The one bad thing about the internet and its massive capacity for information is that it gives voice to any crackpot with the ability to write a few words. A case in point is the vast quantity of misinformation that circulated during this last election. It’s no surprise that even the holiday of Thanksgiving is under constant attack.  

The one thing we do know is that in 1817, the state of New York adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual holiday. By the mid-1800s, other states had also adopted the idea. Then in 1863, President Lincoln decreed it a national holiday by issuing a Thanksgiving Proclamation. Each president thereafter has also issued a proclamation, announcing the celebration on the fourth Thursday in November each year.  Everything went well for many years, but now we can read bizarre things on the internet like those listed below.

1. “In 1620 the pilgrims arrived on the east coast and within two days they had received assistance from the local Wampanoag Indian tribe. The pilgrims stole their stored crops, dug up graves for dishes and pots, and took many native people as prisoners and forced them to teach crop planting and survival techniques to the colonists in their new environment. In 1621 the myth of thanksgiving was born. The colonists invited Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags, to their first feast as a follow up to a recent land deal. Massasoit in turn invited 90 of his men, much to the chagrin of the colonists. Two years later the English invited a number of tribes to a feast ‘symbolizing eternal friendship.’ The English offered food and drink, and two hundred Indians dropped dead from unknown poison.”

2.“Thanksgiving actually revolved around a killing frenzy which got so bad that even the Churches of Manhattan announced a day of ‘thanksgiving’ to celebrate victory over the “heathen savages,” and many celebrated by kicking the severed heads of Pequot people through the streets like soccer balls.”

3.“The Pilgrims never would have invited the Indians to join them. Besides, the Pilgrims would never have tolerated festivities at a true religious event. Indeed, what we think of as Thanksgiving was really just a harvest festival. Actual ‘Thanksgivings’ were religious affairs; everybody spent the day praying. Incidentally, these Pilgrim Thanksgivings occurred at different times of the year, not just in November.” Was Thanksgiving a fast?

4.“The Europeans landed and built their colony called ‘the Plymouth Plantation’ near the deserted ruins of the Indian village of Pawtuxet. They ate from abandoned cornfields grown wild. A Pawtuxet indian named Squanto taught them how to plant corn and how to catch fish until the first harvest. Squanto also helped the colonists negotiate a peace treaty with the nearby Wampanoag tribe, led by the chief Massasoit. Thanks to the good will of the Wampanoag, the settlers not only survived their first year but had an alliance with the Wampanoags that would give them almost two decades of peace.” No killings and no banquet.

So what really happened on that first Thanksgiving Day?  Actually, the celebration lasted three days, not one.  When the Pilgrims invited the Indians, they had indeed underestimated how many were going to show up.  They ran out of food so the Indians went back home to get more.  It is believed that the Indians probably supplied most of the food anyway, even though they were the Pilgrim’s guests.

No one knows for sure what was actually served on that first Thanksgiving Day.  But there was most certainly venison and wild turkeys (there are written references to deer and fowl).  Sorry no mashed potatoes. They were thought to be poisonous. You can also forget the pumpkin pie and apple cider, not available yet. There was probably boiled pumpkin. Also likely on the menu were fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, and plums. It is probably not true that the pilgrims kept Thanksgiving on a particular day each year and that the other colonies began holding an observance on the same day. More likely it became an autumnal tradition to show gratitude for the fall harvest and celebrate victories in battle and other things on a variety of days. Whenever these took place, the colony called for the celebration of “a day of thanksgiving” which no doubt included prayer offerings. They were pilgrims after all.

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and no fighting please!

 

 

It may be a coincidence but it sure seems that there are more hunter-mountain lion confrontations this year than ever. Some of them get pretty exciting. Take these recent incidents.

Matt Smith, 29, of Whitefish, Montana was hunting with his father and brother when they were able to shoot a mule deer buck around 8a.m. November 9^th.  After getting the buck back to the truck, the group returned to an area where they had seen considerable elk sign earlier.

"I was in a heavily timbered area just off an old logging road," Smith told the Daily Inter Lake newspaper of Kalispell, Montana. "I was leaning up against a tree right where there was fresh sign of elk that had gone through the area. I was using a cow call and I was bugling when I heard a twig snap behind me. I turned around and a little less than 10 feet behind me was a mountain lion, belly to the ground, crawling right toward me," Smith said. "It was a pretty instantaneous response, it being that close and being in the attack position it was in."

