What Does the Fox Say?

One enjoyable attribute of living on a farm is that you get to see a lot of wildlife up close.  About a month ago we discovered there was a family of foxes living underneath / inside of a stack of irrigation pipe in the barnyard.  At times we would see an adult fox and a couple of pups run for cover as soon as they were spotted.  Then, as the pups got a little bigger the vixen would leave them to go out into the fields to find food.  While she was gone the pups would come out of the pipe and run around and play (the cutest thing on earth).  They would still run for cover as soon as they saw a human approaching, but if we were on a tractor or 4-wheeler we could get a lot closer than if we were on foot.  A couple weeks after we started seeing these foxes, we discovered how many there actually were.  At first, the most pups anyone had seen was 4.  Once they started getting a little more brave, we started seeing all 7 of them out at once.  That's 8 foxes living not just on the farm, but in the barnyard.

They are fun to watch.  Baby foxes behave just like puppies, chasing, wrestling, playing, and teasing each other.  Their agility is impressive.  They can climb to the top of the straw stack in about 3 seconds, run full speed and dive into an 8 inch pipe, and jump 4 to 5 feet straight up in the air from a standing position.

These foxes have managed to reduce the population of wild bunnies (who feast on our garden).  We have also seen evidence that they have eliminated a few rock-chucks.  That is where the benefit to their presence stops.  A few days ago, the vixen discovered our gopher traps out in the field.  We went out to check our traps, only to find an number of them had been pulled up and robbed of the gophers we had caught.  Even some of the traps that were not set off yet had been pulled out of the holes.  On June 13th they stole 4 gophers in one day.  Some of the traps also started to disappear altogether.  A couple of them we recovered just outside the gated pipe where they live, but 3 of our traps are still missing.  Also, we haven't seen our cat for about 2 weeks, and all of the ducklings on the irrigation pond are also missing.

On June 15th, the kids went out to check the live animal trap they set two days before to try and catch a bunny, and to their surprise the smallest of the fox pups had gotten caught instead!  Who knew they liked watermelon and carrots? The kids were as excited as when they see what Santa brings them on Christmas morning.

One boy wanted to keep the fox and train it so he can put it in the zoo he is putting together (that's why they were trying to catch a bunny.  So far their exhibits consist of a jar full of baby grasshoppers).  The other boy wanted to shoot it, because the foxes have stolen a lot of gophers, and they stole his trap that was staked into the ground.  The girls were just excited to see the baby fox up close.  It was about the size of a cat, although its long fluffy hair made it seem larger.  The kids ran up to tell the grandparents, who were dragged down to see the fox in person.  After admiring the sly creature for a while, Grandpa opened the door on the trap and released it.  The fox ran away about 50 feet, then stopped and looked back at the kids for almost a full minute.  Then it went back to its hiding place inside the irrigation pipe.  This action was not received well, because G. still wanted it for a pet, R. still wanted to shoot it, and the girls still wanted to look at it.

Foxes are cute, but we are hoping they will move away soon.  A pack of 8 grown foxes can pose a significant threat to livestock, pets, and other wildlife.    

Since we've been living in such close proximity to 8 foxes in the last month, my kids can now answer the question posed by the Ylvis song: "What Does the Fox Say?"  Foxes are actually pretty noisy.

The Most Dangerous Gun

Whether you love them or hate them, guns are a part of our lives in America.  Since before the founding of our country guns have been used to fight for freedom and progress and to defend against those who wish to take it away.  I am not going to advocate for or against firearms here.  My intent is to stress the importance of teaching gun safety.

