I guess one would say that the weather is here today, but gone tomorrow. One day last week it was over 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The next day it was just above 30 degrees and snowing. How is anyone to remain healthy with this kind of weather?

The almost non-existent winter has wreaked havoc with everyone’s system. We never really had the ground freeze solid this year and I hear the lake is not frozen either. I am not sure what this type of weather will do to our crops.

The maple producers are making the most of what they have been handed tapping their trees early and harvesting the sap that has been running these last few days. We are not sure what will happen here either. If the trees bud, that is the end of the season. That would mark an exceptionally narrow window of production that will not be good for the maple syrup producers.

I spotted my crocuses in the yard on Friday. They were in full bloom. That sent me to my diary from last year. Last year I had crocuses on Feb. 28 so that is not such a big difference as I thought. The weather was a lot colder last year however so I am not sure what that says about the crocuses. I was very happy to see the pretty purple blossoms. That means that spring cannot be far away.

Of course, the days are getting longer. Now when I look outside when I get up I can see what is going on. I also can see during the evening hours for a longer period of time. As the calendar changes from February to March we all are wondering if it will come in like a lion or a lamb. I am betting that it will come in like a lamb this year since the temperatures are forecast to be up near 60 degrees.

We have to take whatever the weatherman gives us and like it. I have noticed that area farmers have been out plowing the ground getting ready to plant things. That is a hopeful sign. I think farmers have to be some of the most hopeful people that I know. They plow the fields, plant the seeds, and hope for the weather to match.

As I opened the farm paper this morning my attention went to the pictures drawn by youngsters that represented a segment of farming that was important to them. One showed a field being planted. Another showed the home, the barn, and the back forty. Other pictures showed various machinery used on the farm.

Those children drew what they knew about and were proud of it.

Years ago I had a couple of boys who could make a tractor out of almost any line segment that I provided. I did something that I called “creative design.” I gave the children a line segment and told them to draw something. After they finished drawing they were to write a story about it. I think the fact that we could see the farmers working their fields by the school played a part in this. These two boys looked out the window frequently. Each morning when I arrived at school they asked about what my husband was doing on the farm so I kept them up-to-date.

All of these things turned my thoughts to the idea — What is farming? I found a poem – the author is unknown — titled “A Farmer’s Creed.” In honor of all of the farmers out there I share this poem with you.

A Farmer’s Creed

I believe a man’s greatest possession is his dignity, and that no calling bestows this more abundantly than farming.

I believe hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person’s character.

I believe that farming, despite its hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honorable way a man can spend his days on earth.

I believe farming nurtures the close family ties that make life rich in ways money can’t buy.

I believe my children are learning values that will last a lifetime and can be learned no other way.

I believe farming provides education for life and that no other occupation teaches so much about birth, growth, and maturity in such a variety of ways.

I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free; the splendor of a sunrise, the capture of wide open spaces, and the exhilarating sight of your land greening each spring.

I believe true happiness comes in watching your crops ripen in the field, your children grow tall in the sun, and your whole family feel the pride that springs from their shared experience.

I believe that by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking from it, an honor that does not come to all men.

I believe my life will be measured ultimately by what I have done for my fellow man, and by this standard I fear no judgment.

I believe when man grows old and sums up his days, he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life he’s lived.

I believe I farming because it makes all this possible.