By instinct Smith shot one round from his 7 mm magnum rifle right from the hip. The bullet hit the mountain lion in the head killing it instantly.
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Over in Wyoming there was a little more frightening story. Kellen Lancaster and his son Adam went hunting on October 7 in the Salt River Pass at the south end of Star Valley. They pulled their pick-up over at the entrance of Water Canyon, unloaded their horses and started riding. Adam spotted some deer not far away from where they were standing and decided to move to a place where he could see if there was a nice buck to be had. Kellen began riding through the trees to push the deer out so Adam could get a possible shot. Before long Adam shot a three-point buck as it was crossing over the ridge. The elder Lancaster told the Star Valley Independent of Afton, WY, “I started to make my way over to the deer to help Adam field dress it.”

When they finished things got scary. “Out of the corner of my eye I saw something. I turned around and on the downhill side of the carcass, stood a cougar,” Kellen said. Luckily Adam saw it too. “I turned and bolted toward the guns. While I was running for the guns, my dad was trying to back away from the deer and the cat,” said Adam. “He tripped over a rock and into sagebrush on his back. In a moment’s time, the cougar jumped and was within inches of my dad’s feet.”

“I heard the crack of the rifle to my left,” said Kellen. “At this point, everything moved in slow motion. The right side of the cat contorted inward. Fur puffed into the air. The cat was forced sideways by the impact of the bullet. I knew it was over.” Adam had shot the cat through the heart.
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 As usual, Minnesota has to get in the act as well. The Duluth News Tribune reported that after tracking a whitetail doe one of them shot on November 10, two hunters in northeast Minnesota were surprised to discover a pair of mountain lions eating the carcass of their freshly killed deer. “When we got there they had both been eating on it. We scared them off, but they kept circling us. They didn’t want to leave,” said hunter and landowner Ted Kline. The hunters did not shoot the cats but they no doubt would have. That old Minnesota hunter I know doesn’t like to share his grub either.

When you drive through the woods to grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner next week…watch your back.

The snow that hit South Dakota last week was a dreadful reminder that the winter heating season is upon us. As we speak, the energy companies are trying to figure out a way to add a little extra to your bills this year as sort of a “bail-out” for them. Over the years there have been a number of ways people have tried to beat the system including wood and even corn burning stoves. I once owned a home that had hot water radiator heat. The guy who owned the home before me was some sort of mechanical engineer. When he put in a new boiler, he left the old one in the circuit and set it up so that it could be fired by a wood burning furnace. You could switch over and heat the entire house by burning wood. It was kind of neat except for the labor.

Granted, corn has recently come back down in price but some believe it will tend to be a little too expensive to burn with the demand of the ethanol industry always at hand. We therefore find wood once again a center of interest for heating fuel. Some years ago I met a professional forest manager who was a great guy to talk to and was always willing to share his interest in trees. He explained that timber values can be enhanced by using firewood cutting as a management tool. The point was that generally you want to maintain the most desirable species in good health and quality. You do that by cutting the less desirable species for firewood thereby increasing the long range value of your timber. At least until this recent bank debacle, some lenders were actually recognizing standing timber as an asset worthy of being collateral for a loan.

Timber intended for lumber represents a low cost, low risk investment. Firewood harvesting can be used to offset the cost of carrying timber throughout the long range life of the investment. But there are very important things to consider and one of those is that wildlife also depends on the forest. If you own a timber or have permission to cut wood please remember that most dead trees are too valuable to use as firewood and may be the last thing you want to drag home. They can represent a tremendously valuable resource for wildlife in terms of food and shelter.

Usually dead trees should be left in the timber even though there is a strong temptation to use them because they are thought to be dry and cutting them “cleans up” the timber. In reality, a dead oak can be as wet as a live one, sort of like a zombie tree. These trees can be very hard on your saw as well as harbor insects that you wouldn’t want to bring into your home. The one exception is a dead red elm which makes fair firewood while wildlife does not seem to use this tree very much. The main thing to consider is that the cutting of smaller, live trees has much less impact on wildlife.

