CALF_News_December_2020_January_2021

20 CALF News • December 2020 | January 2021 • www.calfnews.net cials need to be allowed to do theirs. Our insistence on butting in arises from the instantaneous opinions derived from use of our internet and cell phones. A lot of government issues are none of our business, stem- ming from the fact that we as a population are not educated experts on every single issue. We mostly are worker bees and need to accept that there is nothing wrong with simply going to work and doing our jobs well. Let’s get over it. When Can the Working Class Come out of Hiding? On October 15, 2020, someone torched a combine, two semi-trucks and trailers loaded with corn, a tractor and a grain cart in a cornfield near Sutton, Neb. The damage amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The combine had carried two Trump flags. The following morning, phone lines in our area were buzzing; we are no longer safe on our own property. Was this the work of Antifa, or the guys in the back of the school bus? As of now, we don’t know. The world has changed for the worse in the past five years; it seems respect for others is dead. This is the worst kind of bullying I can think of. Happiness I enjoy the old TV show, Monk. It is about an obsessive- compulsive detective struggling for a normal life. In the pro- gram is a Barney Fife-type character named Randy Disher. He is a loyal and honest deputy, a hopeless nerd whom everyone finds easy to laugh at. In one episode, someone asks him how he can stand the ridicule and function normally; he must hurt badly. Disher replies by saying that, yes, it used to hurt. But he was changed one night when he was called to the scene of a horrible auto accident. On the license plate of a wrecked vehicle, he saw the words “Happiness is a Choice.” Don’t lose the importance of the analogy. The wreck is 2020, Disher is us , and the message on the license plate is the responsibility we have to take care of our own needs. We all make difficult choices in our lives, and I cannot think of anything harder than deciding to be happy. Life just beats us down in too many ways. But, if we are going to be productive people with meaningful lives, we need to put our shoes on in the morning, go outside and work at the life we chose. And we need to feel good about it. Enjoy your family, your cattle, your farms, ranches and faith. This is still America and that is the one thing to which we are legitimately entitled. Afterthought: I am remiss to be totally negative about all things. Some good came from the dreaded school bus. I read more books on that bus than anyone in my class, perhaps anyone in the whole school system – literally hundreds. It enabled me in later life to become a writer. My obsession with cattle grew as I kept close tabs on every cow herd along that miserable bus route. I found them all fascinating. I expanded my vocabulary and learned how to keep my mouth (mostly) shut. There is good to be found in almost every uncomfortable situation.  HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE Continued from page 13 GYPSYWAGON Continued from page 5 Betty Jo Gigot bjgigot@calfnews.net Also, in the good news column is that longtime CALF News contributor and best friend, Baxter Black, has released a set of audio books called Baxter Black’s Rodeo Re-Ride . Available as a CD or a digital download, it’s ready for those of you waiting at home for COVID-19 to go away or for those rodeo riders on their way to the next event. It’s great listening. Personally, this issue really carries sad news with obituaries of several of my longtime friends. Dr. Bob Hummel was a mentor; Dallas Horton was in my life for what seems like forever; and Bob Josserand was a close personal friend. I had known Jackie Winters over at Bar G since I was a traveling salesman for Lexton. Rest in peace all of you. And there are still questions to be answered. What really happened to Don Lewis, Carol Baskin's husband from Tiger King ? For that matter, the same goes for Jeffery Epstein. And have you been dispensed camping yet? It seems that’s the new way to camp, which apparently is pitching a tent outside a designated campground. My grandfather would be on board. Merry Christmas.  New Product Haybuster Launches H-1135, 11-Foot Tub Grinder Upgrade Haybuster, a subsidiary of DuraTech Industries Inter- national, unveiled its H-1130 Haybuster tub grinder. This 11-foot tub grinder quickly became an industry staple in the hay and corn-grinding market. After years of success, Haybuster incorporated many upgrades based on customer feedback and new technology. It continues to provide what customers like and delivers what today's customers want. Improved features and benefits include the all-new belt drive featuring a simpler, low maintenance drive that can handle the big horsepower. Super Single tires and rims allow more machine weight capacity with higher transport speed. Electronic governor controls eliminate manual valves and offer a smooth, more reac- tive tub feed control. The governor also helps with maintenance schedules by monitoring both grind hours and total job hours. For more information, call (701) 252-4601 or visit http://www.duratechindustries.net/. 