Old Farmers' Wisdom

My old (by the which I mean, matured like a fine wine) high school friend Linda recently posted these elements of old farmers' wisdom on her Facebook page. I think they're worth repeating, even if you've heard some of them before:

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance. (Politicians, too)

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.

Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge. (I'm carrying a pretty big grudge, as you know if you read my zodiac post, so I guess I'm failing on this one)

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached. (A point lost on many hyper-religious types)

Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

Don’t judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life … then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.

If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you. (Heaven knows I've thought about it)

Most times, it just gets down to common sense. (Except in Congress)

Have a good day. And if you criticize farmers, don't do it with your mouth full.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

The 30-Day Writing Challenge: A Quote I Try to Live By

There's a new meme floating around the blogosphere - the 30-Day Writing Challenge*. I first heard about it from fellow blogger John, who has started in with it on his blog, and I figured that, if nothing else, it would give me a few ideas for those days when no particular idea seems to leap out at me.

The Challenge gives you 30 topics, some of which are very interesting and others of which are pretty odd, but the one I thought I'd start with is #17: "A quote you try to live by." Those of you who have been with me for a while ought to know that one: it's Bilbo's First Law:

"Never let anyone else do your thinking for you."

In the current religious, social, and political atmosphere, it's all too easy to happily swallow the half-baked ideas that are shouted at us every day: by extremist preachers, screaming heads of talk radio and extreme TV, shameless advertising moguls, and true believers of all types. Today, more than ever, it's important to think critically and be skeptical. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, but nowadays evidence tends to be based less on facts than on that which we really, really believe, whether it can be proven or not. You have to keep an open mind, but you have to be smart about it. As the author Terry Pratchett once wrote,

“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.”

And in the words of science fiction giant Isaac Asimov,

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.”

On this, the first day of my somewhat irregular 30-day writing challenge, keep Bilbo's First Law in mind. I've found it to be a good, easy to remember quote to live by.

Have a good day. Come back tomorrow for the ceremonial anointing of the Left Cheek Ass Clown for October.

More thoughts then.

Bilbo

* I don't know how, or if, this relates to National Blog Posting Month (November), which I can never do anyhow, since we're almost always traveling at Thanksgiving time and I can never get all 30 days of posts.

Things Your Father Should Have Told You

I ran across a list a while back of 45 things men ought to have learned from their fathers. A few of them are worth sharing:

- Never wear a clip-on tie. This is absolutely true, because they will invariably poke out from behind your collar and make you look stupid. However, if you are a police officer or a MMA fighter, clip-on ties are okay (because you never know when some dirtbag might try to choke you with it).

- Speaking of ties, Brush your teeth before you put on your tie. The reason ought to be obvious.

- Go for women you think are "out of your league." You might surprise yourself. It works ... I found Agnes that way.

- Go with the decision that will make for a good story. I'm the reigning champion of this one.

- Don't let the little head do the thinking for the big head. Not many men pay attention to this one.

- If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. Always hang out with people from whom you can learn something.

And ...

- Don't change yourself just to make someone happy, unless that someone is you. That way, you'll never regret the change.

And the one I would add, perhaps above all others - Bilbo's First Law: Don't let anyone else do your thinking for you. Nowadays, it seems that most people are just fine with parroting what others say, and are too lazy to think for themselves. Don't let yourself be one of them.

If your father didn't teach you these things, be sure you pass them on to your sons. And to your daughters, as applicable. They'll roll their eyes and think you're nuts, but someday they'll understand and thank you.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo