NPSAS unites folks

I everyone--I'm home again.  WOW--was it ever a fantastic weekend!  The children managed the farm while Robert and I went to Aberdeen, SD for the organic convention.  The name of the educational organization for organic farmers, in our part of the world, is called Northern Plains Sustainable Agricultural Society.  I can' even count how many years we've been a member of this organization but we'd be so lost without them. 

 Farmers tend to stay home a lot as their farms ARE their lives.  This can lead to isolation and a sense of despondency.  Truly many farmers are depressed and some have committed suicide.  A big part of the annual convention, then, is to touch base with other organic farmers so that we know that we're not alone out there in the struggle against the chemicals that surround all of us.  I have heard it said that we're adrift on a sea of chemicals and that THIS, plus all of our stress, is what's killing us.  When I'm with other organic farmers, I am the strongest, as these are the folks who fight the same battles that we do every day.  It was VERY uplifting and I came home strengthened.

Here are a few pictures that I took while at the convention.  I was pretty busy with soaking up all of the information that I possibly could, OR visiting with friends, so I didn't think much of taking pictures. 

This was a special moment though that I had to capture with my iPod.   Every year the organization votes for one of it's members to receive the "Steward of the Year" award.  This family is one who puts forth great effort to help preserve the Earth from the surrounding vultures.  This year Dennis and Dianne Shill, from up by the Canadian border, won the award.  That's Dennis in the yellow shirt but I'm not sure why Dianne wasn't able to be with us.  I sure did miss visiting with this sweet woman of the soil.

 We were sitting at the table with the Jacobsons. who are dear friends of the Shill's. when the award was announced.  You would have thought they had received the award themselves as they clapped with gusto for their friends.  Janet Jacobson is seen in the red jacket.  Janet and her husband, Terri, have led NPSAS for many years through all sorts of trials. 

 Robert and I were pleased to meet these 2 old buddies.  We had lunch with them both days and we really enjoyed visiting with them.  These man had hand shakes like the ones that I used to get in church as a child from those old German farmers.  I mean that, when they shook your hands, you knew that you had been greeted by a REAL man. 
How do I know that they're good buddies.  Well, Kevin with the black hat, shared that David with the green hat, milks his cow for him when he wants to go away.  Then David said that he milks her in the stock trailer because she's so mild that she doesn't mind him getting in close to her.  You can tell how mild mannered a man is by how mild mannered his cow is.  These 2 men added such delight to the conference for both of us! 

 In many ways, the best part of the conference was the fund-raiser auction sale.  People donated items and then other members bought them.  The best seller was a gorgeous triangle dinner bell that Dennis Shill had created in his shop and then donated to the cause.
  The bidding was stiff and I thought that our friends, the Hoffmans, might get it but they stopped bidding at $625.  That's right, that dinner bell sold for $650!!!!!!!!!  Emily S. paid $350 for 10 pounds of garlic which Steve Zwinger had donated so she was the second highest bidder of the night.  Her son, Ben, added a lot with a pair of socks made from the wool from his sheep.  That pair of socks brought $220 to the organization.  One other big sale for the group was 20 straws of semen from a bull that this guy has and that sale was $700.  We talked to Steve (who is an old friend of ours and was one of the auctioneers) right before we left and he estimated that the sale made NPSAS $4,000.  WOW!
Although all of that bidding was too rich for my blood, I very happily paid $75 for a cute old-fashioned wash tub full of organic produce.  Then, too, there was the book DEEPLY ROOTED which tells the story of the Podell family of North Dakota.  My only regret about the weekend is that I never got a picture of Theresa and myself as we go way back through many hard times.  I love her so!
One special part for me was when I bought this basket, the auctioneer said, "Sold to the lovely lady who has been bidding on all of the baskets tonight."  I just laughed.  It made my day to be thought of as a "Lovely lady!"

 After the sale, we headed for our room as it was a VERY long day and we were VERY, VERY tired.  Here Robert is checking out the schedule for the following day.
Have I ever talked about not sitting on the comforters in hotel rooms?  They say that they are one of the very largest collectors of all kinds of pathogens.  All kinds of people sit on them in all stages of dress so, do yourself a favor and do NOT sit on the bedspreads in the hotel rooms that you stay in.  It's also a good idea to keep your socks on for the same reasons.   

 I guess I should have opened the door to get this picture but I really didn't want to as there were lots of people out by the pool.  How we got a pool side room, I'm not sure, but we did.  I'll just say that it's a good thing that we were really tired as people were out there making lots of noise until very late and then, early the next morning, they were cleaning with something that sounded like a loud vacuum cleaner.
Anyway, Cora would have loved this pool as they have a huge frog slide.  Little people can climb through the back end of the frog and then slide down it's tongue into the shallow end of the pool.  You can see his big pink tongue in the background.  Closer to our room was this round green tube which squirt water on you.  On top were these 2 huge frog eyes staring at you.  I think you can make them out here.  It was very cute.

I guess you can see what's next on my reading list.

Truly the most remarkable thing about the weekend, came after the convention.  I believe that I've shared that I've had people praying for and doing sessions for my dad and my relationship.  Well, when I woke up Friday morning, this thought went through my head, "Maybe you would like to go and see your dad on the way home from the convention."
I talked to Robert about it, on the way to Aberdeen, and he said that he would go along with me if that was what I wanted to do.  I prayed a lot about it all weekend and felt led to take this step towards a relationship with dad.  I'm glad that I did it but I don't want you to get your hopes up.
Robert and I agreed that Dad is still the same jerk that he's always been.  After he got over his shock that I would actually come to see him, he said to me, "WHEN DID YOU GET GREY HAIR?"  That's my dad--always doing his best to help me feel good about myself.
Dad never greeted us and didn't say a word to Robert--his only son-in-law.  I did learn from him that my younger brother, Rick, is planning on getting married this Summer.  His speech was very slow but his brain was right there once he worked through what he wanted to say.  I kept doing cortices for him (in my mind) so that he could collect his thoughts better.
The only thing that seemed important to him was for us to meet his girlfriend.  I had heard, through a text from Duard, that he has a girlfriend.  It must not be too serious, though, as he couldn't remember her name.  I guess she pushes him around in his wheelchair when he wants her too.  Robert said on the way home, "Even in his old age he's a taker!" 
I did ask the CNA if we could meet his girlfriend for dad's sake.  She went and checked and found that the girlfriend, whom we learned is named, "Alice" , had gone to sleep already so Harvey didn't get his wish.  All in all, we stayed about 20 minutes with the man who is my biological father.  He, pure and simple, is an old, wretched man who was so pathetic that I couldn't help but lean over and kiss his forehead when we were leaving.
HOWEVER, I told Robert as we left the nursing home, "So many times I have wished that I could work on those old heads that Cora takes care of in the Napoleon nursing home.  I am going to pray and see if God wants me to start working on MY old father's head."
Robert sent me a warning glance which I knew meant not to get my hopes up of ever receiving Harvey Delzer's love when no such love exists. 
Still, I have seen BodyTalk do all kinds of miracles.  PLEASE URGENTLY PRAY THAT I HAVE PEACE ABOUT WORKING ON MY DAD OR NOT WORKING ON MY DAD!  All prayers are appreciated.
Best get lunch ready now.  Thanks, once again, for listening.
Dawn