Incoming

Sunday, February 13, 2011

I may not leave home again...

Some speeches and a granddaughter birthday party the last few days - and when I get home, this news:

The last movie theater in Edgar county has closed.
The last public golf course also.
My health insurance company is selling its business to another company - unknown ramifications for our doctors and coverage.
The IL Department of Revenue can't find my withholding payments for half of 2010.
Our 40th Anniversary Eastern Mediterranean cruise with a two-night stop in Egypt is now an Eastern Mediterranean Cruise with a two-night stop in Istanbul. (Any bets on an uprising in Turkey now?)
This piles on the the closing of our Deere dealership and last restaurant in Chrisman, BTW.

Things, indeed, do fall apart.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: John hope you have some speaking engagements in Ontario this year..Not sure what population of Chrisman is but the trend here is the same for quite some time that other than small purchases everybody goes too a big box or TSC ,ect. We have a fairly high density population but we have lost local grade school (200 kids),most rural churches and with larger farms don't know many living on same road to-day where even 20 years ago they where all multi generational farms --don't like it but is reality-regards-kevin; 5:42 PM
JR said...: Thats hope and change for ya!; 6:30 PM

About Incoming

Incoming is a collection of current thoughts on the nature of the profession of farming from the perspective of a farmer/writer (see full bio here).

It will soon become obvious to readers I lean to the middle, specifically toward pragmatic libertarianism: preserving individual liberty and responsibility. Another strong influence is my education as an engineer. Now throw in 45 years as a husband, 41 as father, and 30 as a choir director. Not to mention a life of farming.

As for the humor... what can I say? Stuff just strikes me as funny. A lot of stuff, actually.

The Internet has filled a hole in my life I never knew existed. These posts are brief summaries of what I am finding and how I feel it will affect my (our) world.

The opinions are my very own. It was not easy to think them up, and nobody else can be blamed for them. In fact, most people around me brace themselves when I start typing or open my mouth.

I welcome comments. I am exceptionally difficult to offend, and have learned to try to rectify mistakes or errors in judgment as rapidly as possible. And I have had plenty of practice.

Thank you for reading.

For more help with this blog see the FAQ section (Frequently Asked Questions) below.

Frequently Asked Questions

* How does this blog work - basically? Some philosophical and mildly useful thoughts here and above (About Incoming)

*What's with the abbreviations such as "IMHO"?
Full answer here.

How do the comments work? Click on the "X Comments" at the bottom of the post to add or read comments. Here on Incoming, recent comments are shown in the right sidebar, and I am alerted by e-mail to each one. This is a huge boost in productivity for this two-fingered typist.

*What are "labels"? Labels (often called keywords in other blogs) are an index of topics. To see all my posts on a given subject like "history" click on the label in the sidebar. It can be a convenient way to find a post you sort of remember or see more about a particular subject.

Got a question? E-mail me at:
johnwphipps@gmail.com