Breeds of livestock

Horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and swine -- hundreds of photos and breed histories from all over the world. You will be surprised at the variety -- lots of fun, hosted by Oklahoma State University.

I'm looking for a comprehensive poultry site -- if anybody knows of one. I've had chickens before and I've liked them -- entertaining and not too much trouble.

I had a goat once, but I came home one day to find her standing on the kitchen table. Anybody who has ever had goats will believe that story. I realized that I just wasn't smart enough to keep a goat.

Peonies -- I could not locate a good peony slide show on the Internet, but there are lots of websites hosted by plant nurseries. My mother had peonies in the backyard near the gate to the alley. Just three or four plants, but they bloomed every June, and they lasted for almost fifty years. At least they were still growing when mom died and we sold the house in 1996.

When I was a kid, among other chores, Mom had me cover the peonies and the base of the rose bushes with leaves from the oak tree. I did that every fall. That was back in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The ground freezes hard as rock in the Midwest, but the leaves protect roses and peonies from a January thaw and sudden re-freeze.

I recommend viewing the horses and peonies whenever the news gets to be too much. It is good to stay informed, but not good to be obsessive, which is why we say "If you can't help, don't watch."

This is a self-imposed rule for my work at the hospital. The second part of this rule is, "If you can't help, get out of the way."

Do you ever slow down to gawk at the people in the traffic accident? Well, it's wrong. Their pain is not for your entertainment. It's the same with the national news. There's a part of the problem that you can solve yourself, and the rest of it is not in your hands.

More news, and no comment:
Judge sentences noise violators to listen to Barry Manilow...

Speaking of music, I was driving down the freeway last week, punching buttons on the radio dial, listening to this Rolling Stone song, and I realized that I DO NOT LIKE the Rolling Stones anymore. They're too nasty, but I still like Eric Clapton.

Meanwhile, down in Wilson County, Texas, Sheriff Joe Tackitt is putting on his Santa Claus outfit and getting ready to give out toys and presents to all the happy children. Tackitt has a fundraiser every year to pay for this goodness. I used to visit with him often, to get the crime stories, when I worked at the Wilson County News a few years ago.

Tackitt would lean back in his chair and talk about farming and the price of hay and stuff like. He kind of missed being a farmer.