My Yoke is Killing Me

I do a really good job of calling myself a Christian. It's a pretty easy thing to say. I get really proud of the fact that I'm a Christian. When this happens, it seems that God somehow always directs me to a passage in the Bible that knocks me off the pedestal.

Tonight, that passage was Ephesians 4:1-3: "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

Whoops.

Paul is speaking here about Jews and Gentiles becoming one worship body, a body that God has brought together and that should work together and be united in the church of Christ.

The only calling that I'm completely aware of is the call Christ has given me to be a member of His body. I thought at one time I was vocationally called to be a teacher. Then a pastor. And for the second time, a farmer. I'm sticking with farmer, but honestly, there are many times I consider being a preacher. What I do for a living isn't really the point, I don't believe.

The point is, I'm not very good at keeping my original calling - being a follower of Christ. Not very often am I humble. I really suck at being patient. I don't always attempt to keep unity. Basically, all of the things I'm called to do, I fail at, and fail miserably.

In verses 25-32, Paul goes on to write:"Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."(Bold font added by me.)

Ouch. I am terrible at every single one of those things. In my deepest sinner's heart, I am a very jealous, angry, judgmental, greedy person. I say things I know I shouldn't. I know I dropped the GD a few times today. I participated in some gossip. Every time I talk to someone about farming, I end up becoming very jealous of those who have more than I have.These are huge struggles for me. I know when I do them, yet I either cannot or will not change them. I have a hard time living a life for God and living a life for me. Living God's life is not an easy thing in our world, and most of the time I forget about God's life to save my own face.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I know I'm young, and some that read this might be thinking that I should quit my complaining. Maybe revisit this topic in twenty years.

I'm here to say that I am weary. I am burdened. I want to be gentle and humble. I want the rest that only Christ can grant me. I'm having a hard time letting go of my earthly wants and worries and reaching for that yoke. Do you all know what a yoke is? It's a piece of wood that is used to tie two oxen together so that they may work as one. My yoke most days is firmly in place with the world. I do what Paul says I should not - I complain, lie, curse, slander, show anger, etc. I want to be yoked with Christ. I want to work with Him, not the world. The world's yoke seems to always lean my way. I'd like to feel that yoke of Christ, the one that does not weigh me down.

I don't know how to get there. I only know that Christ is the way, not the world, so I continue to strive for His yoke. I am thankful for the celebration of His birth that is upcoming. It gives me hope to continue on.

I generally hesitate to ask for prayers. That's the Lutheran blood in me. Paul asks for prayers in chapter 6 of Ephesians, saying "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should," (v19-20). Paul was speaking of actual chains - he was in prison when he wrote this letter. I'm chained down by the sins I commit. We are all ambassadors of the gospel. We should all declare it fearlessly, myself included. With this thought, I'm asking for your prayers. If you should take the time for me, pray whatever is in your heart, keeping in mind my struggles. I am thankful for you thoughts and prayers.

Psalm 94:19 - "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."

Um...

I don't know what to write about. I've been sitting here looking at guitars on eBay/listening to "House Hunters" in the background. I think "Property Virgins" was on once. We watch a lot of HGTV. The lady on "Virgins" (as I like to call it) has a Canadian accent. I find myself saying "oot" and "aboot" more every day, alternately laughing at myself and wishing I could somehow strangle the TV sound when that woman speaks.

You know what I don't get? On these shows people always say "My furniture won't fit in the bedroom/den/office/living room/laboratory." Hey people - you bought your furniture somewhere. Did you know you can go back and buy different furniture? And that they will probably take your old furniture on trade? You could also sell it on craigslist, if you want to deal with the weirdos. It's really not a big deal. Your budget for buying a house is $500,000 and you can't afford a few pieces of furniture?

I sold a guitar on eBay tonight. I think. The dude that bought it hasn't paid me yet. It would be really nice of him to do so. I got bills to pay, bro! Just kidding. But seriously.

I didn't sell it because I'm poor. I sold it 'cuz I'm a wheeler dealer when it comes to guitar. I was looking through some pictures of old guitars and I had already forgotten about 4 or 5 of them. I only have one guitar I've kept for more than a year, and it's the one I'll keep forever. It's a Guild DV-52. That's an acoustical guitar. I've had it for a little over 3 years. Maybe tomorrow I'll take a little snapshot so I can share it with all of my faithful readers.

