Family Farm Friday #10: Enough is Enough HSUS

"Who will stand up for agriculture?"

I like puppies. I like kittens. I do not like the way that the Humane Society of the United States ("HSUS") uses these cute little animals to pull at the heartstrings and wallets of Americans, only to use the donations that they receive not to support puppies and kittens, but to lobby against agriculture. Statistics show that 71% of Americans believe that HSUS is a parent corporation for local humane societies and shelters, and that HSUS uses donations to support local pet shelters hands-on efforts to care for puppies and kittens. This is simply not true!

Less than one half of one percent of the HSUS budget was related in any way to local humane society shelters. HSUS is not a parent or umbrella organization for these local shelters. This is really too bad---the money taken in by HSUS each year would allow the organization to fund animal shelters in every single state. Unfortunately, they operate none.

Instead, HSUS is a super-rich lobbying group. They are not lobbying for puppies or kittens either. They are lobbying against agriculture, specifically against animal agriculture. According to a website that tracks lobbying expenditures, "HSUS spends millions on programs that seek to economically cripple meat and dairy producers; eliminate the use of animals in biomedical research labs; phase out pet breeding, zoos, and circus animal acts; and demonize hunters as crazed lunatics." HSUS opposes all kinds of activities including dog breeding, conventional livestock and poultry farming, rodeos, circuses, horse racing, marine aquariums, and fur trapping.

Additionally, HSUS promotes vegitarian lifestyles and drums up false reports about the nutritional and health benefits and safety of beef. One of their primary goals is to decrease the consumption of meat in America. They have specifically declared warfare on farm animal production and even have an entire division dedicated to this issue.

Agriculturists have started to take notice---and have gone on the offensive. Recently, producers and other agricultural groups were up in arms over YellowTail wine's $100,000 donation to HSUS. Agriculture rallied and showed YellowTail that there were consequences to choosing to support an anti-agriculture organization. YellowTail soon responded. They have promised to make no future donations to HSUS, and further, they have pledged to ONLY support organizations that provide direct care to animals. The YellowTail people were confused, just like the 71% of Americans. A similar situation arose last week when an inaccurate report regarding Mary Kay found its way to agriculture. Mary Kay quickly corrected the report and explained that no donations were made to HSUS by the company. If you are interested in keeping up with this type of news....check out Humane Watch.org, a pro-agriculture organization that is keeping any eye on HSUS.

Agriculture is making a difference---we are doing exactly what we need to do to prevent this type of lobbying group from fighting against us using false pretenses and gaining support from unknowing citizens. Companies need to know that if you cross agriculture, there are consequences. We will speak up and we can make a difference!

So....if you want to make a donation to your local humane society or animal shelter to support housing homeless pets or spaying/neutering dogs and cats, please do so. It's a worthwhile cause that you can feel good about supporting. But be careful--don't let HSUS continue to take your money away from the local shelters trying to buy dog food and use it to attack American agriculture.

Enough is enough....and HSUS is starting to get that message!

Throwback Thursday #16: Trip of a Lifetime!

"I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” ~Mary Anne Hershey

Well, you have now been blogged through my entire European adventure. Before we left, my cousin Whitney kept referring to our vacation as the trip of a lifetime---she was right! I feel so blessed to have been at a place in my life where I had the time, money (and a free couch in Switzerland) and ability to spend 10 days in Europe. I feel more blessed to have been able to do this with my two cousins!

I've always thought I had the travel bug, but this trip confirmed that for me. Now that I was able to travel to Europe and see the different cities and cultures and people and scenery....I cannot wait to go back! There are so many other countries that I want to see, but to be honest, I think I would like to go right back to spend another week in a tiny village on the north shore of Lake Geneva. I have never been somewhere that seemed so perfect in my life.

So I leave you with some of my favorite pictures from the trip. I call them "Jumping my way across Europe." There would be more, but it took us a long time to get the timing right. :) That, and Cousin Swiss Mister and Cousin Whitney were horribly embarassed by my insistance that they snap these shots.

Stay tuned for next week.....I have to figure out where Throwback Thursday will be going now that the European Adventure chapter is over. I'm open to ideas and suggestions!

Surprise Millionaire

"For Cowboys, orange is more than just a color; it’s a way of life!" ~OSU Alumni Assocication

As a general rule, I don't blog about anything on my bucket list until I have completed the item. Today, I'm breaking that rule a little bit. One of the things on my list is to give back to Oklahoma State. I know I'm no T.Boone and won't ever have my name on the football stadium after donating $165 million dollars. But I am excited to get to the point in my life when I will be able to make a donation when the Ag college calls me seeking scholarship funds.