Accidents involving firearms are nothing new.  In the days of the pioneers accidental injuries and deaths from guns were a regular occurrence.  A loaded rifle bouncing along in the back of a wagon bumps up against something and gets jarred in just the right way to cock and release the hammer, firing it off blindly into whatever unlucky thing was in its path.  Another thing that happened often was someone would grab and pull out a gun that was half buried in a wagon box.  The hammer would get hung up on something and when it was pulled free it would snap back into its uncocked position, firing the round in the barrel.  While the exact number of injuries and deaths by gun accidents on the Oregon and California Trails is unknown, we do know that like today, gun accidents happened much too often and many innocent people were hurt or killed that shouldn't have been.

Today, reports of gun accidents almost have a regular slot on the evening news.    If more adults and children would become knowledgeable on safe gun handling techniques, as well as where and how to safely store firearms in a home, the occurrence of these tragedies could be greatly reduced.

 We have had a few family meetings focused on gun safety.  Those meetings included discussion on handling firearms, parts of a gun, what to do if you find a gun, and more.  We even played a hide and seek game where I would hide a "gun" somewhere in the house, then they had to find it and demonstrate the proper procedure for what to do if you find a gun.  More recently, we have taken the family out to shoot at targets and do a little hands on learning with guns.

All of our safety discussions and training began with the following question: What is the most dangerous kind of gun?

Answer: An unloaded gun.

A staggering number of people are hurt or killed by guns thought to be 'unloaded' every year.  In recent years, my wife and I have both personally known people who have died from accidental shootings.  So, without exception, every gun is handled as if it is ready to fire.

I am not fanatical about guns, nor am I against them.  But, whether or not you own a gun, they will continue to be a part of the lives of Americans. It is important that we all know how to be safe around them.  Everyone can agree that the most effective way to be safe around guns is to know how to handle and behave around them. Safe gun handling prevents injuries and saves lives.

The Upcoming Struggle of American Agriculture

With the average age of the American farmer getting close to 60 years old, there is growing concern for the future of agriculture in the United States.  There are numerous theories as to why fewer young people are going into farming.  These theories range from young people having no interest in farming, to it being too difficult to make a living on a family farm.

There has never been a time where it was more exciting to be involved in agriculture.  Advances in technology and new farming techniques have made crop and livestock production more efficient than ever before.  The reason why young people are not getting into agriculture is because it is not financially possible.  A new farmer cannot get started without a significant financial investment.  The financial barriers to entry can be insurmountable.  The only young people who are earning a living on farms today have been given a leg up by their parents.  They are either taking over their family farm, expanding the family farm, or branching out on their own and utilizing resources from the family farm to get themselves started.

I am a 6^th generation farmer.  For a few years I did run my own farming operation, and because I was able to rent equipment from my parents, I did turn a profit.  As everyone knows, in 2008 the economy took a nosedive.  Not long after that the land I was leasing was sold and I was suddenly without anything to farm.  Since I was a child all I ever wanted was to be a farmer like my Dad and Grandpa.  In order to do that I got an accounting degree and have to work in town to save money so that someday I might be able to buy an acre or two to call my own.  Expert agriculture analysts say fewer young people have an interest in a career in farming, but the truth is that unless parents have an operation they can hand over to their children, there is no way for them to get started.  

Every millennial I know who farms for a living is either an employee working for their parents, or they are starting their own operation by using resources on their parents farms.  Since young people cannot afford to buy the required land and equipment needed to run a farm, the future of agriculture in the United States will continue to consolidate into large corporate operations.

Young farmers are out there looking for a chance to jump into the drivers seat of production agriculture.  All we need is an opportunity.

Snowed in Sunday

The snow continues to fall.  It measures 16 inches deep in our yard.  In a lot of places that much snow is no big deal, but around here that is a record.  The roads are terrible, school kids have had more than a week of snow days, and roofs all over the valley are collapsing under the weight of the snow.  Aside from that, the snow is great blessing.

