One year ago today, Kate and I became brand new parents as our little Saylor Jack was born! Bringing him into the world was a miraculous experience, but watching him grow during this last year – it’s indescribable. So we assembled a video of some of the great moments (and facial expressions) of our life with our little rascal thus far. Enjoy!
(To read about the birth, click here and here. To watch the birth video, click here.)
As you might or might not know, the Missouri presidential primaries were fairly irrelevant, practically speaking.
The caucuses, however, are significant. And they’re in one month and two days.
Here’s how they work. (This is taken directly from the Missouri Republican Party website).
In grade school, Mom would sometimes send in my lunch bag a SPAM and mustard sandwich. Nostalgia.
WordPress is a boon in that it automatically filters out spam comments. The reason people post spam comments is to gain a free place to give a link to their website. You know, Spam: pretending to be one thing, when it’s really something else.
However.
In reviewing some of the recent spams, I came across some true gems. So I have devoted this post to them. Here they are, along with my responses to these grammatically impoverished, cooped-up-indoors souls. If you’re a spammer and you’re reading this: Go get some fresh air! And pick up an English textbook while you’re out…
SPAM
Just want to say your article is as surprising. The clarity in your post is simply spectacular and i can assume you are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission allow me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please carry on the gratifying work.
N: I do like to think of myself as an expert on this, and many other subjects. Keep reading, friend!
Amazing post! I was actually searching for facts about proper dog training but stumbled on this post and found it really interesting and beneficial. Keep up the superb work you are doing here.
N: I’ve been thinking about tapping into the “proper dog training blog” market for a while now. I think it’s time to make a move.
The next time I look over a blog, I really hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I am talking about, I’m sure it was eventually my choice to read, but I definitely assumed you’d have something interesting to say. Many I hear is usually a bunch of whining about something you could resolve if you werent as well busy looking for attention.
N: If I could only count the times someone has scolded me for being “as well busy looking for attention.” Sorry to let you and the rest of civilized humanity (except Greece) down.
Nice read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he just bought me lunch as I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
N: I hope you choke on it. Just kidding! Come on by The Ozark House anytime, and we’ll give you a steaming hot bowl of squirrel stew!
Im going nuts this evening.
N: Glad I could help.
I would like to thank you for the endeavors you have made in writing this article. I am trusting the same best work from you in the future as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to start my own blog now. Actually the blogging is spreading its wings rapidly. Your write up is a fine representative of it.
N: I’m going to use my irresistible sway over you to strongly suggest you reconsider the whole blog thing. I know the blog world is spreading its wings – many are soaring with the eagles. You, however, are a penguin. So mate for life, keep eating fish, and stay classy!
Twitter brought me here.
N: So true.
The investigation that has gone into this write-up is immense, have to have taken you a lifetime to write this!
N: You know, in a sense, it has. I like to think of each blog post as a culmination of every prior moment in my life. Thanks for picking up on that.
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Thanks for reading…
“Life’s a fragile thing, Har’. One minute you’re chewin’ on a burger. Next minute you’re dead meat.” – Lloyd Christmas
Truer words were never spoken.
As for our lives, lately, here are a few snippets.
- I never really mentioned it much, but brother Adam got married a few weeks ago, and so we had the wonderful privilege of meeting many of his and Juliette’s friends (and her family) during our time in Bryan, TX. The wedding was beautiful, and so far I gather that Adam and Juliette are happily married. I’m quite sure they will stay that way.
Getting ready for the grand event
- I (Nathan) have been working quite a bit (a nice change of pace…). I currently have three jobs. I work on the weekends at a local winery. I teach two English Composition courses at a local community college. And I just began working for a nationwide tutoring company called Club Z. This has left my schedule pretty full, which is okay, but it makes farm work move more slowly.