Apparently Grace Groner had the same feeling about her alma matter, Lake Forest College. Grace died in January. She was 100 years old. And to the surprise of everyone, she was a millionaire. Her estate, worth $7 million dollars, was left to her alma mater.

Grace wasn't your typical millionaire. She grew up in the Depression, and she learned to be frugal. The majority of her fortune was made by purchasing stock for $180 dollars in 1935. The majority of her fortune was kept because of her frugal ways. She didn't own a car--she walked. She bought her clothes at a rummage sale. She lived in a one bedroom house.

That's another reason I love her story. She reminds me so much of my grandmother and great uncles. They, too, were raised during the Great Depression. The effect that experience had on their lives, even some eight decades later, was profound. People of that generation were a different breed and I always love to hear stories about these people.

Grace must have had a great college experience. I understand her, and I'm looking forward to receiving my call from OSU and giving back myself, even if it is a small amount.

Pandora!

"You can take the girl out of the honkey tonk, but you can't take the honkey tonk out of the girl!" ~Brooks & Dunn

I miss Stillwater. For those of you who follow the blog, this is not breaking news. It is, after all, the happeist place one earth. I miss it for tons of reasons, not the least of which is that some of my best friends are still in Oklahoma and some of my best memories happened there. Another reason.....red dirt music. It's everywhere--concerts like Calf Fry, in the bars on the strip every weekend, on the radio, on everyone's ipods....

After three years living in the motherland of red dirt music, I am annoyed with mainstream country radio. Don't get me wrong, there are some songs and artists on mainstream radio I like just fine, but man, it's not red dirt! In Stillwater, there are several local stations the frequently play only red dirt. This is no surprise, as it is the happiest place on earth for a reason! I have missed that so much! I have a lot of this music on my ipod, but you get sick of the same songs over and over. Pandora is my answer!

Okay, it's totally possible that I've been living under a rock and that everyone else in America already knows about this....but I was excited! There is the best website, Pandora, that lets you put in an artist or a song you like....then it creates your own radio station! Just go to: http://www.pandora.com/.

So my first try, I enter Stoney LaRue. It creates for me my little "Stoney LaRue Radio" station. It starts off with him singing Oklahoma Breakdown, then I get tons of great songs after that by Cross Canadian, Randy Rogers Band, Casey Donahue, Cory Morrow, Roger Creger.....it was awesome! Day two has brought two additional stations....Old Crow Medicine Show and Ryan Bingham. So the day after discovering this genius invention, I had red dirt music playing (quietly, mind you) in my office all day, and I seriously had a great day! It's like automatic happy music! So, until I end up with my dream job at OSU and move back to Stillwater, the mecca of all good music, Pandora may be what keeps me sane!

My Dream Jobs!

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." ~Walt Disney

So I was thinking last week about dream jobs. Not the semi-realistic ones that I might actually be working towards......those aren't as exciting. Sure, I have goals about the things I'd like to be doing in 10 years or whatever, and I feel like I'm doing what I can to work toward those. But if we're blogging about true DREAM jobs.......I have three.

Back up singer for George Strait (current girl living my dream....Marty Slayton)

(Small problem....I can't sing. Surely if I could get this job, I'd learn!)

Sigh. I'm not even sure where to start. What I know, from the George Strait concert I attended a couple weeks ago, is that for two hours every night, this girl gets to stand directly behind George Strait and sing. Not only does she get to hang out with George Strait on the road every day, but she gets more than a front row seat at every concert, and must have the best view of any job in America. Shoot, in the world! Apparently she's an aspiring singer herself, and she went on Nashville Star. She didn't win.....so she went back on the road with George. Sounds like a win to me!

ESPN sideline reporter (current girl living my dream....Erin Andrews)

(Small problem....I'm not a 6' tall, size two, former college dance team member. Surely if I could get this job, they could airbrush, right?)

Every week during college football season, I watch Erin Andrews and wish I could be her. Seriously, she always gets to travel to the best games, ever week, and watch from the sidelines. Here's a little idea.... Talk about a dream come true for me! Just that would be enough, but she also gets to interview the coaches and the players, and she is always the first one with the breaking news about injuries or whatever else is going on. One of my best friends and I have talked before about how we think the best retirement would be to get motorhome and travel the country to all the best college football stadiums and games......Erin Andrews doesn't have to wait for retirement, she gets to do that right now, have better seats than we'll ever have, and get paid. It's just not fair! And....the worst. She's going on Dancing with the Stars. So if any of my readers know anyone at ESPN, tell them if they need a fill in while she's dancing, or someone who would be focused on SPORTS instead of that nonsense, to give me a call!

