EAA AirVenture

Small (and sometimes strange-looking) airplanes flying over my parents' house near Theresa, WI signaled the start of the EAA AirVenture show taking place in Oshkosh, WI. This is the premiere air show, particularly for experimental aircraft. In a typical year, about 2,500 show aircrafts participate, including home-built ones, antiques, classics, "warbirds," ultralights, and rotorcraft. This year the massive Airbus A380 is the star attraction.

The EAA show is THE major event in the region, contributing to the economy of places well over an hour away from the show. Try to find a hotel during that time. Restaurants hire extra workers; small county airports suddenly are full; enterprising people open up their fields or driveways for parking; tents sprawl over areas. Approximately 800,000 people attend the event annually.

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Not Your Grandfather's Farm

Today I attended Wisconsin's Farm Technology Days with my parents, held near Waterloo in Dodge County. This annual event was hosted on the farm of the Crave brothers who own a state-of-the-art farm. By contrast to my parents' small farm which had 30 milking cows and 80 acres of land, this farm has approximately 2,000 cows and young stock and 1,800 acres. In recent years an on-site cheese factory was added, enabling the family to retain profits rather than simply accepting paltry raw milk prices. The tour revealed automation and the presence of technology in every aspect of the operation. Computerized cow ear tags reveal detailed information about the cow. Special fans with misters automatically regulate the temperature and humidity. Cows were herded and pushed into the milking parlor area in an efficient manner with an automated device. High-tech tractors costing around $500,000 loomed large. The operation was clean and efficient. The farm also has two anaerobic manure digesters that utilize methane from manure, generating enough electricity to power 550 typical Wisconsin homes. The dried solid portion of the manure is being used for livestock bedding and is the main ingredient in a potting mix product. For large farms, it is quite likely that more companies will seek these alternate energy partnerships in the future. This makes SO much more sense than the ridiculous "cow fart" tax proposed by the governor.

Pictured above: The Crave family farm

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Lace of the fields

Lining the edges of our rural Wisconsin road is the Queen Anne's Lace wildflower. Upon closer inspection, one can see the delicate snowflake radial sections - another example of God's magnificent creation.

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Theresa Marsh and farm

This picture was photographed from the Theresa Marsh in southeastern Wisconsin. The farm on the hill is where I grew up, in the family homestead since 1858.

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Sandhill Cranes

Often times on our walks we see sandhill cranes congregating in the fields or flying above. Their call is not melodic but is rather loud, definitely announcing their presence. Wisconsin is one of the major summer breeding grounds for these tall grey birds who prefer open meadows, grasslands, and wetlands - making the Theresa Marsh (part of the largest freshwater marsh in North America) a prime spot.

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To my sister and others serving our country

This posting is dedicated to my sister Sherri serving in Iraq and all the others who have served our country, both in war and peace time.
As Sherri's Facebook profile states: "Remember… only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom." ~Author unknown

We're proud of you, Sherri.

Also on this photo is my niece, Amanda, daughter of Sherri. She has also joined the Armed Forces.

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A Cow Fart Tax?

If politicians have their way, soon farmers will be charged for the flatulence emitted from their livestock. Otherwise known as the "cow fart tax," this proposed law would require farmers to pay as much as $180 per livestock head, varying on the amount of methane flatulence the type of animal produces - more in the case of dairy cows. My brother who owns these elk in the above photo, could get charged over $100 per head. Both large farmers and the nearly extinct small farmer will be severely punished, to the point of financial ruin. This is on top of decreased milk prices and rising costs of production. Who will benefit from this law? Definitely not the farmer nor those businesses related to agriculture. Certainly not the public, who will see a rise in costs of dairy products.
I'm all for the idea of reducing greenhouse emissions, but singling out the farmers and unfairly punishing them for flatulence is simply abusurd. Perhaps Busch's Baked Beans will be next....

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Rolling Wisconsin Hills

I snapped this picture on top of one of the hills I traverse on my daily walks near my parents' home in Wisconsin. From here, one can see other rolling hills planted with various crops, small farms, marshland, and Highway 41. Increasingly, one can also see large windmills in the horizon - one of Wisconsin's few reliable alternate energy sources.

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Hear it Grow

Over the past few days we've had some warm and humid weather here in Wisconsin. Going past the corn fields on my daily morning walks, I can see a marked height change in the corn. What looked like puny corn last week is now over knee-high in some spots! It is said that in ideal conditions (such as the hot, humid weather we had), one can actually hear corn grow. I've never taken the time to actually test this, but I can definitely verify it amazing growth spurt.

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Nothing Runs Like a Deere

When visiting a Tamil Nadu farm during the harvest festival of Pongal, a young girl was all to eager to show us their John Deere tractor. Having been raised on a farm where we owned John Deere tractors, I immediately took notice. It wasn't the first trademark green & yellow tractor I had seen in India. Indeed, John Deere has a manufacturing plant in the Western India city of Pune. This should help make the price of the tractor cheaper (vs. importing) and also make parts more available - that is, if they are needed.

