Ceili and her cows

I know this is kinda old news but I wanted to show a picture of some of my 100 white pines that I planted as a wind break. These follow the north and west property line to help tame some of the winds that come over the pasture field so that eventually Jeff and I (with a little help from friends) can terrace some of the hill for crops. They are hard to see in the picture since they are less than a foot tall but they follow the fence line. (The fence is also a recent project. I started getting this up so we can raise a couple of dad's heifers in here. Hopefully I'll have it done by the end of March.)

Hey we did it!! We ate by 8:30 this evening. This would have been 7:30 in "pre-government altered" time. And we would've eaten earlier if I hadn't accidentally turned the oven off.

Insiduous attempts to subvert freedom by the US government....oops I mean the United Kingdom

This is a quote from Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania by John Dickenson written in 1787.

"What have these colonies to ask, while they continue free? Or what have they to dread, but insidious attempts to subvert their freedom?
Let these truths be indelibly impressed on our minds-that we cannot be HAPPY without being FREE-that we cannot be free, without being secure in our property, if, without our consent, others may, as by right, take it away- that taxes imposed on us by parliament, do thus take it away-that duties laid for the sole purpose of raising money are taxes-that attempts to lay such duties should be instantly and firmly opposed-that this opposition can never be effectual, unless it is the united effort of these provinces...."

Bad on New Years Resolution

Jeff and I were going to b eating by 7 every evening for our New Years Resolution. With our brilliant politicians changing the time early. We haven't even made it to eating before 8:30 yet. 8:45 it was this evening. I hate this time change. I'm way to exhausted by 7:00 for it to still be light out.

Of the "Middling Sort"

I've been reading American history of late and came across this interesting topic a number of times.

According to Clinton Rossiter, a professor, the five classes of the colonial period were "the better sort", "the middling sort", "the meaner sort", the indentured servant, and the slave. These are in order or what was perceived as being more demeaning.

Interesting, I thought, because most of America would fall in "the meaner sort" today. These were those that worked under others as day laborers, renters, or servants or one kind or another. The term "meaner sort" was not a term describing their personalities but rather it meant they were demeaned by their servitude to a boss. The desire of all men of early America was to work for themselves. Only immature men worked for another person. This today is the day jobber.

Now step up to the "middling sort". This was those who had attained their independence from servitude and were able to make an adequate living for themselves under their own direction. Mostly this was farmers but it also included other trades. This today would be small business owners(and where I happily fall).

And finally the "Better Sort". These were gentlemen of great wealth who mostly had gotten there by their own efforts. In other words stepping up from the "Middling Sort" by hard work. They were able to maintain a lifestyle in which they were in essence "Renaissance men", learning and developing many talents. These were often the politicians. Where are these men today?

Frosty Mornings from the Bathroom Window