The view from my office on Jan 4th

With many roads impassible and quite a few people unable to get out of their driveways, Sunday January 8th, 2017 was one of those rare days when church was cancelled.  Every ward in Southwest Idaho and Eastern Oregon was cancelled and people were advised to stay home.  Naturally, when I heard this I was a little excited.  Getting to stay home from church and not feeling guilty about it is something that almost never happens.  My kids had other ideas, though.  They love going to church and were disappointed we did not get to go.  As soon as we finished telling them that there would be no church meetings, G threw his hands up in the air and proclaimed:
"Let's have our own church meeting here!"

I should have expected that.

Sunday morning bright and early both boys prepared lessons and activities to do at our church meeting.  The meeting was even staged with a lectern and a pretend microphone.  Church started promptly at 9:00 am.  I was assigned to be the 'bishop' and conduct the meeting.  They had an opening song and prayer, then each of them taught their lessons.  After they were done, A had a few closing remarks for the meeting.  From start to finish the meeting took about 35 minutes.  Once it was over, we moved to the kitchen and did the activities that had been prepared.  It actually turned out to be pretty fun.

G leading the opening hymn, accompanied by R

R using visuals during his lesson

G teaching his lesson

A giving her 'closing remarks'

This turned out to be a lesson for the parents, taught by the kids.  Church may get cancelled, but the spiritual experiences that occur on Sundays don't have to be.  In this meeting organized by children, the spirit was strong, their lessons were great, and the joy and excitement that radiated from them was contagious.  It is easy to see why religious texts call for followers of Christ to have the faith of a child.  Their faith is simple, honest, and pure.

2016: Good Year, or Bad Year......What's Your Perspective?

With Christmas now over, it is time for social media become flooded with posts, memes, and tweets about how horrible the year has been.  The funny thing about this is that it's always the same people saying these things.  If all of what they say is true, their lives have really stunk for the last 6 or 7 years now.

Whether or not 2016 was a good year is all about your perspective and attitude.  Plenty of bad things happened to me and my family this year.  The worst thing being that my one of my Grandfathers passed away.  However, we have tried to make a habit of focusing on the positive.

That being said, my family had a great year!  We are all healthy, we only had to make one visit to the ER, and we got to go on a short vacation and see my Grandpa about 2 weeks before he passed away.  The kids caught more than 200 gophers, sold 300+ dozen ears of corn, raised and sold some calves, and put some money in their bank accounts.  We also had an awesome Christmas and have been having a lot of fun sledding in the abundance of snow that keeps falling.

Fun in the snow

Playing with Uncle W

She's only 2, but she is the master of the bumper cars

Riding the teacups at Lagoon

Preparing to mutton bust

First gopher of the year

Our corn salesmen hard at work

Counting the money from selling corn

After the work is done, then we have some fun

Sure it sounds more dramatic on Facebook to share all your problems and swear off the current year while you publicly welcome the next with open arms.  But, if we all make an effort to focus more on the positive, the world will be a happier place.

So whatever happened during your 2016, remember the good things and look forward to what may come next.

Happy New Year!

Giving Out 'Labels'

As a former child who is now a parent, I have made the following observation: children become what they are told they are.  We have to be very careful, because giving a child a label can be very encouraging or very damaging to them.  If a child is praised and told they are pretty, smart, and intelligent; they will become prettier, smarter, and even more intelligent.  If they are told they are mean, a bully, or falling behind academically, guess what?  They become those things, too.



If any human being, regardless of age, is told something enough times, to them it will become true.  For example:  I have a son in the first grade.  On the very first day of the school year his teacher started off by sharing a 'secret' and giving the entire class a label.  She told them that she only got the best students in her class.  The only kids allowed in her class were the smartest, kindest, and brightest students in the school.  I would have loved to see all their faces when they found this out.  From that point on, Mrs. C had the smartest, kindest, and brightest kids in the school, and it shows.  We are halfway through the school year and a large portion of the class has already exceeded the end of year benchmark for reading. At parent teacher conferences she told my wife and I that she has not had to discipline any of her students, and has not had any of the fighting, teasing, or gossiping among her kids that usually accompanies school age children as they learn how to interact with each other.   HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

It all happened because she gave them a label, and the kids became what they were told they already were. Positive labels can have fantastic results.  Negative labels, however, can have an equally significant effect, but in the opposite direction.

