EDITOR'S NOTES

Why is it a farmer can run a $300,000 harvester but can’t turn on a dishwasher? Why is it parents and kids can work nine months on a 4-H steer project day after day, but after six hours in the hot sun during the quality show at the county fair nobody cares who wins anymore?

I’ve been ruminating for awhile now on what is growing in my neighbor’s field. I’ve never seen plants like that before. I drive by it at least twice a day and it bugs me that I don’t know what it is. I tried an internet search with no results.

And then I realized something important about my son, my husband and the whole bloomin’ family – it’s not their fault. Their outrage gauge is broken.

Think of a time when you walked in someone else’s shoes. And I don’t mean when you forgot your muck boots helping a neighbor sort cows. I’m talking full-on “I’ve been where you’ve been” type of a thing.

So, I’m wondering if it’s better to choose randomly or wisely. My husband prefers to choose wisely. “We can’t burn those tree limbs today,” he says, “it’s too …” hot, cold, wet, dry, early, late – there’s always a reason.

I am curious – a dirty sponge. Unfortunately, experience doesn’t always teach me to discern which bits of news are worth being curious about – so I’ve chased a few squirrels, as it were.