LJR Enterprises

From Wired Magazine

“First announced in 2004, the National Animal Identification System, or NAIS, is meant to allow regulators to track infected livestock on two million locations in the United States within 48 hours of an outbreak.”

Again, that would be within 48 hours of the discovery of an outbreak. The USDA is continually cutting back the number of animals it tests so is this really going to help anyone? I mean, other than the companies making the equipment that will be needed for people to comply with this program… obviously.

My present job, IT Director (please snicker), I no longer have much in the way of a morning routine. I check computer log files and make sure a couple of processes worked. I miss the morning processes that have been automated over the years. I think of this because I have set duties on the farm: feed and water the chickens, dogs and cats. I make the coffee and more often than not breakfast. I have a purpose. There is no ‘What’s next?’ until Meg gets her post breakfast walk around the pasture.
No doubt others may see these jobs as annoying or confining, confining in the sense they must be done. The restrictive nature of these jobs makes them pleasant and welcomed (also, George, the black and white cat, will gnaw off my right big toe if I don’t feed him wet food by 6am). Restrictions or rules allow for more creativity — see Shakespare and Keats.
Some times limitations allows for more freedom and joy. www.37signals.com has a blog targeting web designers and developers — they produce web applications. They preach the less is more approach to development. They are not only speaking of design but in business approaches as well. Do more with less money. Do more with fewer people. Unlimited amounts of money and people does not guarantee success. The White Sox won the 2005 World Series with a payroll much smaller than the Yankee’s. Microsoft hasn’t shipped the update to XP but Linux and the BSD operating systems (Open Source; i.e., free) have had numerous upgrades in the five or six years since XP debuted.

So I sit on the firm’s back stoop pondering what’s next and wishing I was leading Meg around the pasture. And as I walk her, I’ll watch the chickens peck around the barn and watch with amazement how much they’ve grown in a couple of months. And as I walk her, I will take note of the length of the grass, and decide whether or not to start mowing (that’s mowing almost four acres with a garden tractor with a 42″ deck — talk about your limitations). And as I walk her, I will imagine our first pasture fenced and holding goats and a couple of horses.

New animals, new duties.

I am sad to report that this is not our Kubota, but happy to report that because this Kubota and it’s owner paid us a visit today, I now have a HUGE garden area. Oh the things I could accomplish if I only owned a Kubota. Sigh…

The image above is from the fall of 2005.

Here I am on April 20, 2006 surveying my fine hog panel installation.

Last night Jack met the local wildlife. When I took him out for his “quick pee” walk he took off down the hill and met up with a skunk. I knew by the time I was within fifty feet of him that he’d been sprayed. The odor removal trick that worked for us was a lot of dish soap (the skunk spray is an oil and the dishwashing liquid cuts oils) and a vinegar and water rinse (I read that Massengill is a popular method for getting rid of the odor and I figured vinegar and water is the same thing, cheaper and happened to be available). I would have taken pictures but he was so pathetic I didn’t want to add insult to injury.