I'm looking for the electric guitar that I'll keep forever. I will continue to wheel and deal until I find it. Or until I run out of money.

I have to save up for furniture. My office chair won't fit in the bathroom.

I'm Tired

Of people saying I'm whipped. I think that's the dumbest thing in the world.

I guess what prompts this is the fact that Shay is getting a real Christmas tree and lights to put up around the house. I've always been about fake trees and didn't much care about lights on the house. Shay wants these things, and because it makes her happy, I agreed. Not that I was exactly excited about it. Reluctant may be the word that comes to mind. 

If someone hears that we're getting a real tree and lights for the house, they make some reference to my manhood being in Shay's purse, or the sound of a whip crack, blah blah blah.

Because I like to see my wife happy.

Am I the only one that does not understand this logic? That a man has to be selfish all the time and do only what he wants? And I'll be the first to admit I've given guys a hard time like I'm now receiving. That was before I was married. Most of the guys I get crap from? Yeah, they're married.

Uh, what's cool about being selfish in a marriage?

Now, my father and Shay's father are exempt from this. They're giving me crap not because they think I'm a wimp or a push-over. They give me crap because, well, they're my dad and father-in-law. That's what they do. But their crap is lighthearted, because they know how much I care for Shay.

Some people seem to be questioning my manhood. For those, I would like to ask you to read Ephesians 5:25-29. "He who loves his wife loves himself." 

Granted, Christmas lights and a real tree aren't needed. They are not vital to our survival. This passage does mention care, however. I care deeply for my wife. I take care of her any way I can. Is happiness a part of this care? I'm pretty sure it is.

If I wanted lights on the house, you can damn sure bet I would go buy some. If I love my wife as I love myself, why would I not buy her some lights? It's not a matter of life and death. The bill from Southern Power might go up a little. So what? Making Shay happy makes me happy. 

If people think I'm "whipped" so be it. I don't care anymore. I'm supposed to be Billy Badass and not give Shay what she wants so I can puff my chest out around the guys? 

No thanks.

Already Messed Up

I didn't blog the last two days. Whoops. I was a little busy, in my defense. Friday I went to the game with my father-in-law Tom and didn't get back 'til late. Yesterday we worked on Mom and Dad's house all day, then went over to a friend's house to watch the OSU-OU game. It was late when we got back from that.

Sorry friends. I will blog twice today. I know I'll still be short one, but I don't think the point of this challenge is to write every single day. I think the point is to get some people writing again, in which the challenge has already succeeded.

I had a lot of fun the last couple of days. Sorry there's not much substance in this post. Maybe tonight I'll write something with a little more meat to it.

I would like to say that I'm loving the things I'm reading from other friends that are partaking in this 365 day challenge. I kind of forgot how awesome some of my Concordia friends are at writing. Keep it up, kids. 

Thankful

I don't want to get too mushy here, but I would like to tell you faithful readers some of the things I'm thankful for:

My parents - They've been supportive of me the last few years, allowing me room to breathe, and welcoming me back with open arms. I went from farming, to studying to be a teacher, to studying to be a pastor, to finishing my English degree, to coming back to farm. Not once have they questioned me about my decisions when they probably had every right to do so.

Our dogs - Even though they can be real pains, they're always happy to see me. Maybe it's because I scoop the poop out of their pens every day. 

Music - What would our lives be like if they had no soundtrack?

Tractors - They make my life a hell of a lot easier.

Friends - I have some great ones and I miss them every day. Come visit us anytime you like.

Shay - Every day it gets better. It's really nice to come home and have someone to hang out with. The other night she taught me how to dance a little. It's nice to have someone fall asleep on you every night, even if they put their ice-block feet on you. And she's a great cook. Plus, she puts up with me, so she has to be perfect. 

God - I was thinking on the drive home tonight that nothing I have comes from me, only from Him. I deserve none of it, but for whatever reason He blesses me with all the great things in my life. I'm thankful that Christ died to give us life after this earth. I'm most thankful that he forgives the sins I commit every day, choosing to look at me through a perfect lens. How amazing is that?