-As for farm work, I’m reaching the final stages of fencing off the pasture for Gertie and the goats. I anticipate within two weeks they’ll be roaming about, nibbling on the clovers and grasses and wild onions that have already begun to defy winter’s chill. This project has been going for a long time, and I’m glad that the end is near.
-Kate stays quite busy around the house, tending two babies: Saylor and Ozark. She is a beautiful portrait of Christlike servanthood. She bakes all our bread, prepares most of the meals, keeps the house clean, and tends the fire during the day while I’m gone. She is also in charge of the garden planning this year, so she’s been spending a good bit of time lately poring over seed catalogs, deciding what will work best for us, hoping for a better crop than last year! We saved some seed from last season, and a few days ago placed a seed order for those we didn’t have. We’re eager to get our little plants started!
If you’re looking into seed, we HIGHLY recommend two seed companies. The first is Baker Creek Seed Company. They’re based out of Missouri, and have an incredible selection of heirloom seeds (some beautifully colored fruits/veggies). The other is Bountiful Gardens. They’re on the west coast (California, I think), and they also have lots of unique and wonderful heirloom seeds (including Luffa – you can grow your own bath sponges! kinda cool…). Both companies use open pollination, and guarantee most of their stuff to be GMO/pesticide-free.
- One of our Easter Egger chickens has FINALLY begun laying. They’re 7-1/2 months old, which seems a little late for them to just be starting, but we’ll take what we can get. Now, the other one needs to catch up with her sister. Below, see why they’re called “Easter Eggers.”
One of these eggs is not like the others...
(that’s a blue egg…I think the camera flash washed out the colors a little bit)
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Especially with home-raised, fresh eggs.
We eat lots of eggs!
I’ll end with a video of the Bubby. His 1st birthday is coming up soon – February 19th. We’ll have a special blog post for that day…
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll bodes well for the two Republican candidates who have been running behind, and ill for the two who have been on top.
The poll, which was conducted between February 2-6, shows Santorum gaining big ground. Voters were asked, “If the Republican primaries were today, who would you vote for?” Among only Republicans, Santorum has gained five percentage points (18%, up from 13%) since the last poll a month ago. Among all Independents and Republicans, he’s up four points – with 16% of the vote. Romney and Gingrich have 29% and 19% of only Republicans, and 28% and 16% of Republicans and Independents, respectively.
Santorum’s gains are big news in the media. Those, combined with his three primary victories Tuesday, have generated talk that “Gingrich is old news; Santorum is the new anti-Romney.”
But the most striking news is that which is being almost completely ignored. In the same poll, Ron Paul has made national gains even more significant than Santorum’s.
Among only Republican voters, Ron Paul is now polling at 21% – a gain of five percentage points, just like Santorum.
Copyright 2012 Nathan Bechtold - http://theozarkhouse.wordpress.com
But, unlike Santorum, this gain has placed Paul beyond Gingrich (who lost one percentage point), into second place, and within a mere eight percentage points of Romney (who lost one percentage point). If this trend continues, April will present Ron Paul in first place, with Santorum trailing, Mitt on his heels in third place, and Gingrich completely irrelevant.
Paul’s gains are even more evident in the poll of Republican and Independent voters.
Copyright 2012 Nathan Bechtold - http://theozarkhouse.wordpress.com
Among those, Romney and Gingrich are down one point apiece, and Ron Paul is up five points, at 22%. This puts him far beyond Gingrich (who is now tied with Santorum in this category with 16%), and only six points behind Romney. If this trend continues, March will show Romney and Paul tied at 27% among Republicans and Independents.
Ron Paul’s popularity has not been the roller coaster ride that most of his competitors have experienced. While theirs comes and goes, his has been on a steady incline since the beginning of the race, and there are no indications that this increase will stop. As his fundraising continues, and as he makes his way through more states, campaigning with his messages of liberty, drastic decreases to the size of the federal government, anti-interventionism, and sound fiscal policy, it is reasonable to assume the upward trend in his popularity will continue, considering that his message has remained constant throughout the race, and throughout his political career.
