JWsPOV

Growing up without computers, smartphones, and the internet, being in the spotlight was a little different. If you had a big accomplishment or did something noteworthy, it would show up in your local newspaper. Mom would clip out the articles and put it in a scrapbook. My mom framed some and hung them on the wall.  Today we have nothing but spotlights. Popularity contests on steroids. Best of the Barn contests online. 3 or 4 different magazines or companies will put out these popularity polls to gain followers and pretend there is something magical about the selected. This is not a new practice and has been done over the decades in many forms.  It is different today with social media. We tend to bash who we don’t like and praise who we do. All from the safety of your phone or computer. We rarely want to hear criticism and when we do we can go online and complain how upset it all makes us.  This has a lot to do with narcissism, low self esteem, and even greed. With multitu...

It’s the 20th anniversary of my 28th birthday. Life is nothing as it once was and that is a good thing. We must always learn from our past and plan for our futures. If we don’t, we are destined to repeat our mistakes.  Turning 28 was a struggle in life. Having a great paying job was not enough. My job didn't make me happy or where I was at in life. Living away from the farm for a few years made me long for it even more. Something I didn't realize until I was back there for good. The farm is what I needed and God led me back there as he should.  Fast forward to 2023. Turning 48 has not been the same struggles as turning 28. Life is busy, yet extremely good. It’s a new year and a fresh start for everyone. Having the pleasure of getting my Birthday out of the way early is a blessing. The calls, texts, and messages are so wonderful and very much appreciated. Turning 28 involved a long night out drinking and bar hopping with friends. Hangover usually followed the next m...

  Long weekends tend to make for the longest, shortest work weeks. It is a mental game all adults play in their minds. Long weekends, getaways, and time off is good. It is good to be off the grid. Take a trip where cell service is sketchy. Go to a location you have never been to before and see this beautiful country.  My dad and I took a few trips this summer and recently went to Ruidoso, New Mexico. Lots of family and friends said it’s a great place to visit. The weather is great, lots of food choices, mountains, fresh air, and friendly people.  Traveling is not hard and doesn’t have to break the bank account. Hole in the wall restaurants are normally the best and cheap. Airbnb’s can be very reasonably priced, you just have to make the time to go.  Making time seems hard and sometimes impossible. Work, family, and adult responsibilities get in the way. No matter what, it is important to make that time and enjoy life. Taking those 3 damn days can make a world of diff...

  A recent post on social media showed a picture of only a show steer. The caption read, “This is not a Simmental”. That person was exactly right. It was not, it was a crossbred steer. A lot of animals are crossbred animals. Especially in the stock show world.  Growing up in the Polled Hereford world. I have seen a fair number of cattle that were most likely not pure. There was a heifer that ran all across Texas years ago winning everything in sight. One look from any breeder and we all knew she wasn’t purebred. A family finally had enough and protested that heifer and she was kicked out. Papers not matching the calf and bloodlines were not pure.  A good friend of mine calls some of the cattle these days, dirty blooded cattle. These are cattle that have so many crosses in their genetic backgrounds, they are actually genetic mutations if you will. Cattle that once had heat tolerance are losing that trait. Birth weights are so high and so unpredictable, pulling ...

Traveling is fun. It is great to go to new cities or events. Get out of the house and dust off the cobwebs a bit. Random weekend trips happen to be one of mine and Dad’s favorite things to do. Why sit at home and do nothing when you can load and go for a trip? Traveling decades ago is nothing like it is now. If we get lost, we pull up a map on the phone and figure out where to go. We used to pull out a map and find the destination. People can go on their phone and reserve a hotel room before they get somewhere.  Looking for a vacancy sign lit up used to be the norm. There are many of you who remember it well. No cell phones to call ahead. If we needed to call ahead, we would pull over and use a pay phone. Most just drove until you found one open or with their vacancy sign lit up. Come to find out, these are still places around. These places use their vacancy signs, have clean rooms, pools for fun, and serve a continental breakfast. Not just 1 or 2 places, all the hotels...

  Three generations ago people were born in log cabins. Doctors rode horses in snow to deliver those babies that grew up to be normal healthy people. There were not 20 different vaccines to give new born kids. They drank mothers breast milk or cow's milk warmed on the stove. They had cloth diapers and were bathed in a wash basin used by the others in the house. Three generations ago women cooked meals on wood stoves. They managed to cook entire meals, sew clothes, bake pies, and even chop wood or kill chickens to eat. Men worked in saw mills and as farmers with horses and mules to pull the plows. They wore overalls everyday, worked in steel mills and built cities. They didn’t fear what others said about them or even cared.  Three generations ago kids helped feed livestock, plant fields, and care for their younger siblings. They milked the cows daily and gathered eggs when mom was busy. People cooked pies, breads, cakes, or something special for their neighbors when someone was...