Host of my own show on the Travel Channel (girl currently living my dream... Samantha Brown)

(Small problem....I get terrible motion sickness when I do travel. Surely if I got this job, they can edit that out?!?)

As you have probably guessed from reading my blog, I have the travel bug. Really bad! I don't know where it came from really. My parents are not big travelers at all, and growing up we rarely went on trips. I didn't get to travel out of the US until I was in law school. Wherever it came from, I have it and I love the idea of traveling all around the world! On the Travel Channel, Samantha Brown gets paid to do exactly that--she goes to all the best places, coolest hotels, fanciest restaurants....all on the TC's dime. She gets paid to do what I dream about. WHY didn't I land this gig?? The idea that I could be paid to travel all over the world on someone else's dime....sigh. I feel that I may have missed my calling with this whole attorney thing!

So, I will probably, okay, definitely, never have any of these jobs. But a girl can dream, right??

Family Farm Friday #9: Thank You Campbells!

“Most people don’t realize that the American farm is one of our most precious national resources. As a singer, I travel the world and experience new and exciting traditions. Yet to me, American farming continues to be one of the most valuable. As someone who has deep roots on the farm, I’m proud to support the future of agriculture across America.” ~Jewel

I never buy name brand food. I realize this is an interesting introduction sentence for a blog about family farms, but stick with me here. It comes from my college days of penny pinching and I just haven't grown out of it, save a couple of exceptions (i.e. cereal and spaghetti sauce). However, after today's blog, I've added soup to my list!
Campbells has a program I just learned about from my childhood friend, Teacher Friend, called "Growing Your Soup." They partnered with the National FFA organization (which we already know I love!) to help promote agricultural education and to preserve America's farms. Campbells has committed a quarter of a million dollars to help support agriculture.

The program took nominations of barns that needed restoration. For each vote received, up to 25,000, Campbells donated $1 to the FFA. These funds go to recruiting and training agricultural education teachers. Having had hands down the best ag teacher in America myself, I know how important these men and women can be to high school students.
In addition to supporting the FFA, Campbells restores barns, builds greenhouses and gardens. This year, they will be restoring 5 barns. This is the second year for the program, and the restoration of barns compelted last year was amazing.

Every barn selected was located on a family farm. All of the families were FFA alums. One of these barns was built by the great grandfather of a 17 year old FFA member. She is a third generation FFA member. Another was owed by a third generation FFA alum who plans to pass the farm on to the next generation. We talk all the time about how we need more support for agriculture. Campbells listened....and now it's our turn to support them! If we expect them to support our products and way of life, we better be ready to support theirs.

So the next time you see me in the grocery store, you better believe there will be no more Great Value soup in my basket--only white and red cans for me!

Throwback Thursday #15: On My Own

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

I've always heard people raving about traveling on their own, that it's really enjoyable and peaceful. I have been lucky to have great travel buddies, so I have never really done so. However, my last day in Rome, I went out and about myself. Cousin Whitney had already flown home the day before because she had to be back at work. Cousin Swiss Mister was being a typical male (i.e. pathetic) over a cold that he had. So, I got up early and ventured out on my own.

It was wonderful---it was early and cool and quiet and I just wondered the streets, seeing whatever I saw. For an obsessive planner, it was wonderful just to aimlessly walk around and see random parts of the city. Here are just a few pictures.

You will see that my obsession with old churches and nuns continued....
I came across this and had to take a picture---in several US cities, we have car shares, but in Rome, they have bike share!
I wondered into Piazza Navaro.....where a little market was going on.
Just walking up and down side streets and residential areas was a great way to get a taste of life in Rome.
These were the first people I saw out and about in the early morning....a running group hitting the pavement.

We are down to one final Throwback Thursday post about Europe......next week I'll summarize the trip and show you some of my favorite pictures I've been withholding! :) We'll see where Throwback Thursday goes from there----I may keep it, or I may ditch it. Thoughts??

What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?

"If you had one day to live, what would you do? Would you climb a mountain? Would you kiss the girl of your dreams? Would you tell someone how you really feel? Now, if you had a whole lifetime to live, would you lose that drive? Or would your list just keep getting longer?" ~The Buried Life

This is the question that four guys ask each week on the MTV show, The Buried Life.
The premise if the show is simple.....these guys graduate from college, made a list of 100 things they want to do before they die, bought an old purple bus, and started traveling around the US doing the things on their list. The best part.....for everything they do on their list, they help a stranger do something on theirs.

