Change Happens...

Its been a very full new year for us here in upper Middle TN. Brian and I have had one meeting after another it seems, and when you add in the kid's events we haven't have five minutes to ourselves as the piles of "tax stuff" in my room can attest to.

I have just returned home from an overnight stay in Nashville, this one for doctor stuff. You might have been at the Capital too much if the Legislators and Lobbyist are starting to ask you if you are there doctoring or farming...

I got to interact with my elected officials at the hill today and watch several of my physician friends do the same. I was really struck by how some of the doctors approached the visits like a lecture with a rigid set of talking points, while I took a more laid back approach. Who knowns which way is better, but I liked mixing in talking points with asking about Mums and making it to state playoffs in Basketball. I admit that I have known my Legislators for a lot longer though.

People - most people - are so busy that they don't take time to get to know their officials and then they expect the legislator to automatically take their position for an issue if something ever does move them enough to call or write.

Our state legislators work long hours, sit through boring and often confrontational meetings to keep our Government going and I thank each and every one of them for it. While I know that I may not agree with every vote they cast, at least I know that my concerns represent a personal face and story to them when I call. I can be grown up enough to agree to disagree on issues as well. I think more people in America have forgotten that critical fact.

Here in America, we are rapidly forgetting that we exist in a government of the people and by the people, and when the people are more interested in their facebooking and texting maybe we the people should reevaluate what that says about us as a whole.

Over the last year, there has been a ton of information put out about Health Care Reform... but after taking some time and thinking long and hard about it, I really think we need patient reform. Americans have forgotten that without an investment from them in the relationship with their doctor there will never be good medicine. And Doctors need to take time to listen to the patients complaints. But that means that patients need to come in focused and not with a laundry list of complaints and forms to fill out. Patients, especially those on government subsidized health care need to be made more accountable for their treatment, and tort reform should have been the basis of health care reform from the start.

How do you fix a broken system that is forced to order 20% of all MRIs in "defensive medicine"?

So even though as I sit here typing with a massive headache, I am glad for my fast paced life and for the work I do for my passions - agriculture and medicine. I fear that today's generation - my generation - is one that thinks someone else is going to take care of the issues and I can just live my life.

I have to counter that with something my Grandfather told me, "If you did not do any work for it, don't complain about it."

Hoping for brighter tomorrows... I have three here at home that need them.

Been reading a new book...

For Mother's day my kids got me the Pioneer Woman's cookbook, and for those of you that don't know - Pioneer women runs a blog and website about being a city girl and mother of four on a working cattle ranch in Oklahoma. She is a blast. My family was amazed that I know who she was when I opened my book and even more amazed when I actually cooked the food. But, I really respect her down to earth opinions about her life and how she has adjust to it. I can feel for her - especially when she talks about her husband coming home covered in cow S%$# from working cattle and her love a wrangler butt - after all that was one of the first things that I had noticed about my husband....

But, like Pioneer Woman, I have really come to respect my husbands love of our land and our farm and our children. Given my day job, my husband has had the job of being with our kids most days too. I went back to work with both of our youngest too when they were each three weeks old - and my Farmer feller took our daughter to work cattle the first day and then to the hay field then next. All of my children have been on our farm since they could walk. They know what a squeeze chute is for and when to stay out of fields while Daddy cuts hay. And they love to play in said hay till they get caught...

I think that I have talked alot in this blog about the importance of being political active but now as there are critical issues facing Agriculture in the Congress, I think becoming active for our way of life will be more important than ever. Because, even though our operations are different, I hope that you can tell that both the Pioneer Women and myself are passionate about our homes and farms or ranches in her case. We want our children to have access to this way of life and bills like the CAP and Trade, Immigration issues, and the EPA navigational waters act will affect how we can run our operations and how our families will be able to keep doing what we love. So, if you have a love for your land or like me - have fallen for a fella who has made you in turn change from a "organic loving high heel wearing" girl to well - whatever I am most days - a country doc with farm kids who have a T-ball game tonight... Get out and have an opinion