Hope everyone had a good day. If you didn't, remember there's always something you've got that someone else wish they had. There's much to be thankful for. 

Practice Makes Perfect

That's why I ate so much tonight. Needed to condition myself for tomorrow. After a lovely meal of calzones and french fries (how American), the family retired to the living area to watch Charlie Brown and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. If you haven't seen Planes, Trains and Automobiles, I recommend you do so. It is one of the funniest holiday movies of all time.

I don't really have much to say today. I'm tired. I've found that I get tired about 10 PM anymore. Used to be if I was in bed by midnight, it was a good night. I can (kind of) remember some 4 AM bedtimes, too. 10 PM to 6:45AM is pretty much my sleep schedule these days. Pretty boring, eh?

Pretty boring blog, too.

Auction Followup

I'm sure all you faithful readers are wondering if I got anything bought at the auction today. Yeah, sure did. The backhoe? No. A sprayer? Well, yes. Not the one I really wanted, though. I bid on a 60' Great Plains sprayer, but someone wanted it a lot more than I did. Instead, I bought a 25 gallon ATV sprayer with a 10' boom. Got it for about $300 less than a new one goes for, and I've been wanting one, so I'm pretty excited about it. I'll have to do some fixing - one of the nozzles is broken, and I may need a bigger pump, but even at that I'll still have what I wanted for half price. It will be nice for spraying pipe and driveways. Could spray my lawn with it, too. I was going to buy a hydraulic top link for my tractor (It tips the 3 point hitch back and forth using the hydraulic outlets on the tractor. The factory top link is operated manually, and usually fills with dirt and crap, which results in it not working like it's supposed to) but I didn't get it bought. The auctioneer was farting around selling some tools, taking his sweet time, so I went to get a burger and some coffee. Wouldn't you know, he sold the top link right as I came back to the auction ring. New ones sell for about $800, and I think that one went for $500. Oh well. They made more than one.

I'm kicking around the idea of investing in GPS for my tractor. The only problem is I don't have $25,000 in my back pocket to spend. If I could come up with some more land, I'd probably bite the bullet. Everyone says it pays for itself in the seed, chemical, and fuel savings. I think it would be especially nice for spraying and planting. No more wide and narrow rows. We don't disk much, but I could see where it would save a lot of money in fuel when we do. Maybe next year...

Non-farm readers: If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. I can take pictures and go into a lot of detail if you so desire.

Auction Tomorrow!

Another reason I love winter - auctions! I love going to farm machinery auctions. I hardly ever buy anything, but the possibility that I might is tantalizing. I also enjoy listening to the auctioneers as their cadence spills out over the microphone. And you have to enjoy the fact that there are always food stands that have hamburgers and polish dogs ready to eat by 10 AM. 

The anticipation is akin to the night before your birthday as a 5 year old. I probably won't sleep much tonight.

At auction tomorrow for my consideration: A Case backhoe, a Great Plains 60' 3 point spray boom, miscellaneous crap. I doubt I'll buy much, but who knows? At the very least, I'll come home with a belly full of hamburger, polish dog, and coffee.




 

Dance, Dance, Dance

I don't really know how it happened, but not many minutes ago, Shay and I were dancing around in the hotel room. I put some Justin Townes Earle on (thanks go to Lisa Smith for the new tunes) and out of nowhere we started dancing like nimrods. I don't dance often, but I like to do it once in awhile to make Shay laugh. I have no rhythm, which is weird because I play an instrument. 

I would suppose it's pretty interesting to watch my attempts at dancing. I don't really care though, because I like to laugh with my wife. These are some of the little things that I tend to live for.

I hope that when we "grow up" we still have moments like this. I think we always will, because it only takes me about .3 seconds to slip into my goofy mode, and it usually only takes about 7 seconds after that to make Shay laugh. If nothing else, I know I can start dancing to make her laugh. 

Download Mike McClure's song "Like an Idiot" and you'll know exactly what I'm describing.

Keep on dancing in the free world.

Blah

I'm tired. Been in the car much of the last two days. I'm not in my home state and I hate hotel beds. Nebraska lost. Sorry there's nothing enlightening here, but hey, I'm supposed to blog every day. I'm just trying to hold up my end of the bargain.

