More Ruminations From Budd E. Shepherd

I don't have a real discussion for Ed's Blog today. Worst of all I have no Photos. Today is a typical free-association rumination typical of The Lazy Farmer blog.
Our farm started in the 1940's when my Grandfather, three uncles, and one great uncle were encouraged to sell their farm at Monmouth to the Army so that the Camp Adair traiing facility could be built. For some reason they bought river bottom ground and later started a farm equipment dealership. Later they became Minneapolis-Moline dealership.
I don't know exactly how the coffee break at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. started, perhaps it was because Grandma's family were from Canada (I think) and they always had tea time.
So everyday it is coffee break at 10 and 3.
Yesterday the fairly well off fellow who owns most of the land we rent was there. He was discussing the economy. It was pretty interesting.
So, on the news we hear of the success of the stimulus package... In real life people are saying, prepare for double digit inflation and double digit interest rates. Oh, and stock up on ammo and gold. These are not the occasional crack-pot farmers that show up fairly often, these are usually well off, retired, landlord, sorts of solid citizens. And everyone is worried about the president. Except of course the local democrat farmers who either keep pretty quiet or have drank the coolaid for so long they just repeat the party line. Everyone else pretty much says, "yeah whatever" and walks out. Although there have been a few very heated discussions.
Speaking of crackpots.. Where have they all gone? This whole consolidation of farming and the loss of all the smaller farms has really cut down on the local color. Over the last few years we have lost all of the local bachelor farmers, those who didn't bathe frequently, were often closet inventors, had really strange and funny ideas, and provided us all with a lot of entertainment.
These new farmers do not provide the same level of amusement. Sure everyone likes to talk about them baling or spraying the wrong field, or if their crack-addicted employee rolled the truck, or speculate on when they are going broke. But, they really don't compare with the old dairyman who ran off his neighbor with a pitchfork, or the old bachelor farmer who built his own tractors and guitar amps.
I did find a photo for the post. I think it will end up at the beginning of the post and I'm not smart enough, and I do need to get to work so I'm not going to try and put it at the end.
We are getting ready to chop silage. This would have been more interesting for Ed. Perhaps he should swing by on his way home. Going to run his favorite tractor, the White 2-135. Can't run the Vista as the hydraulic pump scattered.
These two photos were taken a year apart in the same field. I think the 2-135 photo was from last year.