Now consider this example:
(disclaimer: *bullying does happen and is an important issue in our schools and communities*)
There is a first grade girl (at a different school than where my son attends) who comes from a broken home, is not well cared for by either of her parents, and doesn't get the amount of attention that a child needs.  It is clear that this may be the root cause of her social issues.  She has made friends with the other girls in her class, but not long ago began treating them the same way she gets treated at home, and that's a problem.



There is one girl in particular that is getting the brunt of her unkindness.  This girl is very sweet but does not know how to deal with someone who is unkind.  The 'mean' girl insults her and makes fun of her frequently.  This causes the nice girl to go home in tears often and she now dreads going to school.  The nice girl's parents are working with the teacher to figure out how to deal with this 'bully' and restore the nice girl's love for school and learning.  Unfortunately, this girl with a rough home life was just labeled a bully.  Is giving someone a negative label, then trying to 'peel' it off the appropriate way to deal with this problem?

Can a first grade child who is still learning how to behave in public and how to interact with other children their age legitimately be labeled a 'bully'?  In some cases, maybe, but in most cases, absolutely not.  Six year old children mimic the behavior shown to them.  Just from the behavior shown by this mean girl, a person can make a pretty accurate guess as to what her home life is like.

The solution to this problem with the mean girl is not for her to be given a permanent seat in detention or to be suspended or expelled from first grade.  The solution is for the nice girl to continue being nice to the mean girl, and to distance herself from her.  If more students in the class would show unconditional kindness to this girl, she would eventually follow the examples of her peers, even if her home life does not improve.

Bullying is a difficult issue.  The reason is because there is no clear definition of what is and what is not considered bullying.  Most people would agree that saying or doing mean things with the intent to harm someone is bullying.  However, there are a lot of gray areas.  Is saying something unkind bullying?  Is passionately expressing one's opinion for or against something being a bully to those who feel differently?  When it comes to these gray areas, bullying is in the eye of those who feel bullied.

As we interact with children, whether they belong to us or someone else, may we all be more aware of our words and our actions so we do not give a child a negative label that may never peel off.

Celebrating for the Best Reason

In the fall of every year the St Alphonsus Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hosts a harvest party for all the NICU 'graduates'.  The NICU 'grads' are the kids who have successfully made it out of the NICU and are now growing and thriving because of the treatment, care, and in a lot of cases the literal miracles they received while in the NICU.  We are proud to have one of those NICU miracles in our family.

R spent his first week of life in the NICU.  After 7 days of medical procedures, restless days and nights, waiting, praying, hoping, and dealing with a situation far more stressful and difficult than people would ever think, we finally got to take our little guy home.

Sporting his new NICU shirt

Shining a spotlight on the kids who most likely would not have survived were it not for the NICU, this party is a true reason to celebrate.  The hospital staff is so excited to see some of the babies they worked on.  Their demeanor sets a fun and light hearted mood for the whole event.  There are carnival style games to play, prizes to win, refreshments, face painting, cookie decorating, family photos, door prizes, and more, all free of charge.

Dancing on the stage, because no one can stand still when you hear the Village People

Face painting.  These teenage volunteers were terrible artists but they were trying so hard.

2 Ninja Turtles, a pig, and a duck eating some cookies they decorated.

Very few people know each other at the party, so it's a great place to meet new people and see other NICU miracles in person. The atmosphere at the party would best be described as one of pure joy.  Since all of the families there are on the other side of one of the most difficult times of their lives, all seem to have a connection with one another, and everyone is very happy.  

The people who dedicate themselves to working in the NICU, saving lives and helping strangers on a daily basis, surely deserve a special place in Heaven.

To see the news story on this event, click here