Dead trees also have very little effect on timber growth simply because they are not competing for space or nutrients. In other words, the argument for cutting dead trees to improve timber quality has no merit and the problems possible in harvesting them for firewood aren’t worth the risk. Of course you can avoid all of this by buying firewood at the store but then you would miss a beautiful trip to the woods.

 

 

We were blessed this fall with fairly nice weather in October and early November. You don’t have to look back many years to find snow and ice storms that showed up before Halloween. This has made for nice hunting conditions this season and good weather for other outdoor activities.

The other day I sat outside repairing an old hunting coat when I noticed a Daddy Long Legs working his way along my back step. What an odd little creature. It made me think of my cousin Susie when we were kids. She would have been terrified of it. I would have picked it up and pretended I was going to throw it on her. The chase would have been on…she was such a great screamer.

These critters are also known as Harvestmen and are often confused with spiders. The little things are called opilionids, a family all to itself. It is generally believed that they were called Harvestmen because they usually show up in the fall and were plentiful during the wheat harvest. They often showed up in the straw because they eat many of the little insects that are disturbed when the wheat is cut.

One thing that is obvious is that they have very long legs. If humans had legs in the same proportion, they would be well over 40 feet long. The second pair back carries sensory organs which function as taste and smell receptors. All the legs are used to detect vibrations and avoid obstacles. They do not spin webs because they are not spiders even though they have eight legs. They do not have the waist of a true spider and they have two eyes (instead of eight) which are not side by side but one behind the other on the top of the head. They are fast runners and that’s how they capture their prey. Possessing large and powerful beak-like jaws, they are able to grasp small insects and suck out the body juices of their victims.

Harvestmen are omnivorous and eat whatever they can catch including springtails, little spiders, juicy plant material and even other Harvestmen. They need to hunt every day because they cannot endure long periods of starvation like spiders can. They also become sluggish and stiff if they don’t have easy access to water. The little critters must be decent tasting themselves because just about anything will eat them including centipedes, large spiders and small birds. As a means of defense they can “cast a limb” or detach a leg. The discarded leg will twitch for a few seconds and divert the attention of the attacker while “Ole Daddy” makes good his escape. Chemical warfare is also a possibility. They can secrete a repugnant odor from glands near the front legs. There has been a rumor for years about them being very poisonous. In fact, they produce no venom at all.

During the fall, Harvestmen can be seen wandering in grassy meadows, hiding under window sills or scavenging among damp leaf litter. The one I was watching walked down the riser of my deck steps and across the concrete to the grass. There he seemed to hesitate, turn and wave one of his legs as if to say goodbye. It is sad that my cousin Susie lives so far away. I can almost hear her start to scream even now.

 

 

The election will be upon us next Tuesday. What a wild bunch of TV ads we've had to endure. If you listen to those ads you would have to believe that both McCain and Obama are something just short of the devil. No matter whom you choose to vote for, the United States will be on the brink of disaster and we will either be taxed to death or the rich will be allowed to take everything from the middle class.

The first presidential election I can remember was between Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. On the wall of my classroom was a photo portrait of Harry Truman, the current President who wouldn’t run again. I had no idea who Harry was or what he stood for. He was just the President that’s all I knew. I think a lot of people walking around today know little more than I did then. There was a kid in my class at the time named Vernon Robinson who was a good guy and a friend of mine. All I can remember now is that the other kids were on the playground at recess and they were yelling “I like Ike” over and over. Vernon and I were good tetherball players and that’s where we hung out. We finally had enough. Susan Kline and her toadies were so irritating. Her dad was an active republican who wore a big western style hat. He looked a lot like the guy who is holding on to Lee Harvey Oswald in that famous photo where he is shot by Jack Ruby. Vernon and I marched out proudly yelling “I like Stevenson, I like Stevenson.” There weren’t enough of us.

 The next thing I knew it was 1960 and there was a new election coming up. Eisenhower was on his way out and there was this guy named Kennedy. At the time our schools were very crowded with baby boomers. We had a new kid show up in 9^th grade who was my first Jewish friend. At the time I still didn’t know much about politics. Marty Rothstein was backing John Kennedy and he was the first guy I ever saw who wore a political button. The only button I remember before that was an Elvis Presley one worn by a girl in my class named Cindy Klauendike. The Susan Kline crowd considered her a bad influence. I kind of liked her.

