Detasseling.

            Such a simple word, but it brings back memories of early morning bus rides, clothes soaked from heavy dew on  the stalks, sweltering heat, and a hefty paycheck.

            I learned a lot of life lessons during those few weeks in the field: responsibility, hard work, pride in a job well done, and the value of money. I appreciated the tangibles I had been given. I started weighing the pros and cons of every purchase, discovering the importance of budgeting and money management.

            My daughters learned those same lessons when they spent summers walking through rows of corn, a baby step toward independence.

            But it’s possible that a simple summer job – and even farm work – may not be options for teenagers, thanks to updated child labor regulations coming from the federal Department of Labor.

            Based on proposed rules, persons under 18 would be prohibited from carrying out basic farm jobs, unless the worker is a family member; however, the exemption for family members wouldn’t apply if the farm is incorporated or a partnership.

            Those age 16 and under would face a laundry list of restrictions, including not operating power-driven machinery unless a parent or guardian supervises, bans handling non-castrated livestock older than six months, a cow with a newborn calf or sows with suckling pigs, and forbids involvement in any work where an animal may act unpredictably.

            Young workers would not be allowed in a grain silo or storage bin, they couldn’t work with pesticides, and they cannot perform any work at a height above six feet, including working on a ladder.

            Oh, and these young workers would not be allowed to talk on a cell phone or text while operating a tractor. Isn’t this particular ban common sense?

            Detasseling isn’t expressly listed in the proposed regulations, but prohibiting workers under 16 from toiling in extreme temperatures or grueling conditions is part of the suggested directives.  Sounds like detasseling fits the bill.

            The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health presented the recommendations to the Labor Department, saying child labor laws in the agriculture sector have not been addressed since 1970.

             It’s an issue of safety, according to the group. Statistical data reports that in the U.S., one child is killed in an agricultural work setting every three days. Daily, 41 young workers endure serious farm injuries.

            While I believe most of us would agree that safety of all workers should be a concern, there’s something disconcerting about the proposed laws. Primarily, how will the proposed regulations affect the family farm, the bread-and-butter of our agrarian-based society?

            What happens to the multi-generational family farm when children aren’t interested in farming because they never had the opportunity to work on the farm?

            How will the Department of Labor enforce the rules? Spy on every farm operation across the U.S.?

            Will we raise a generation that does not know the true meaning of work because they never had to help with chores?

            Smells like a steamy pile of manure to me.

            A bunch of hogwash.

                “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”

                Even though Mother Teresa’s words should resonate at any given moment, the need to feed friends, neighbors, and even strangers grows stronger during the holiday season.

                As unemployment and underemployment affect more families in the midlands, lending a hand – or in this case, any non-perishable food item or even a cash donation – to local food banks and pantries is one way to share a bit of holiday giving.

                Since 2008, when the financial and economic crisis crippled our nation, the ripple effect has caused a tsunami wave of hunger, leaving a path of unhealthy destruction in its wake.  Grocery prices continue to skyrocket. Families are forced to choose between healthy but expensive fruits and vegetables or inexpensive but dietary-poor foodstuffs. If money is tight, which would you choose?

Welcome to an era when one in seven households in the United States are tagged as “food insecure.”

What does “food insecure” mean?  Based on USDA reports, food insecure households are uncertain of having or unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all family members because they have insufficient money or other resources for food.

A recent study from ConAgra Foods Foundation, Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Nielsen reports approximately 20 percent of children in Nebraska and western Iowa under age 18 are at risk for hunger. That’s over 92,000 children from our state who don’t know where their next meal will come from.

Food banks and pantries across the state report increases in usage, with some agencies seeing as high as a 40 percent rise. Lincoln’s Salvation Army reports the organization has gone from assisting 3,000 families per year to over 13,000 in one year. Unfortunately, the trend appears that it will continue to grow.

Nebraska’s largest food bank, Food Bank for the Heartland is based in Omaha and serves 93 counties in Nebraska and Iowa. In 2010, the nonprofit organization supplied over 7 million meals. Over 300 food pantries, non-profit organizations, soup kitchens, and shelters depend on Food Bank for the Heartland for supplies. But, supplies can’t keep up with the demand.

The nation’s breadbasket is empty, and the crumbs won’t silence the pangs of hunger echoing through Nebraska.

It’s important to remember that hunger is not just a holiday season dilemma. It’s a year-round problem that needs to be addressed.

At some point in a person’s life, they’ve faced some type of adversity, needed assistance to recover. And in some instances, they may have let pride stand in the way instead of accepting any support.

But when residents must choose between purchasing medicine or paying the utility bill or spending money for health care or fuel to get to work versus putting food on the table for their families, how do they decide which priority ranks highest?

It’s time for action, especially as the holidays approach and shelves empty. Consider a donation to the local food pantry, even if it will only feed just one.

Getting Naughty in Nature  A pdf file of my article in 2: The Couples Magazine.

                From my notebook…

                Call it the Heroes Game, if you like, but if you were anywhere near Memorial Stadium on Friday, you know the game should have been dubbed “The Battle of the Bibs.”