Life cereal & the Bible

One thing I really love about farming is winter. I actually enjoy winter. I'm more of a polar bear than most people I know. I don't mind cold weather. Anyway, what I like most about winter (besides Christmas) is that it's not a very busy season for us. This year it will be because my parents are moving and I'm helping with the remodel of the new house and the move. I'm cool with that though, because I'm really happy and excited for the rents. 

I seem to keep getting off track. 

I like winter because it gives me an opportunity to do things I normally don't have much time for. An example is playing guitar. I get into it during the winter, playing for at least an hour every day, usually closer to two. I just got done playing for about an hour and a half, actually. During the spring, summer, and fall guitar takes a back seat. I get home from work and just want a shower and a meal, most likely a beer as well. Winter time, I plan my days this way - "Well, I think I'll put on a pot of coffee. Then I'll take a shower and wear my favorite pair of jeans. Who cares that I've worn them four days in a row? Not me. After my shower, I'll drink coffee. Probably play guitar. Look at guitars on ebay. Watch the Drive-By Truckers on YouTube. Listen to James McMurtry on vinyl. Read a book or some magazines. Eat a couple of hot dogs. Rinse, lather, repeat."

Now this next part might get me in trouble. I know how bad it sounds. 

During our busy seasons, I don't take much time to read the Bible. I know, it can't be hard to carve a few minutes out to read God's inspired word. And yes, as a Lutheran, I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God breathed to the writers through the Holy Spirit. Every single word. This is a conversation for another time, though. Anywho, I seem to put God's word on the backburner. I have a hard enough time dragging my butt out of bed at quarter after 6 in the morning. I can't concentrate on anything for the first hour or so I'm awake. I can irrigate in the mornings during the summer mostly because it's not difficult, and the mechanics of it have been branded onto my brain since before I came out of the womb, I believe. When I come home at night, my brain is also fried. This makes it hard for me to get revved up to read anything. 

Pretty lame excuses, huh? I make it sound like God's word is the daily newspaper.

Starting today, I'm trying to get into another mindset. I read the Bible while I eat my Life cereal. Why Life? Why not? It has lots of sugar in it and it tastes great with milk. I might as well eat a bowl of sugar with milk, but it's been my favorite since I was a kid. I eat copious amounts of it and I'm guessing I get no nutritional value from it. If you've seen me eat, you are probably saying "You're not going to get much read in 73 seconds Ben." Yeah, you're right. I mow my food down. That doesn't mean I stop reading there, though. The act of eating while reading somehow gets me into the zone. I don't really know why. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm smashing down the walls of male stereotypes - I can do two things at once! I may have to change my cereal though, because with the amount of reading I hope to do, I will weigh roughly 419 pounds on my Life cereal breakfast diet by the time winter is over. 

I read something in Matthew today. I love to read the sermon on the Mount. It could very well be my favorite passage in the Bible. This morning, the sugar must've gone straight to my brain, because something stuck out to me that never has before. Matthew 5:6 says "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Now, I hunger and thirst for Life cereal and coffee in the morning, but I don't know that I thirst for righteousness. That little verse hit me like a frying pan to the back of the head from an angry wife (no, this has not happened. I'm guessing it feels real bad, though). Righteousness, from what I can understand, means being free from sin and guilt. We're human. There is no way we can do that. We all understand we are sinful, and only through Christ's love and grace can we be made without sin. 

The question in my mind is - Do I ever thirst or hunger for righteousness? Do I ever attempt to be free from guilt or sin? Do I, on a consistent basis, turn from sin, which causes guilt? I don't think I do. I think I look at my sin and say "I can't, of my own accord, do anything about this sin." Jesus died to take our sins, and thank the Heavenly Father for that. What I'm trying to get at here is that Jesus calls on me to live a different way. Instead of simply accepting His grace, maybe I need to strive to turn from sin in the first place. Now, I know what you're saying - "Ben, we live in a sinful world. Moreover, you cannot be your own savior." Yeah, I know. What I'm saying is there are things that I can work on, things I can remove from my life with help from Christ. I cuss a lot. I drink too much on occasion. I don't always keep my word. My anger controls me sometimes. I say things I know I shouldn't. I hurt people. I judge people. Can I change these things on my own? Heck, no. But God can. He can fill me with His spirit, His love, His grace. If I turn myself over to Him, trust Him, He can help me change. It's not only His responsibility, though. I have to help Him help me. No, I cannot live a life of righteousness, because I am a sinner. Sitting in my chair, listening to "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" by The Band and typing this is a sin. Eating Life cereal is a sin. That's what I believe, anyway, because this world is sinful. Only by His grace, His love, His crucifixion, can these things be made right, made righteous.