Anyway, Marty convinced me Kennedy was the way to go. Since I was an old Stevenson supporter it didn’t take much. After all, what had Eisenhower done for me? Well, Kennedy won and the rest is history. No matter what your politics, there are certain times when our country feels good about itself. That was one of them. To my way of thinking it hasn’t happened since.

Our election season this year is the most bitterly divisive I have seen. Each candidate has his pluses and minuses and I firmly believe that no matter who wins, our country will be well served. All I would like to point out is that no one should believe that either candidate is evil. Obama will not take your guns away and McCain will not kill the ethanol industry.

There was another guy I went to school with, although I did not know him well. His name was Bob Leonard and he died in a U.S Navy plane crash off the coast of Viet Nam in a war that happened not many years after those school days. His body was never recovered. He doesn’t get to vote this year. You do. Make sure you make the most of it.

 

An old game warden once told me, “You can have 100 birds in your field but they don’t want to get shot you know.” This past Saturday sure proved that point. All indications were for excellent pheasant numbers across South Dakota’s pheasant country. But current crop conditions and the weather put a damper on the opening.

Despite losing over 250,000 acres of good habitat when many Conservation Reserve Program land contracts were not renewed, there were ideal weather conditions for growing grasses suitable for pheasant nesting use on what remained. A fairly mild winter and timely rains in the spring made for good brood count numbers with most areas of the state reporting numbers toward the high end of the ten year average.

Game and Fish personnel track pheasant hunter success across the state each year. This year some of the best hunting was in the southeast region where Game Manager Ron Schauer said hunters were averaging two birds or better in Beadle, Jerald, Aurora, Davison, Turner, and Hutchinson Counties.

Tim Withers, who works out of Pierre, reported hunters took between one and two birds each in the central part of the state which includes areas on both sides of the Missouri River. He did say that there were some areas in the northern part of that region where hunters limited out in an hour.

Scott Lindgren, Game Manager at Watertown said hunters did not do as well in the northeast region. Weather conditions were awful with winds reaching 40 mile per hour gusts in Brown County. These circumstances make for terrible hunting.

Unpicked corn fields make it easy for the birds to simply run around hunters. After all, “The birds don’t want to get shot you know.” It should be remembered that today’s corn fields are much denser than ever before. Pheasants seem to reason that it is better to avoid hunters rather than fly. Those that did choose to fly quickly peeled off with the high winds making then very difficult targets.

Rainy days before the pheasant opening definitely slowed the harvest, but with good weather the crops will soon be out of the field. The best thing is that there should be good pheasant hunting for much of the remaining season. There is a certain mystique to going out on opening day. After Saturday some hunters won’t go again until next year. That leaves many birds for those who enjoy the whole season.

It is estimated that, in recent years, there are over 11 million pheasants in the state before the season opens. In 2007 the estimated harvest was over 2 million pheasants meaning the average hunter shot 10 birds. About 200,000 people hunt pheasants each year in South Dakota. They spend over $200 million pursuing their sport. Despite these incredible numbers, the season has little if any impact on future pheasant populations. The season is designed to maximize the number of young-of-the-year cock pheasants that are old enough to be identified when they flush. The cocks-only season still leaves over 6 roosters for each 100 hens that survive the winter. The roosters should love those odds.

 

 

 

 

Where I grew up most of the kids spent the entire day outside during the summer. At our house we always had cereal for breakfast and maybe some toast. I don’t remember ever having bacon or eggs or anything like that. My brother and I were always after something that came in a cereal box or something for which you had to save box tops. I developed a lifelong love for Grapenut Flakes because, for a time, they came with little plastic cars inside. They were produced in the most unrealistic colors. That you never saw a bright pink Chevy Bel Aire on the street mattered little. You had a new car.

Afterward it was out the door and see what adventure you could conjure up. My problem was that every kid in the neighborhood slept later than I did. I had to wait to see what would happen and that caused me to get in more trouble than the average child. One time I devised an elaborate machine that would be able to lift a tray of treats up to a tree house. It involved a rope, pulleys and a brick for a counterweight. Before I could get it perfected, I managed to have the brick fall from the tree and hit me on the head. My mom could never see the genius in some of my inventions.

