Laptop

I've driven to Galesburg 3 times in the last two weeks. I'm starting to get to know my way around town. I know where the Farm King store is, as well as the used paperback store. It's a nice town, but I really didn't intend to spend so much time there.
We (Son #2 and I) bought a new Toshiba laptop computer before his semester started last fall. Shortly after getting it home and all set up, it began to act up during boot-up. He took it back in to let the Geek squad look at it. They did hardware and software diagnostics and couldn't find anything wrong. After it was back home awhile the same problems continued. It would freeze up during boot-up, not boot at all, or when it did boot, it would freeze occasionally during use. Very frustrating! We waited until semester break and tool it back in again. They sent it to St. Louis for diagnostics and ended up replacing the hard drive. Which meant all data was lost and after we got it back, all programs had to be reinstalled. And it still didn't boot consistently, in fact it got progressively worse. We took it back to Best Buy. Guess what, it started fine in the store. They accused us of not knowing how to shut it down properly. Right!
So after discussing the situation with Toshiba tech support over the phone, they suggested we take it to an authorized service center. Which happens to be in Galesburg. We dropped it off there and after much diagnostics they ended up replacing the mother board. When I picked it up a week later and brought it home we thought all would be well. No such luck! The time and date changed every time it was started which played games with the antivirus and spyware software. I spent a couple hours on the phone with the Toshiba tech support trying to change the BIOS and downloading new BIOS and various other things. Nothing worked. Finally he told me to take it back to the authorized service center.
It was back to Galesburg and the very helpful tech guy agreed to work on it while I waited. And waited. After checking it out, he spent 40 minutes on the phone with Toshiba tech support and they could not resolve the problem for him. He thinks the new motherboard is also corrupted. He suggested sending it directly to Toshiba and letting them fix their own problem so we wouldn't have to drive to Galesburg anymore. I agreed.
So, we are waiting for UPS to pick it up and take it away.
Stay tuned . . .

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
I Thes. 5:14

Roses

The old farmer remembered Valentine's Day and bought a dozen roses for the wife of his youth. He also bought a rose for daughter #2 because she thought she would be left out. Future Son-in-law bought a dozen roses for daughter #1. Future Son -in-law and daughter #1 bought roses for future Mother-in-law. The old farmhouse is full of roses!
Make note that roses smell better than pigs.

Daughter #1 cooked a Valentine's Day meal for the family tonight. Root Beer pork chops, gnocci, green beans, and homemade cherry pie.
The way to a man's heart . . .

Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
Isaiah 13:7

Illinois Politics

I get the opportunity to talk to business people from other states from time to time. Lately, when they find out that I'm from Illinios, the topic often turns to our former governor.
I ran across this interesting article the other day in a farm paper. I think it does a pretty good job of describing how Illinois government works.

Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield, Illinois; one from Chicago, another from Tennessee, and a third from Kentucky. They all go to examine the fence.
The Tennessee contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. “Well”, he says, “I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me.”
The Kentucky contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, “I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me.”
The Chicago contractor doesn’t measure or figure, but leans over to the Democrat Governor’s staffer and whispers, “$2,700.” Incredulous, the staffer whispers back, “You didn’t even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?”
The Chicago contractor whispers back, “$1,000 for me, $1000 for you, and we hire that guy from Kentucky to fix the fence.”
“Done Deal!” he replies.
And that, my friends, is how it all works in Illinois politics!

Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
Isaiah 56:11

Last Week

The week started with Ted's funeral. It was a blessing.
It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
When the choir (which I was asked to sing with) stepped out of the door on the leeward side of the church, it was into beautiful, warm sunshine. But as we followed the casket back to the cemetery, we realized that there was still a raw, biting wind reminding us that it was still winter. It is hard to sing when you are shivering from the cold.

On Tuesday we went to the Illinois Pork Expo at the Civic Center. Hog production in Illinois has declined ever since the fiasco of 1998, and as a result the trade show and attendance has shrunk. Its good to keep up with the latest in the business and to meet up with old friends and business contacts we have made over the years.

On Wednesday, I went to an all day seminar on the government programs that affect us in the new Farm Bill. As the restrictions tighten on who is a farmer, who gets payments, and how much we get, the government wants more and more personal information about us. Big Brother is definitely watching! The really scary part is the number of people that have access to our personal information.

On Friday was the Midwest Truckers Convention at the Civic Center. This is fun if you like to see fancy big rigs and lots of chrome! Since all of our grain and livestock eventually gets trucked somewhere, there is a lot of good info on all facets of the trucking industry. We currently own four trucks, but would like to get a tractor-trailer rig and get rid of a couple of our older trucks. So we were also doing a little shopping.

By Saturday the weather was reminding us that its not always cold here in Illinois. The temperature reached the glorious 60's, melting most of our snow, but turning our lots and barnyard into a muddy mess. The reprieve from the long cold stretch was welcome, but it is still early February, so we could still see a lot of winter. In the evening it was down to Tremont to spend some time with our daughter's future in-laws. An enjoyable meal and a time of fellowship.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Today we served lunch in church. The old farmer's wife did a good job again planning, baking, and purchasing the lunch. We had plenty, which means we have boxes of sandwiches, donuts, bars, and cookies leftover for the coming week. Not the healthiest of food, but good tasting none-the-less.