With Christ's help, I can strive for righteousness. Will I obtain it? Only when I die to life in this world and move on to the next. I know that nothing I can do will make me righteous. Only Christ can do that for me, but that doesn't mean I can't work on it. I can work to watch my mouth, the things I say, how I say them. I can work to stop judging my brothers and sisters in Christ and love them, the way that Christ has called me to do. When my temper flares, I can ask God to enter my heart and soul, to help control the anger. Prayer will be, and should be, my constant companion. In all situations, I can call on Christ, and He will help me work through my unrighteousness. It is only through Him that I will have the strength to change.

Bet you never thought a conversation about Life cereal would be so intense, did you?

The Main Thing I Worry About

I don't worry much. Christ points to the birds of the air and the lilies of the field in Matthew 6:25-34 and basically says "These things aren't worth as much to me as you are, yet I clothe and feed them. Take it easy, pal, I've got your back." I tend to live my life keeping these words in mind. I don't get too wrapped up about things because in the short time that I've lived, I've learned that Christ always takes care of things. I constantly tell people not to worry, everything will work out one way or another. You're most likely still going to be alive, and Christ will still love you.

I've been thinking about Christ's words quite a bit in the last few months. I got married lately, moved into a house that I rent, and make enough money to pay the bills. What's to worry about, you ask?

Children.

Shay and I both want kids, and depending on which one of us you ask, we want anywhere from three to nine of the little buggers. I don't worry about raising them so much (there are plenty of people around willing to teach me how to do that). No, I worry about providing for them.

I currently farm approximately 200 acres. That's plenty for Shay and I, but I feel the need to expand. The only problem is there's not much room for expansion in the area. I went and looked at 155 acres for sale today that is priced at $3300 an acre. For those that don't want to do the math, that's over a half of a million bones. To be honest, it's probably not even worth $2500/acre. The land market is nuts these days and I don't really see it going down anytime soon. Renting ground is an option, but that's hard to find as well.
 
I worry about land because I want to be able to build Shay and our children a house they need and deserve. I want to plant a bunch of trees and have a big yard and watch the kids run around with the dogs while I drink coffee on the porch. Maybe that's a lot to ask, but I don't really think so. I'm trying to find the line between being greedy about finding land and providing for my family. There's a piece of ground coming up for sale that would be perfect - 140 acres of good crop ground with a 20 acre farmstead. The farmstead is run down, but that doesn't bother me. I could build on that. What bothers me is that whoever buys it (there are three or four people I have in mind) already farms multiple thousands of acres, and will most likely tear down the farmstead to farm another 20 acres. I wish people could see that it would be good to have another young farm family in the area. I worry that 10 years from now I'll have to put my degree to use. That's not what I want. I want nothing more than to farm for 40 more years, hang it up, and hand it off to my son or grandson. Will this happen? I don't really know. Am I being greedy? I don't think so.

I'm not good at following my own advice. I just need to shut up, pray, and let things work out the way they will. The thought that I might not farm the rest of my life terrifies me. It's all I've know, and really, it's all I want to do. A neighbor told me when I came back from school that he figured I wouldn't become a teacher or a pastor because I "have farming in my blood." He's right, I think. Very seldom do I wake up and not want to go to work. I really do love what I do. There are bad days and things I don't really enjoy about it, but I think that goes with every job.

I hope this doesn't come across as whiny. That's not what I'm trying to attempt. I was just bummed when I looked at that $3300 piece of ground. I was considering trying to buy it. It's available and relatively close to some ground my dad farms. It's not good enough, though, and I can't afford it. I get a little depressed because I wonder if I'll ever be able to afford good ground. I wonder if I'll be able to build Shay the house that she wants. I wonder if I'll be able to afford to support our kids the way I want to support them.

