Interesting Gifts
Ah, that time of year for gift giving. We buy or make gifts all year long, but a few things come to mind if you’re looking for suggestions.
Joel Salatin’s new book, Folks, this ain’t normal, A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World, is an excellent choice for that budding locavore or person who just needs a little shove into the vast world of Real Food. I think it’s Joel’s best book yet, and ironic the first book that he didn’t self publish. If you have followed Joel, you know one of he and his wife’s early brainstorming ideas when they were younger, were plans were to make a million writing a book and then come back and retire to farm. Luckily for us it worked out the other way! They made a farm successful and then wrote the book! An excellent read, sure to bring out some good discussions all around.
If you can’t quite hear Joel’s message about farming (he does get on some people’s nerves) and need to hear the message a different way for it to stick, Kristin Kimball’s, The Dirty Life is very good too. I have recently read of a farming couple who I know were adamant about not having animals as part of their vegetable farm, and they read this book, and guess what? Now they want animals! On their farm. Hmmm, it’s the message not the messenger… Either way, both are good books, and on my bookshelf.
In the kitchen, how about a Microplane Grater, I have been giving mine heck lately grating garlic cloves for my breakfast sausage. Now that’s some garlic flavor!
Or maybe some 75th Anniversary Fiestware in Marigold, can a person ever have enough Fiestaware?
On my list is someone to create a Editor-in Chief position for folks placing classified ads. We were discussing this with some friends the other day and we all agreed we were reluctant to buy something from someone who didn’t quite know how to spell the item they were selling.
I have to admit though, while a sad commentary, the ads are a source of humor.
A few recent funny ones from the farm ads I read:
Weathered Boar. I was worried about the old pig until I found out he was actually a goat. It should be wethered Boer. I am a weathered bore…
One horse open slay. Seriously, when everyone is up in arms about horse slaughter!
Fur/Cherry mix firewood. Full Chords. I don’t know about you, but burning hair stinks and is not musical in anyway.
Deluxe Chicken Coupe. Well, I guess, hopefully the hens have their driving licenses.
Gated 1/4 horse. I see this one a lot. I don’t know what the other 3/4 are but I am glad the horse knows about gates.
Seen any funny ads lately?
Food Renegade
Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op
Oh, thank you for the good laugh!
I have been told this is a deluxe chicken coupe:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mapratt#p/u/3/0S2zku_SGmw
Loving the Funny Farm Ads – oh the poor horse and chickens that can drive – ha! I am with you – NEVER can have to many kitchen accessories, dinnerware or linens. Thanks for sharing!
CA, Definitely!
Thank you for the book recommendations and the ads made me laugh
Valri, you’re welcome!
I like the Chicken Coupe. Hopefully it’s a convertible! You know, for the warm summer days and all.
Mike, umm, I’m wishing for warm summer days
I know someone that turned a Porsche 911 into a chicken coup. Would it count as a coupe?
am I supposed to see snow flakes sprinkling over your blog? Or am I having some visual problems?
Jenny, it’s the only kind of snow I want to see these days
WordPress offers it for the month of December.
Good ads. I can’t think of any, but remember a few funny companies:
Rooky Transfer Company – just what we need, a rooky moving the fine furniture.
De Black Eye Care Clinic – talk about specialization – a clinic just for black eyes?
brenda from arkansas
Brenda, Good ones!
Not exactly the same thing, but for years our supermarket left some aisle labels (the ones that hang from the ceiling to let you know what’s down that one) mixed up. The frozen food aisle was labeled: frozen vegetable, pizza, insecticides.
Robin, oh dear, there is a nursery not too far from here that advertises Color Bowels in the spring. I have never had the nerve to pull in and see what they actually are…
AH, yes, just today I enquired about a male dog and the response included the info that he was “nudered”. It’s awfully cold here for naked dogs!
Lucy, poor puppy! My all time favorite was a pickup with steak pockets! Obviously a cattle truck
Gosh, I have seen newspaper articles that left me certain that editors don’t do their jobs any more, either.
It’s sad all over, because heaven forbid that we should hurt someone’s feelings by correcting their spelling or grammar.
Thanks for the chuckle, Matron!
LindaG, I know what you mean, the other day in a national magazine, I saw cattle chute spelled correctly once, and then in the body of the same article the same chute was referred to as a shoot. Of course, shooting does sometimes happen in chutes, but really, were was that editor?
That’s funny. I don’t read the classifieds much (I know, what kind of farmer am I?) but this on craigs list was pretty memorable.