This is a short chapter, and in it, Congressman Paul notes the strange “coincidence” that the 20th century was the century of central banking, and also a century saturated with global warfare.
In reality, as he aptly points out, central banks supply, in the most extreme cases, an endless supply of money and credit to governments so that they can wage frequent, long wars, and punt to future generations the inflation they caused.
It is a well-known fact that poor monetary policy in Germany led to World War II. After the severe reparations placed on the German nation because of their defeat in WWI, the government began printing money to such an extent that the period between 1921 and 1924 has become the classic example of hyperinflation. The instability helped fan the flames of unrest and resentment among the people, and led to the rise of Adolf Hitler in the late ’20s and early ’30s.
A few good quotes from this chapter:
Franklin Roosevelt…went even further [than Hoover] in destroying the nation’s money system. He closed the banks, made private gold ownership illegal, and dealt a massive blow to what was left of the gold standard. The New Deal did not end the Depression. Unemployment was as high before World War II as it was in 1932, and incomes and productivity had actually declined. But the Fed was more powerful than ever, standing ready to fund yet another war.
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Imagine an irresponsible teenager with an unlimited line of credit. The parents, teachers, pastors, and authorities in his life are ultimately powerless to change his habits. Now imagine that teenager armed to the teeth and also immune even from the rule of law. This is what we have with a government backed by a central bank.
We have some very exciting news about a new addition to the Ozark House!
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Kate and I are excited to introduce you to OZARK!
OZARK is a male English Shepherd - our new friend and farm dog
After much deliberation and soul-searching, I (Nathan) decided that it was time for a farm dog. Plenty of online research led me to the English Shepherd breed. This is a fairly rare breed that has only recently been making a comeback thanks to the hard work of some devoted breeders. We have become interested in heritage breeds here – raising heritage American Mulefoot hogs, and growing a garden full of heirloom vegetable varieties – and the idea of helping preserve and expand a breed of farm dog made perfect sense to us.
English Shepherds were originally bred as versatile dogs that would do a variety of work on early American small farms. They herd and guard livestock, they protect the animals from predators, and they are devoted and loyal to their owners.
As the multifaceted farm disappeared and food production became industrialized in America (you know, so that we could eat obese cows and pigs and chickens that have been overfed grain in confined spaces, and so we could burn corn in our gas tanks), the need for such an animal disappeared, and subsequently, the breed almost vanished. We will be keeping Ozark “intact” so that, provided his temperament is of breeding quality, the breeder from whom we obtained him can use him to continue to fortify this wonderful breed.
The following description is from the English Shepherd website:
English Shepherds are descendants of the Shepherds’ dogs of England and southern Scotland. This group also gave rise to modern “show” Collies and Border Collies. English Shepherds differ from their cousins in having been bred primarily for an upright, loose-eyed herding style, and by the continuous selection for all-around ability. These abilities include not only herding but also guarding and hunting. The surge in popularity of dog shows and sheepdog trials in the 20th century resulted in increased demand for the Collie types which these venues were designed to showcase. English Shepherds have never been primarily show dogs or trial dogs, but rather practical versatile workers for farmers who were interested in function rather than flash.
We got Ozark in Oklahoma City, on our way back home from my brother’s wedding.
He peed on me the first moment I held him. A perfect way to bond.
He is a very sweet puppy, and has already taken a particular liking to Saylor (which might be because they are almost the same size).
Ozark = eager. Saylor = unsure.
Saylor’s not sure what he thinks. But I know in time he’ll come to love this new important member of the Ozark House.
"Mommmmmm!"
As Ozark learns the ropes of the farm, establishing himself as the leader of our animals (and recognizing me as his leader), we look forward to him helping with the morning and evening chores, returning wayward livestock (hopefully he doesn’t have to do that much), protecting the chickens from dirty ‘coons, and hunting varmints.
Welcome, Ozark!
