When an opposing group frightens your government-level representative agency into cowering and hiding innocent information, then the antis have won. How about courage, honesty, and freedom? When will those be represented?

Is the snow finally gone? Let's hope. Two years ago it snowed the first week of May! If global warming will eliminate nonsense like that, I'm all for it! So far it hasn't.

I haven't rode my ATV too much lately. A little bit in the woods. It makes a few strange noises, but that's the nature of the beast. The engine is mounted solid to the frame, the clutch is a heavier, different design that has a bearing on the end of it in a metal clutch housing, and it's air-cooled which makes for some strange harmonics. I've read stories of people going into a panic because of the strange noises. They need to relax. It's no big deal. If something is really wrong, it will show up and be obvious. Like my dad used to tell me with the old snowmobiles: "Don't listen to those noises and ride the damn thing!"

And another calf born yesterday. Normally I take Sunday off, but I went down last night to get the calf and mother in the barn. If it had been one of the old cows I wouldn't have worried about it, but it was a heifer that had never been in the barn before. And since I take Sundays off, there is usually a bunch people helping on Sunday and I didn't feel like getting her in the barn by myself this morning in the knee deep shit in the barnyard. (No less than five people there last night to take the place of little ol' me, I work almost completely alone the rest of the week.)

I have a conflict for next Saturday. I think I will be helping the ATV club clean up the routes, but on the same day is the first work day in preparation for the antique club's show on the 28th. The antique club cleaned up all the old cars and other junk last year, so unless more junk got hauled in there (I rarely ever go beyond the barn, so don't know for sure) everything should be fairly junk free yet. And they are having another work day on the Friday before the show that I will be helping with, plus the show itself. So, unless the weather is bad, or something tips the scales the other way, I will be cleaning routes with the ATV club next Saturday.

I've added a video to the home page. Something I'm experimenting with. I have a lot of home movies, but never really did much with them before because the files are so big. But, between trimming and compressing, and then using Google to display them, it makes them a little more reasonable to view. I've got some ideas about filming a few things, now that I can share the videos more easily.

The Extraterrestrial Highway, one of the most desolate roads in the country, has more reported U.F.O. sightings than any other road in the country.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/travel/escapes/13extraterrestrial.html

"Although it has already taken nearly four decades to get this far in building the Internet, some university researchers with the federal government's blessing want to scrap all that and start over.

The idea may seem unthinkable, even absurd, but many believe a "clean slate" approach is the only way to truly address security, mobility and other challenges that have cropped up since UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock helped supervise the first exchange of meaningless test data between two machines on Sept. 2, 1969."

http://kutv.com/national/local_story_103134443.html

"And nothing sends me into metaphysical theory like UFOs; the otherworldly quality awakens so many questions in my mind. I recognize that art, literature and even the Bible have referenced these lights in the sky, so perhaps they have always been a quality of the Earth’s environment. But then I get lost in what it all means. I know many believe that discovering alien life would solve many issues here on Earth, from global warming to new sources of energy. I know others are expecting a new age, a time of great enlightenment due to making contact with our galactic siblings and guides, when we will literally shift into a new dimension. Some Christians believe that UFOs are signs a malevolent entity, demons or just a force to push them from their path. And many believe we are living in the End Times and The Rapture could come at any moment, when millions of believers will ascend into heaven. And there are those that believe that the winding down of the Mayan calendar is at hand and the end of time, as we know it, is 2012."

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=24203

“What are the odds of them coming here? I mean, just thinking about Roswell, New Mexico, and the alien craft that crashed. That’s funny to me, that these aliens could develop craft that could get from their distant planet to ours and then crash in New Mexico and get herded up by small-town police.

“They have the technology to build this craft, and then they’re captured by Barney Fife, his pistol and one bullet? That story strikes me as a bit odd.”

http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2007/04/13/news/doc461fe46938e19342436925.txt

How old do you suppose the programming on the local radio station was this morning? My old boss was the DJ, and he passed away quite a few years ago! It was a little freaky at first, hearing him on the radio again. Hopefully none of my elder relatives heard the weather forecast. Some of them will put on their shorts and sunglasses, head out and freeze to death! I've seen them fooled by old forecasts before. Unless of course, someone takes them by the hand and explains it to them! Ha ha!

One of the almost 100 geese that roam all over the place and poop is nesting on the outside of the barn window again this year. Last year it banged on the window so much that it broke it out (JR knows what I'm talking about). Now there is a piece of plexi-glass in place of it, so I doubt it will break, but the frame isn't the greatest. I hate geese. The only animal more useless than cats.

Speaking of cats, all the strays running around have been popping out kittens. There's a bunch in the barn, some on my back porch, and who knows how many I haven't discovered yet. I hate cats.

No meeting for me today. I can't imagine any important decisions wee members would have to make that haven't already been made. And to drive all the way around the lake and back this Saturday to talk about what we already know for next Saturday seems kind of pointless.

Another wonderful "Spring" day! Yee haw! I guess I don't really mind the cold so much, other than it makes the grease stiff in the bearings on my bicycle, but I could live without the snow. A little bit to make the ground white at Christmas, and then it can go away. The only good thing about it this time is I know I won't be plowing! Ha ha! No plow.

While I was typing this, Snoopy started barking like crazy in the next room. I went in there to find her with a little toy, and she was looking in the mirror. She was barking at the dog with the toy in the mirror! Crazy dog.

The TV news was saying that Dane County had a lot of their snow removal equipment put in storage already and their mowers out. I know the feeling! April 9th, 1973 we got almost two feet of snow (I remember), so I guess it could be worse.

Another calf born this morning. I'm starting to run out of room! Normally I would put the newborns in one pen, then the older/weaned ones in another pen. But, the ones in the weaned pen are way overdue for putting outside to make room, and there is a bull of that same generation in the little ones' pen. So, when Hell freezes over and the big ones are moved outside there will be room in the pens for the little ones. Right now they're tied up with twine and shitting all over the barn.

While I was putting the mother in her stanchion this morning, the cow next to her kicked the crap out of me! Nothing out of the ordinary, just that it's usually not the cow next to the fresh one that kicks you. It's usually the fresh one!

Speaking of Hell freezing over, what's up with this weather? Now they're talking 8 inches of snow tonight. Right now I have nothing to plow my driveway with.