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Last night in Chennai

It's a Friday evening, the last day of school. Walking home from the principal's house, I thought about the scenes that wouldn't be part of my framework for a couple of months - men selling coffee from their bicycles, whole families riding a motorbike, women zipping by on their scooters wearing a sari, the selling of coconuts on the corner, a field full of passionate cricket players, auto rickshaws, girls walking hand and hand, wearing salwar school uniforms, the man ironing clothes using charcoal iron. All these things have become a part of my everyday life.

Tomorrow evening I'll be in the quiet rolling countryside of Wisconsin with my family. What a change.

Until later.

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Produce at Your Doorstop

Now that you've had your cooking gas delivered by tri/bicycle, purchasing some vegetables is the next task. Although you can go to local stalls or grocery stores, your neighborhood might also have a vendor wheel up his cart piled up with colorful produce. Now that's convenient!

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Cooking Gas Delivery

In India, bicycles & tricycles are a common utilitarian vehicle. They can navigate through narrow lanes and congested traffic. As a definite plus, they don't contribute to the serious automotive pollution plaguing cities. This tricycle was parked in front of an apartment building in my neighborhood, delivering canisters of cooking gas. Each empty canister weighs 12 kg, so you can imagine what kind of load these skinny guys pedal around the neighborhood.

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Samosa Street Food

Traveling around India, one of the cheapest eats can be found at the stalls or directly on the street. Samosas is one fried food that can be found throughout India. In the predominantly vegetarian South India, the inside of the pastry is stuffed with flour, potatoes, onions, spices, fresh coriander, and green chilis. Some vegetarian samosas also contain peas or mint. While these fried snacks might not necessarily be the healthiest, they are definitely quick, cheap, and filling. And that's a good thing when you'd rather spend your money on textiles and crafts!

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Supreme Court Ruling on Marriage

Now that we're entering June, the traditional "wedding month" in the US, this newspaper article in a local Chennai paper caught my eye.

On Thursday the Indian Supreme Court ruled that "girls above 18 years of age can live or marry with anyone of their choice." Parents, the ruling continued, may not like the marriage, but at worst they could sever ties - ruling threat, coercion, and torture as inappropriate.

The case in question involved a Hindu woman and her Muslim husband, who were harassed by police and after her parents put forth a complaint along with threats. After conversion to Islam and marriage, the woman's parents forcibly brought her back and made her marry a Hindu. Escaping, she returned to her husband. Her parents and the second husband then launched a complaint of kidnapping against her Muslim husband.

One of the teachers at my school just got married. She is Christian and he is Hindu. This caused deep strain and strife in both families, most of whom did not attend the marriage. Financial backing for the wedding was also withheld. Even for college educated individuals, arranged marriages are still the norm. Choosing your own partner is uncommon, and marrying outside of your religion is considered taboo for many. Those that choose to break these norms face difficult challenges. In a country where tradition and religion are so ingrained, it will be interesting to see if marriage practices actually change.

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Ice Cream vendor comes to my neighborhood

Yea, I know it's a far cry from the ice cream vendors every few feet on Belgrade's walking street, but seeing even one ice cream vendor on my street was something to take notice. The small bell and call got my attention. Like many vendors here, his business is wheeled around in a converted tricycle. This vendor stopped to sell an ice cream bar to the coconut seller behind the cart. On hot days like this (102°F, 39°C), I sure hope he got lots of customers!

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Never Too Old For Pussy Cats

Seeing this old woman cuddling the contented cat reminded me of my childhood back on the farm. We were so excited finding the fresh batch of kittens, still so furry, tiny, and barely with their eyes open. We had fun during the spring and summer playing with the kittens, dressing them up in doll clothes, taking them for carriage rides, and just squeezing them. Cats in Chennai are not that plentiful, and those that are around seem to be loved. I can just hear this striped one purr away....

Also notice that the woman has double nose piercing.

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Two are Better than One

This endearing lady in the poor neighborhood next to mine is sporting two nose rings - something I often see, especially in older women. What a smile to warm one's heart!

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Left or Right Nostril?

Going along with a theme, nose piercing is a natural next step. Nose piercing, introduced in India by the Mogul Emperors in the 16th century, is a common practice in all of India. In Hindu girls, the nostril (left for northern areas and right for South India) is pierced in girls as young as five years old. According to ayurvedic medicine, this position aides in childbirth and lessens menstrual pain. Nose piercing is considered a sign of beauty and marks one's social standing. Piercings is one way Hindu women can honor Parvathi, the goddess of marriage. A special nosering called a Nath is worn by brides on their wedding day. The Nath is connected by a chain to an earring or hair and when it is removed by the groom, represents the end of the bride's virginity. The nose ring typically is not removed while a woman remains married. Nowdays though, a nosering can be worn by all women and does not necessarily denote marriage.

This woman is from a village in the Thar Desert near Jaissalmer. She is wearing a gold disc-shaped nose ring, along with henna dyed hair.

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Cherry-flavored or Grape?

Somehow the red popsicle seemed a bit incongruous with the rest of the scene; brightly clad grown women donning chunky tribal jewelry who were trying to sell cheap anklets. But on hot days such as today (when it was 113°F/45°C) I'm sure that popsicle was a welcomed treat...

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