The Charge of the Light Brigade

This weekend I went with my mom to the movie, The Blind Side.  I'm certainly glad she asked me if I would go with her to a movie because this was without a doubt the best movie I've seen in a long time.  One website said, "It has a clear vision of compassion". The story was amazing but actually left you feeling really great, not too heavy, sad, schmultzy or anything else! It is about Baltimore Ravens football player Michael Oher.  Here is a poem that was read in the movie by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.  (Oh and try the book too, I think I'm going to add that to my ever growing reading list!)

Half a league half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred:
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd & thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack & Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter'd & sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

A Farmer's Prayer...........

Although I may not bow my head as often as I should, I'm thankful for the life I lead in this farming neighborhood.

I love the feel of a warm spring shower, and the soft green grass in May. I say thanks when I feel bright sunshine drying out the fresh-mown hay.

I am thankful when I look upon a field of tasseled corn. And I love the sounds of harvest on a frosty morn.

It's such a good feeling at sunset when a long day's work is done, and I like the hours when I work real hard but am working just for fun.

There are times in the life of a farmer when things don't go our way, but although I may not bow my head I am thankful every day.

US Ranchers wRaNgLiNg over LIVESTOCK

*** Yakima Herald-Republic Nov. 28th article featuring local Yakima Valley dairy "George DeRuyter & Sons" and Washington Cattlemen's Assoc Exec. Director Jack Field discussing Livestock ID***

GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic

Celso Alvarez attaches an identification tag to a cow at the George DeRuyter & Sons Dairy in early November 2009. The tags contain a wealth of information that allow the cow to be identified and tracked throughout its life.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yakima County is home to an estimated 286,432 meat and dairy cattle. It's also where the nation's first confirmed case of mad cow disease occurred six years ago. That discovery helped prompt efforts to develop a national system to track diseased animals. Reporter Erin Snelgrove traveled to Australia and reports today on how that nation developed such a program and how efforts are progressing here.

CLONCURRY, Australia -- Dust billows in the sun-drenched sky as 600 cattle charge through the chute. They act as one, a writhing mass of legs and hooves. Flies swarm in their wake, and ranchers stand on alert, ready to jump into the fray if needed.
As each animal passes, its ear tag transmits data that's entered into a national database, allowing authorities to track each animal from birth to death.
In a global economy, where mad cow, hoof and mouth and other diseases can crush a market overnight, the ability to track cattle can be crucial.
In Australia, where 65 percent of all beef is exported, it's especially critical.
"It gives us lifelong traceability," said Ray Campbell, who owns a 26,000-acre cattle operation in Cloncurry. "It gives us the edge in the world market. Australian beef is known as clean and green."
In the United States -- where discovery of a single case of mad cow disease at a Mabton dairy in December 2003 prompted Japan, Korea and others to ban U.S. beef imports for more than a year -- some see the Australian system as worth replicating.
Since 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been attempting to develop a program similar to Australia's.
But not everyone likes what the USDA has been proposing. .........read the rest of the Yakima-Herald Republic article.