When my friends did get up we were going to do one of two things, either play some sort of ball game or bother some adults. You can see the same behavior in young animals. Baby lions will wrestle and play for a while but eventually they will bite the old male’s tale to see what happens. Sometimes what happens isn’t so good.

One of the strangest things Tommy M and I ever did created a most satisfying uproar. My neighbor has a clothesline held up by poles made of aluminum pipe which had an opening on either end of 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Sparrows would always build nests in the pipes and by putting a net over the end we could capture a bird. Sometimes we would see a starling go in to raid the sparrow’s nest. These were the real prize. In those days almost no one had air-conditioning and it was quite common to open the windows and leave the front door open at night to let the breeze in through the screendoor. The homeowners would then relax as best they could. We would slowly sneak up to a house, open the door a crack, and toss in some starlings. Suddenly their house was full of black flying things. People would often start screaming. I sometimes pause and wonder how we ever thought some of those things up.

There was one day we did stay home for a while and that was Saturday morning. Only one kid in our neighborhood had a television and then there was only a test pattern on in the morning. There were no programs at all until the noon news. We listened to the radio and one of the best programs came on Saturday mornings. “Big Jon and Sparky” was a kid’s adventure show that came from Cincinnati and was aired over ABC radio. Sparky, an elfish sounding kid, would generally get in some kind of trouble just like Beaver did years later on TV. The show was called “No School Today” and looking back now must have had some kind of effect on me. For many years thereafter Sparky would often seem to be on my shoulder saying, “Go ahead…do it.”

 

 

 

 

Not too long ago I had the chance to see a controlled burn on a state prairie preserve area. It was pretty impressive in that normally you think of fire destroying things rather than being a positive event. Although the area was relatively small there was a sense of danger about it all. It made me wonder what the early pioneers thought when smoke was seen in the distance possibly sweeping their way.

Can you imagine a prairie fire covering 10,000 acres? The flames would be fifty feet high and traveling as fast as the wind can blow, even 600 feet a minute with a mere breeze. Temperatures would easily reach 700 degrees F. This happened often on the prairies of the upper Midwest. The huge American tall grass prairie stretched from eastern South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas to Ohio, about 142 million acres in size. In dry years it was often a tinderbox.

Early European settlers feared these fires and quickly developed a strategy for survival. They burned firebreaks around their homesteads and also plowed furrows around their houses. Even then it was a practice to always have friends nearby when starting firebreaks. More than one settler was burned or even killed in backfires.

Prairie fires played a big role in maintaining the open, treeless plains. Often they were started by lightning but some historians believe that Native Americans burned large areas to improve pasturage for bison. In the end though, the relatively small number of these people couldn’t have kept the huge grasslands burned and nature was the most likely cause. Including the shortgrass prairie to the west, nearly 40% of the U.S. was grassland. Only 1% of that prairie remains today.

The tallgrass prairie was caused by a hot, dry spell called the xerothermic period which occurred about 8,000 years ago. The period itself lasted for several thousand years. As the climate in North America became cool and moist again, trees tried to invade the prairie. The fires kept them at bay. When man changed the face of the prairie with intense agriculture, the tall grasses almost disappeared. It is only in recent times that efforts have been made to save or restore the prairie lands. Since these smaller areas are so isolated a huge fire can no longer sweep the landscape. If we want to keep trees from invading we have to reintroduce the fires by controlled burns.

There is another reason for burning prairies. Most prairie plants have evolved in the presence of fire and are dependent on periodic burns. Reproduction of the plants themselves may actually depend on an occasional fire. Over 100 plant species can occur in a five acre patch of prairie. The major grasses of the tallgrass prairie are big bluestem, little blue stem, Indiangrass and switchgrass. These grasses can grow as tall as ten feet high and average from six to eight. The reason fire doesn’t harm them is that the soil below harbors dense root systems and bulbs. These roots can extend 12 feet below the surface. Even though the fire burns the vegetation above, the plants easily regenerate from below.

If you get the chance attend one of these burnings. Your state department of natural resources agency will let you know when and where these events are planned. Wear running shoes.

Illinois has become the first state in the country to establish bass fishing as a high school sport. More than 60 schools have entered teams so far and a state championship will be held in the spring of 2009. At first school coaches didn’t think of fishing as a competitive sport for teenagers. But they were surprised by how well the idea was welcomed by students. One high school had 50 students show up at the first after-school meeting. 