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/pit/933339437.html
And I do get a kick out of how many hugh things there are in the world.
Haven’t read Joel’s new book, but have heard good things from folks I admire and I loved the Dirty Life; it sticks with you for a while.
Maybe you should go for the Editor in Chief gig – your enhancements might do a lot to boost circulation
AMF, that’s a great ad! I agree, The Dirty Life is good, my husband even read it and liked it. You will like Joel’s new book it very good
Those spelling mistakes entertain me:).
Here’s my favourite ad, spotted on our local Craigslist http://wyndsonfarm.blogspot.com/2011/11/rare-beast.html
Karen, hilarious!
Seriously made my morning!
I have to admit that I actually put some material for sale on eBay that I listed as 100% Muslim…luckily my sister read it that same day and called me laughing so hard she could barely tell me that it needed to be MUSLIN…oops. I would be in line for that editor…Thanks for the book recommendations!
Tami, wow, that is a bad one! But it’s easy to be off one key, most are just homophones. I like the cows with soar feet on KFC
Jane’s feet have soared past my ear a couple of times 
Got tears in my eyes reading those ads, so funny!
How does Salatin’s latest compare to his Sheer Ecstasy book? His You Can Farm is one of the best books I know and I’ve got Salad Bar Beef and PPP as well. Those are all good and informative and I’ve liked his style a lot in all those three and the online articles I’ve read, but I found Sheer Ecstasy pretty unbearable to read. It didn’t have much in the way of new information either, and I’d be getting the latest book just for my and wife’s reading.
AA, This Ain’t Normal is better than Sheer Ecstasy but in the same vein with suggestions on what to do about our abnormal food world. You won’t find tutorials on how to raise animals though. Maybe you guys would enjoy The Dirty Life more. Kristin is pretty honest about how she viewed farmers before she met her husband to be and actually had to work. Great story, and in a similar writing style Truck or Coop by Michael Perry are very good too.
I could only read one chapter of Folks this ain’t normal at a time. Pretty full on for Joel even, but all good, I especially liked the property and inheritance tax chapter…
I’m still undecided, but thanks! Maybe I won’t go so far out as to BUY Salatin’s book for Christmas, but I might make a wish and see if Santa comes around…. I like the full on style and I browsed the book website and liked that, it’s just that Sheer Ecstasy seemed so much more forced than inspired and original to me, and that was kind of the difference I was asking about. I thin I’ll go and read some excerpts too. Thanks for the suggestions!
I read the excerpts that I could find and I think I’m getting the book, no, make that I’m definitely getting it. A neighbor apparently started reporting anything we do that he could think of just to get as many inspectors show up here and make as much of a nuisance as possible and so far the authorities have been more than willing to oblige, so I definitely need the cheer. The part in the intro where Salatin writes about the KKK cross and bale burning welcome sealed the deal on the book for me! Thanks!
Just a quick note that I got This Ain’t Normal and it’s excellent, what a great read to have for the holidays! Happy holidays to you too!
We’re reading Salatin’s latest now. His style appeals to us. Thanks for the other book suggestion. Love the ads! Thanks for the laughs.
Cheryl, Thanks!
Yes indeed, I see a lot of “bores” on Craigslist; some are pigs, some are goats, apparently all are very dull company.
Also, “throughbred” dogs “with papers”…not sure how a dog can be registered as a horse.
Quinn, there is an endless supply of goofy ads on Craigslist for sure.
One of my favorites I have ever seen was for a well trained horse who would rain on command! I hope someone other than the owner wrote that one. On the other hand that could be handy in some climates.
CarolG, yes much better than one that reigns
My favorite, from when we were in Oregon was for a “ridding horse”. My husband and I got a laugh out of that because horses are so good at ridding husbands of money!
Also, I am often found yelling at my computer about people who cannot spell here in GA. It’s worse than anything I saw in the NW. I see ads for “Chester drawers”. I don’t know who Chester is, but I sure don’t want his drawers! Or, my favorite, “hores”. I’m never quite sure if they mean in the person sense or the equine sense. Oh, and pure bread. I don’t want a dog of bread or a horse of bread, pure or not, thyvm! I prefer loaves of bread I make here at home!
I used to work at a university. One day I went into the bathroom and found a sign on one of the stall doors — handwritten, of course — that said “flush leek’s.” I couldn’t resist, and took a cell phone picture of it.
If it had 4 doors, it would be a chicken sedan…
i always love when i see a wench for sale!