Monthly Archives: February 2009

Honoring the Blue and Gold

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I’d been meaning to post a blog all week about National FFA Week, and here it is, late on Friday night, and I’m finally taking the time to sing the praises of the FFA organization.

"I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds – achievements won by the present and past generations of agriculturists; in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us from the struggles of former years."

That is the first paragraph of the FFA Creed, written by E.M. Tiffany in 1930 and memorized by countless Freshman FFA members across the country, including myself as a Worthington Area Junior High School ninth grader back in the 1980s.

Generations of my family haved endured the struggles and celebrations of agriculture. There are stories of threshing bees, memories of a first tractor, the hard work of planting fields with horses, milking cows by hand, the Dirty Thirties, grasshopper plagues … Agriculture is a part of my past – it will always be a part of me.

"I believe that to live and work on a good farm, or to be engaged in other agricultural pursuits,is pleasant as well as challenging; for I know the joys and discomforts of agricultural life and hold an inborn fondness for those associations which, even in hours of discouragement, I cannot deny."

Well, I don’t know if I’ll ever say that shoveling loads of goat manure was pleasant, but I did it. Blistered hands and sore shoulders did not mean an end to work. You worked until the job was done. That was the motto on the farm, and it is a motto I live by today.

"I believe in leadership from ourselves and respect from others. I believe in my own ability to work efficiently and think clearly, with such knowledge and skill as I can secure, and in the ability of progressive agriculturists to serve our own and the public interest in producing and marketing the product of our toil."

FFA taught me to be a leader – to take chances. It taught me the finer points of parliamentary procedure and the detail in recordkeeping. I learned to seek perfection, and although it can never be achieved, I do my best.

"I believe in less dependence on begging and more power in bargaining; in the life abundant and enough honest wealth to help make it so – for others as well as myself; in less need for charity and more of it when needed; in being happy myself and playing square with those whose happiness depends upon me."

"I believe that American agriculture can and will hold true to the best traditions of our national life and that I can exert an influence in my home and community which will stand solid for my part in that inspiring task."

Thanks Mr. Tiffany for inspiring so many young minds in the FFA organization.

I was proud to wear the Blue and Gold for four years, I was proud to earn a bachelor’s degree in AGRICULTURE Journalism, and I will always be proud of the fine students of today who are devoted to the agriculture industry!

Bitten and beaten

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The cold and flu bug has hit a few people in the Globe’s newsroom within the last week, and I thought it was my turn today.

Yet despite leaving work a few hours early to take a nap and try to will whatever bug was in me out, I crawled off the couch and drove over to the WHS gym for tonight’s big Ellsworth-Worthington boys basketball game. I could have just as well walked the few blocks from my house to the school. The parking lot was full, the side streets were full and the teacher’s parking lot was nearly empty – but that was because the door nearest that lot was locked!

The Trojans came out on top in tonight’s match-up, 70-66. You will be able to read all about it in tomorrow’s Daily Globe or online, of course, as told by one of our fine sports writers. About the last 10 minutes of the game were the best, with Ellsworth fighting back from a 23-point deficit to get within a bucket. It just wasn’t the Panthers’ night.

I was impressed by the crowd though, especially with the blowing snow and ice-covered roads.

Well, it’s been another late night and my sore throat is starting to come back. I hope all of the Panther and Trojan fans made it home safely, and I hope for better weather next week. Tournament time is near.

Ready … and waiting

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As I was getting ready to come to work today, I committed what could have been a big faux pas – I was wearing red and black. On any other day it would have been fine, but I could not wear the WHS colors – at least not today.

I quickly changed my sweater to one of the maroon shade so as not to get kicked out of the Ellsworth section at tonight’s much-anticipated boys basketball game between the Trojans and the Ellsworth Panthers.

My only hope now is that the snow stops falling and the game goes on as planned.

If you are coming to the game, don’t forget to bring along some donations for the food shelf. The school is taking $1 off your price of admission for each item you donate (up to three items and $3 off – but if you want to donate more just because you’re a nice person, go ahead – I’m sure the local food shelves will appreciate it!) What a great way to support the local food shelves and enjoy what should be an awesome game!

Not just the terrible twos

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"That’s Mine! You can’t have it!"

The words were delivered in a high-pitched voice with the clarity of a toddler as I tried to have a phone conversation with my mom after a long day of work.

I thought three interviews and a two-hour meeting made for a long day, but my parents, already taking care of one three-year-old grandchild for the week, added the second three-year-old grandchild to the house this morning for a couple days of play-time between cousins. I think they win the long day category!

Three-year-olds are wonderful – don’t get me wrong. They are at the stage where they can talk in sentences, and boy, do they say the cutest things like, "Juwee, you’re my little ree-tart!" At the same time, however, they can have temper tantrums and fits that make you want to put them in time-out for five minutes (which to them can seem like a lifetime!)

They are also at the age where, when the phone rings, they want to talk. So, after a little conversation with my mom, niece Katie said, "I wanna talk!" That was immediately followed by nephew Reece with, "I wanna talk too!"

Katie won. She came on the line and then realized she better ask Grandma who she was talking to. After our greetings, I asked her how it was going.

"Reece won’t let me play with him!" she declared.

"Why not?"

"I dunno. He won’t let me play!" she said again, this time with her voice crackling like she was ready to cry.

Before I could tell her that she needed to share, Reece had grabbed the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Reece, whatcha doin?"

"Playin’"

"Why aren’t you letting Katie play with you?"

"I don’t want to."

That was it – he dropped the phone and walked away. There was no way he was going to listen to a lesson about sharing over the phone, and there was no way I was going to solve the arguments of a pair of three-year-olds that way either!

An Adrian-Ellsworth nail-biter

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It’s official – the nails on my fingers and thumbs are whittled down as far as they’ll go without actually hurting as I type on my keyboard!

Those of you who were at the Adrian-Ellsworth boys basketball game tonight will understand! The Dragons led by one point at half time, and it seemed like a back-and-forth game for most of the second half. Ellsworth ended out on top though, 67-63. My nephew Matt contributed eight points, but Ellsworth fans were treated to not one, not two, but three slam-dunks by team leader Trevor Gruis. Awesome!

That’s about all I’ll say about the game – I will not pretend to be a sports reporter. You can read all about it in Wednesday’s Daily Globe from the expert sports reporters. I was forced to write sports once as a weekly newspaper editor at Wabasso, and believe me, you wouldn’t want to read It!

So, my ears are still ringing, I have a massive headache and I have no fingernails left to bite, although my pounding heart has slowed back to a normal rhythm. I’ll have to figure out another vice for Thursday night, when the Panthers of Ellsworth take on my alma mater, the Worthington Trojans.

My three-year-old nephew was ready to go home at half-time already tonight, so I’m pretty sure he’ll stay at my house Thursday night with Grandma to watch the game on Cable 3.

Speaking of nephew Reece, apparently he was moving a little too slow when it was time to leave home for the game tonight.

My Mom said, "C’mon, hurry up, we gotta go," and my dear, sweet dog Molly thought Grandma was talking to her. She hopped in the back seat, and sat her lanky frame down in Reece’s car seat! She may not be the best-trained dog, but she sure loves to go for a car ride.