                Granted, I grew up seeing Husker fans sporting the red and white vertical-striped overalls. Even on road trips, seeing Nebraska faithful bedecked like a peppermint candy cane is a common sight.

                But those black- and gold-lined bibs reminded me of a giant bumblebee buzzing around downtown Lincoln, b’gosh.  And, quite a few Iowa fans seemed to wear them.

                You have to admit, this game provides an interesting contest between neighboring state universities that have only met a handful of times. But, where’s the allure? Will the matchup ever reach the level of the “game of the century”? Will the hype measure up to a rowdy Ralphie the buffalo running across the field? Does Thanksgiving in Iowa City have the same ring to it as Thanksgiving in Norman or Boulder?

                I heard plenty of fans from both sides of the field talk about how this yearly meeting will turn into one of the sacred Thanksgiving football traditions. 

                Give it time.

-      -     -

                Last week, I shared my dislike of Black Friday shopping sprees. So where would you find me at the stroke of midnight?

                At Super Target in Lincoln. With Cassie. Staring at a line that wrapped the length and width of the building.

                I agreed to battle the surge of the crazed crowd because she promised we were only purchasing one item. “And mom, the price is right,” assured my oldest child.

                After surveying the massive line, we decided to try a different store. We ventured to a different Target and were pleasantly surprised to discover we wouldn’t have to stand in line to enter the store. No, we breezed in, grabbed a cart and found the item in question.

                Score!

                As we make our way to the checkout line, a friendly store employee tells us that we’ll need to follow the red arrows.

                The checkout line covers the store’s inside perimeter.

                After we’re told it could take ninety minutes or more to reach our final destination – the cash register – we calculate what our time is worth.

                Sure, she’s saving 75 hard-earned bucks, but moving at a snail’s pace while others push and shove to jockey for position is not worth it.

                Oh, and next year, someone please remind me why I’m going to tell her “no” to the shopping trip.

-      -     -

                District one-act competition heats up this week as local thespians take center stage, competing for a coveted spot at the state contest.

                District performances showcase months of preparation on stage and behind the scenes. It’s the finale, the culmination of every single cast and crew member working toward a shared vision.

                Northeast and North Central Nebraska are dramatic hot spots! Since 2005, schools from these regions have combined for 53 state appearances, with several schools bringing home the hardware.

                Break a leg!

            The three-chime alarm clock blares through black silence. I peek through bedroom blinds; the orange glow of streetlights alerts it’s too early to be awake on this chilly fall morning.

            Glance at the clock. The red digital 3:00 taunts me to wake up from my self-induced food coma.  A few short hours ago, I avoided the lull of slumber from tryptophan in the turkey, choosing instead to get sauced on jelled cranberries, juicy country ham, green bean casserole, and pecan pie.

            I’m too stuffed – and tired –  to move.

            A soft knock on the bedroom door before it swings open. The outline of an ominous figure holding a Dolce and Gabanna bag looms in the doorway, illuminated by hallway light.

            “You’re not ready to go? We’re going to have to stand in line if you don’t get your bottom line motivated,” Cassie asserts, toes tapping against the tiled floor of her apartment. “We need to drive across town. Who knows how crazy traffic will be!”

            A traffic jam? In Lincoln? At 3:30 A.M. on a Friday morning? Husker football doesn’t kick off for eleven hours. We’re safe.

            Welcome to Black Friday, the traditional day-after-Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza that turns prim and proper grandmothers into crazed lunatics battling over the latest gadgets and toys.

            Black Friday signals open season on the biggest bargains, and customers, well, they come with both barrels loaded. Outside supercenters and mega-malls, shoppers congregate, prowl, and stalk the prey, er, deals, while waiting for the double doors to glide open gracefully. Steam rises in the brisk morning air while these creatures lap cappuccino and camouflage themselves from the other hunters of bargains.

            They have their game faces on and game plans (newspaper circulars) in hand.

            At the precise moment a store employee is seen moving toward the entrance, the shoppers spy the moving target or doorbuster. Take your pick.

            Black Friday didn’t always involve retail frenzy. On September 24, 1869, when stock market concerns led to plummeting gold prices, the panic was dubbed “Black Friday.”

            When Santa Claus was the last entry in the1924 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, store owners pedaled Christmas goods the following day and the phrase stuck.

            In 1939, retailers approached President Franklin Roosevelt about extending the holiday shopping season. Roosevelt answered by moving Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November. Many Americans disliked the idea, calling the holiday “Franksgiving.”

            It wasn’t until the 1960s, when consumers crowded stores the day after turkey day, when the term showed up in newspapers across the country. By the 1990s, Black Friday signaled a nationwide retail holiday, the biggest shopping day of the season.       

            On this cold Friday, our initial stop isn’t crowded, but once we arrive at Kohl’s, the checkout line snakes around the store. The same scene greets us outside ShopKo.

            Ugh!

            I’ve gone Black Friday shopping twice. Never again.

            I prefer waking up at 9, curling up in front of my computer screen, and ordering all the gifts we’re giving.

            That’s my kind of thrill of the hunt.