The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.



The Wisdom of Barnyard Bruke: Tax Time; Higher Taxes And A New Jail, Chuckle Fer The Day; Powerful Short Stories

Greetings ta ever one in western Illinois and all readers of "The Quill".

Much field work was accomplished this past week in our area in terms of turn down spraying and NH3. With a little bit of warmer weather ta raise the soil temperature a bit and there will be some corn planted around these parts.

Easter is next weekend and a time fer reflection. Also, Easter in the past has opened the door fer serious field work.

Tax Time

Tax time fer non-farmers was last Monday, April 15. I hear a lot of complaints from folks who now realize the extra expense Obama Care added to their tax bill.

Higher Taxes And A New Jail

Most folk got their notices recently on how much real estate taxes will go up fer them next year. On top of that, Warren County is argue'n fer a new jail house. That's an enterest'n thought since the present jail house is newer than some homes around here, wiring and plumbing etc included.

The question is, "why should someone that breaks the law live in better quarters than one who doesn't?" A jail should be something anyone should want ta avoid, old quarters aside.

It certainly is expressed by many that with such high taxes, the board would use some spending restraint and carefully examine other viable and economic alternatives!

With that thought on politicians and their sometimes narrow thinking, here's a good one fer ya:

Chuckle Fer The Day

No matter which political affiliation you have, this is truly funny. The good news is she is getting press time. Hopefully the people of NYC will realize what they elected to Congress.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Daylight Savings Time:

"If we change our times with the sole intent of increasing the amount of daylight we receive, that's an extra hour of sun shine that will warm the planet. That's one extra hour per day of extra heat warming our already unstable planet. We need to repeal Daylight Savings Time as a primary measure to decrease the rate of climate change. Less hours of sunshine equal less heat hitting Earth's surface. We're running out of time!

And we are paying this woman around $170,000 plus benefits and a pension for life. Unbelievable!

Powerful Short Stories

Here are twelve powerful short stories that might make ya think twice about the daily happenings in our lives as we deal with folks around us:

1. Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I'm working on for my Psychology class. When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said,

"Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile."

2. Today, I asked my mentor-a very successful business man in his 70s what his top 3 tips are for success. He smiled and said, "Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else else is thinking and do something no none else is doing."

3. Today, after my 72-hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug. When I tensed up, she realized I didn't recognize her. She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and said.

"On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the World Trade Center."

4. Today, after I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the road holding him and crying. And just before he died he licked the tears off my face.

5. Today at 7 a.m. I woke up feeling ill, but decided I needed the money, so I went into work. At 3 p.m. I got laid off. On my drive home I got a flat tire. When I went into the trunk for the spare, it was flat too.

A man in a BMW pulled over and gave me a ride. We chatted. And then he offered me a job.

I start tomorrow

6. Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother's hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died.

She simply said, "I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often."

7. Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed. About 5 seconds after he passed,

I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy.

8. Today, in the cutest voice, my 8-year-old daughter asked me to start recycling. I chuckled and asked, "Why?" She replied, "So you can help me save the planet." I chuckled again and asked, "And why do you want to save the planet?"

"Because that's where I keep all my stuff," she said.

9. Today, when I witnessed a 27-year-old breast cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2-year-old daughter's antics, I suddenly realized that,

I need to stop complaining about my life and start celebrating it again.

10. Today, a boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my broken leg and offered to carry my backpack and books for me. He helped me all the way across campus to my class and as he was leaving he said,

"I hope you feel better soon."

11. Today, I was feeling down because the results of a biopsy came back malignant. When I got home, I opened an e-mail that said, "Thinking of you today. If you need me, I'm a phone call away."

It was from a high school friend I hadn't seen in 10 years.

12. Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He said he hadn't eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating.

The first thing the man said was, "We can share it."

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

And Then There are These Thoughts:

To stop drunk drivers from cause'n accidents and kill'n sober drivers just prevent sober drivers from drive'n. That's how gun control works.

A feller stated his confusion recently. One minute we are told that Trump supporters are uneducated, low income, inbred hillbillies, and the next minute we are told Trump supporters are born into wealth and privilege by virtue of be'n white. It would seen liberals could just pick one?

Young folk are made fun of fer believe'n in Santa Clause but adults still believe in Big Government and Socialism!

Well, that's all fer this weeks column. Hope ya have a good rest of the week.

Hope'n ta see ya in the church of yer choice this week to celebrate Easter.

Remember, where ever ya are, what ever ya be a do'n "BE A GOOD ONE!'

Keep on Smile'n

Catch ya later

Barnyard Bruke