I've seen four episodes....so far they have crashed a party at the playboy mansion, made a toast at a stranger's wedding, tried (unsuccessfully so far) to play basketball with President Obama, and told a joke on late night tv. While doing so, they have purchased a new computer for an inner city 5th grade class, helped reunite a father and his son after 17 years, helped 4 childhood friends go back to their summer swiming hole 50 years later, and made a blind man's wish of riding a horse come true. To watch my favorite eposide online, click here.

Now I know that not all of us can quit our jobs, buy a bus and start traveling around the country...even though we might wish for that sometimes! But we can all make a decision to live our lives to the fullest anytime we have the chance. And we can all try to help other people.

So if there is something you've always dreamed of doing, start working towards it. Maybe it is expensive and you need to start saving 20 bucks a month for the next 5 years....that's okay, just start doing it. It's a great feeling to accomplish a goal that you've been able to set! And maybe we can't all help someone make their biggest dream come true, but we can all help someone in small ways.

Seems funny that these four, unemployed 20 something year old guys have life figured out....but I think they do.

The REAL Story of the Olympic Games

“It is the inspiration of the Olympic Games that drives people not only to compete but to improve, and to bring lasting spiritual and moral benefits to the athlete and inspiration to those lucky enough to witness the athletic dedication.” ~ Herb Elliott

Two weeks ago, I wrote about storylines of people winning gold medals. Last week, about a snowboarder who faced defeat.

While watching the games, I got a little bit jaded and annoyed at teammates bickering about who got more attention, and competitors pouting when they were silver and not gold.

Then, I found THE story. The one that epitomizes the true meaning and spirit of the Olympic games.
Meet Tugba Karademir. She is the first Olympic figure skater from her country, of Turkey. Ever. You didn't see her on the podium. She didn't expect to be there. Her goal was to make the top 10. She ended up placing 24th.

You're probably wondering why this is THE story? It's because she knows the joy of simply being able to compete. 13 years ago, her family left their home country of Turkey and all of their family and friends. They moved to Canada, in order to allow Tugba to train and have a better chance at her Olympic dream.

Her parents took blue collar jobs, working in factories and washing dishes. They sacrificed so much, simply to allow their daughter to go after her dream. Her dream first came true in 2006 in Torino. She was chosen as the Turkish flag bearer for the Opening Ceremonies that year. Something was missing for her.....her parents were not in attendance. They couldn't afford the trip.

In Vancouver this Olympics, the same problem was on track to occur again. Tugba's parents were not goint to be able to make the trip from Ontario. An Olympic sponsor, learned of Tugba's story. The sponsor paid for her parents to come to Vancouver. Last Tuesday night, they were in the stands as she skated at the 2010 Olympics. They beamed and proudly waived the Turkish flag.

She may not have won a medal, but she got to compete. And her family got to watch. In the end, maybe that's what is more important.

Here is a video of Tugba telling part of her story.

So all these cry baby, spoiled athletes who seem to be more worried about attention and publicity than anything else, might need to look around. The Olympic Games are bigger than any gold medal, tv interview, or one athlete.

Goooo Pokes!!

"Rewind; remember cool autumn air walking to class and passing friends, exs, lovers and the rush you feel every time you go back; A lump in the throat, a bitter-sweet graduation in a cap and gown; A desire to stay forever. Although we are gone, we are still there." ~ "Why We Wear Orange"

In case you live under a rock and don't know, my COWBOYS beat the #1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks this weekend! GO POKES!

VIEW VIDEO

This is a huge win for us. Just a couple of weeks ago we were in a 4 game losing streak, and were listed as "one of the last four in" the tournament by ESPN. Since then we've beat Oklahoma, Baylor and now Kansas. The big dance is calling our name!

The game took me back to college.....my very first game in Gallagher Iba arena was Oklahoma State v. Kansas in 2004. It was Big Monday on ESPN. We were both ranked. Dick Vitale was calling the game. And we won by 20. There was never another game like that first one for me....although watching the students rush the floor today, sure came pretty close.

There's nothing like going to a school with such a proud tradition and such great fans. You get the chance to be a part of something bigger. And even though none of these players, nor the head coach, was there when I was there, I still feel like a part of this team.....that's just OSU for you!

Those of you still there, enjoy it. The time goes by too fast. Soon you'll be an alum watching on tv wishing you were there to rush that floor again!