Through all of this worry, I remember what Christ says - "I've got your back, Ben. You're important to me. Follow me, and I will take care of you." I know that he's going to take care of our children as well. Someone told me that you'll never have enough money to have kids, and I'm guessing that's true. People make it though, and there are some great kids in this world being raised by Christian parents. Doesn't seem like a coincidence to me.

I hope that whatever your worries, you remember this message. Although I seem downtrodden, I'm not. If this mean bastard of a world gets me down, I remember it's not the only thing I live for. There are better things ahead. Keep your heads up, followers of Christ.

Charlie

This is my pal Charlie. He's an Australian Shepherd. I've always been a Doberman guy, but Shay raised Aussies in high school, so when I came across the craigslist ad for this guy, I should've known better than to show it to her. Of course we had to have him. He was Shay's Christmas present last year, and he stayed with her while she was going to school. She moved to a different house around Christmas of last year, a place where dogs really weren't welcome. Charlie came home to live with me. Now, I don't know what you folks know about Aussies, but they are very loyal. They respond to one master and pretty much stick by their side at all times. Charles and I became great friends, which resulted in the purchase of another pup for Shay. That's a story for another time (if it was up to Shay we'd have a billion dogs).

Charlie is pretty much the bomb. We've had some rough patches - he got ran over and had to have hip surgery and had some nasty road rash on his... male dog parts. He had surgery about four months ago and is doing quite well. He jumped into the bed of my pickup unassisted last week for the first time since he got ran over. He loves to ride in the pickup. He barks for at least 5 miles every time I let him ride in the bed. I play ball with him. I feed him. I love him.

So, why, Charlie? Why must you run away at every opportunity? He must've crashed through a 40 acre patch of cockleburrs yesterday. They're all over the poor guy. I had to cut a large portion of his hair off, and this after his hair was finally growing back from the surgery. Male dogs like to get out and explore. I get it. That's a dude thing. Gotta get out there and look for a woman. I just wish he would tell me first. It's almost as if he doesn't care what I think or how I feel. Plus, he had the nerve to drag his little sister (they are actually from the same parents) Hannah along! Thank goodness the neighbor found them and brought them home. Sometimes I think he does it to piss me off, like the time I came home and found my lawn mower seat ripped to pieces. I was pretty mad at him, but I couldn't bring myself to discipline him, not when he looked at me with his yellowish-brownish eyes and attempted to nuzzle as close to me as possible. He didn't mean it. He was chasing a bird and got lost. He'll know better next time.

God help me when I have children.

I Guess It's Time

After receiving challenges from a couple of friends, I'm starting this thing. It'll most likely be crap that no one really cares to read, but I like to write, and I've gotten away from it lately. Plus, it will take up a few minutes of your day if you choose to read it. I'd read it at work when bored, or bored in class, or bored at home sitting in front of the TV. Basically I'm telling you to read it when you're bored.


I'm not promising I've got a direction in mind, either. Andy (the first person to tell me to do this) thinks it would be interesting to chronicle my life as a young farmer. I'll be doing that. It's the slow season right now, but once in awhile I'll discuss that part of my life. I'll talk a lot about my wife, I'm sure. And our dogs. Probably music. Definitely guitars. If you want me to discuss something else, throw it out there.

A quick primer on me for those that might not know exactly where I am or what I'm doing - I'm 25, married for four months to the perfect woman for me (those of you that really know Shay and I know what I'm talking about), the father (not scientifically, but emotionally) of two Australian Shepherds named Hannah and Charlie, a farmer, seed salesman (on a very small scale), spender of money, and saver of things I probably don't need. I play guitar, but I only tell you this because it will work its way into this thing. Everyone plays guitar, so I'm not trying to be a badass about it. I do it because it's fun for me. I have a record collection. It's small, but expanding. And, no, I'm not that record collecting guy that looks down his nose at all other types of audio entertainment. I like old things, and listening to records makes you sit down for a period of time. Those are the main reasons. I read a lot. We'll talk about that.


That's really all I can think of at this moment. I could probably think of more, but there is a fantastic smell coming from the kitchen, and since I'm a man, I can only concentrate on one thing at a time.  Food always wins.