Last Tuesday many schools closed because it was too cold. So, like many other families in Northern Indiana, we went to the Fort Wayne Farm Show. We had a van full as everyone was able to go this year. It is a great deal since a per vehicle parking fee is the only cost of admission to the 200,000-square-foot exhibition with 1,100 booths.

For the kids it’s like Halloween in January. They scope out the best candies and promotional products from all the booths. It becomes a competition for them. This year, however, we said no to more yard or walking sticks as we have a plethora from years past!

Dad and I are always on the lookout for products or ideas that fit a project we are considering or something that would make farm work easier. Google is great, but it is always better to put hands on a product we’re considering.

Dad has wanted to take everyone to the National Farm Machinery show in Louisville, Ky., for the last several years. This year, we have plans and reservations, so we’ll see how everything plays out. Kids’ activities are starting to stack up, so it might be a smaller group – if it happens at all. In the event we don’t make it to Louisville, it’s nice that it worked out for everyone to go to Fort Wayne.

Finishing up CEUs

Fast forward a week, and it was time for me to finish up my continuing education hours for my restricted-use pesticide license. Licensure requires 20 hours of education every 5 years. I am in my last year and needed 4 more credits.

The last couple of years, I have chosen the virtual option over driving to the site. It works out okay, but the downside is I spend all day behind the computer monitor concerned about missing the digits (presented randomly) that are the required password to receive credit. Somehow, I survived, got all the numbers to the password, and even answered the presentation-based questions correctly.