Bass fishing has a huge following in the southern states and tournaments draw big numbers and pay high dollar purses. There are also a number of fishing related video games. It is hoped that the sport will attract some students who might not otherwise be involved in athletics or after school activities. Fishing will also teach them about conservation and the environment. In addition parents will have plenty of opportunities to be involved, often as observers in boats.

The Chicago Tribune interviewed Sarah Warner, a Vernon Hills senior, about her previous fishing experience. "It's a good time for us to talk and bond," she said of fishing with her dad. "We go up to my uncle's lake house in Wisconsin and bring food and music." Sarah’s team was in its first tournament yesterday against Libertyville High School at Independence Grove Forest Preserve near Libertyville.

Bass fishing as a school sport isn’t new. A collegiate championship has been held since 2006. But Illinois is a pioneer at the high school level. The Illinois High School Association added bass fishing to its official list of sanctioned sports and activities last year. They expect at least 100 schools will enter the spring tournament. Teams can sign up until Nov. 1.

  Dave Gannaway, IHSA assistant executive director, was quoted as saying "We thought we could get at a whole different group of kids with this." They no doubt will. The two-day bass fishing state championship will be held in May. Team members will be on the water for at least 5 hours each day. The winner will be determined by the total weight of the team’s five heaviest fish.

The Oak Lawn, Illinois school board voted last week to add a bass fishing club with the idea of recruiting more students to after-school programs. Educators generally agree that involvement in sports can boost academic performance, school officials noted. Parents are also happy because it will give them a chance to root for their child who may not be on the football team.

I hope this really catches on. There is some exciting species to fish for in every state. There could be a high school walleye tournament in South Dakota. I’m sure it would be very popular once it got going. Who knows someday students from South Dakota could take on the champions from Minnesota. It may take a few years to teach the kids from Minnesota what a walleye is but then it would really take off.

The upland bird hunting seasons will be upon us in just a couple of weeks. These days hunting is big business in South Dakota with nearly 100,000 nonresidents coming from all over just to hunt for a few days. There are outfitters both large and small to serve these people offering from simple access to land up to luxurious lodges with gourmet meals. There are also thousands of acres of public land to hunt for anyone with a license and the will to compete with others who might have the same idea. But there is one more possibility.

Private land on which the owner allows hunting is still out there as well. Some ranchers and farm owners save land for relatives, particularly opening day, but then there are landowners who allow hunting to those who stop by and ask permission. There are some important rules to follow when we do this.

 Respect is the most important thing to keep in mind. When we ask to hunt on someone’s property, we are asking them to trust us with their livelihood. We are only guests and must remember our place from the time we arrive to the time we leave. First impressions are also very important. When you knock on the door you should be dressed in clean clothes and boots. Blood stains, ammo belts, mud, and a huge knife around your neck will not present an encouraging image. Are you a hunter or a pirate? Your impression to the landowner should be that of a person who takes pride in his appearance and equipment. The landowner will think you can be trusted to take care of his property if you take care of your own. Many landowners are also concerned with the question of liability for accidents on their land. It is important to convey an impression of responsibility and good sense.

If a farmer grants you permission and requests you to stay out of certain areas by all means do so. He or she may have a very good reason and it just might be your own safety. You should also make sure you know the boundaries of the land you have permission to hunt. When you first start out, watch the dogs. Keep them leashed until you reach the hunting area. You don’t want them to bust out of the car and start chasing the chickens or getting into a fight with the farmer’s dog.

When finally out in the field, be careful never to shoot in the direction of buildings, equipment, or livestock. I actually knew some guys who, when standing at the farmer’s door asking permission, turned and shot a cat that darted from underneath the porch.  Also remember to pick up spent shells and never leave lunch sacks or other litter. If you come across a few shells or other people’s litter consider picking it up to leave the land in better shape than you found it.

After you’re done with your hunt, be sure to stop back and thank the landowner. It was a privilege to be there, make sure to let them know how much you appreciate the opportunity. If you offer the farmer part of your game, clean it first. He doesn’t want to do it either. A thoughtful present is fine. Just make sure you don’t offer a bottle of whiskey to someone it might offend. The final thing to remember is: don’t go back too often. The farmer didn’t ask you to become a member of his family.