR SPRING, FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES TO EAT ( OH MY ). IN THE SPRING OF 2008 MY WIFE AND I ROTO-TILLED our ENTIRE BACK YARD . WE DON’T HAVE A LARGE YARD , ABOUT 80FT BY 100FT. WE FEEL IT IS JUST ABOUT THE RIGHT SIZE FOR A VEGETABLE GARDEN. OUR SIDE YARDS CONSIST OF FRUIT TREES, RED RASBERRIES AND AN ASPARAGUS BED.

TODAY WE RECEIVED OUR FIRST ORDER OF GARDEN SEEDS. THESE WE ORDERED FROM “HIGH MOWING SEEDS” http://www.highmowingseeds.com/ . FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED WE ARE GOING TO TRY:CRIMSON SPRINTER SLICING TOMATOES,PMR DELICIOUS 51 MELONS,PARTHENON F1 HYBRID ZUCCHINI,KING OF THE NORTH PEPPERS,BLUE LAKE POLE BEANS,MARKETMORE 76 CUCUMBERS, AND KESTREL F1 HYBRID BEETS TO START WITH.

LAST YEAR WE HAD OVER SIXTY TOMATO PLANTS AND, THEY ALL DID WELL. WE WILL PROBABLY HAVE ABOUT THE SAME THIS YEAR. I AM HOPING TO GROW SIX DIFFERENT VARIETIES (HEIRlOOM ). I NEED TO PICK 5 MORE VARIETIES AND GET THEM ORDERED. IF ANYONE OUT THERE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS DON’T BE BASHFUL, SPEAK UP.

MEDITATION

I WAS RECENTLY AT LECTURE WHERE A YOUNG WOMAN BY THE NAME OF KIMBERLY POSTULATED:::: LIFE WAS LIKE BEING ON A LIFE RAFT ADRIFT IN THE OCEAN. THE SEA IS RUFF (THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF LIFE). THE GOOD NEWS ; THERE IS A LIFEGUARD; GOD,BUDDHA,HIGHER POWER,NATURE,INFINITE BEING OF YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. THE BAD NEWS ; THE LIFE RAFT IS LEAKING. WHAT DOES ONE DO WITH A LEAKY LIFE RAFT? YOU PATCH IT. THE PATCH KIT OF LIFE IS HAVING THE WILLINGNESS TO REACH OUT AND ASK THE INFINITE BEING OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING FOR HELP AND GUIDANCE

ALL IN ALL I LIKE THIS ANALOGY AND WILL BE THINKING ABOUT IT FOR AWHILE. ANYWAY THANKS KIMBERLY FOR THIS INSIGHT...

"Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid; humans are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful beyond imagination." -- Albert Einstein