“There are two things you
“have to” do in life. You “have to”
die and you “have to” live until you die.
You make up all the rest.
~Marilyn Grey~

We moved offices this month; I want to alert everyone to the new address on our masthead for your records. Moving certainly is at the top of the list of major stress inducers. We had been in our previous offices for over 15 years, so you can only imagine the amount of accumulation that had gathered. We still had all of the machinery to develop negatives and tools left over from when we produced these magazines in the cut and paste era. I believe we tossed out as much stuff as we moved.

At any rate when you’re producing several different publications monthly it doesn’t take a whole lot to set up a domino effect and blow you off course. We just now are getting back up to speed. It took over three weeks to get the phones up and running because we decided to change phone carriers and our computers haven’t yet adjusted to the new space either. You couple that with the holidays and you get complete chaos. So my mind set is somewhat askew and I’m approaching this Christmas without cards and gifts even sent. The plan is to send cards and gifts in the celebration of the New Year, which surely means I’ve got to the end of January before they all must be delivered.

We all survived the elections and the jury will be out for a long time as to whether our new President is going to be able to make the changes that he promised throughout his campaign or whether it was merely rhetoric like so much that is said when trying to win elections. I’ve decided to wage my own battle against everything that is plaguing our country right now and the only way I can do that is not lose hope. With the bad news that seeps out of the capitol and off the sidewalks of Wall Street each hour it is tough at times not to lose sight of the end of the road. Maintaining hope isn’t a pollyannaish mentality, but a method of progressing and not merely surviving these troubling times.

In that spirit we have provided you some very special articles in this month’s issue. Just as a brush-up for many of you we’ve got a variety of health related pieces by Heather Smith-Thomas that we’re calling the “Cowman’s Spring Review.” I think that you’ll find them worthy of note. For some insight we’ve provided an excellent piece from Wes Ishmael titled, “Same Old Cycle,” that imparts real information on the inventory dynamics of our business. Wes also brings a great article to the table called, “Curly Calf: The Straight Story,” as he addresses an issue that has created major controversy throughout the industry. Hooter is back on board with the Bull Board to coax a smile or two out of you as well.

I’m going to head on down that trail of hope because it is my fervent belief that in the long run only we can shape our own lives and together we shape the world. Those are my thoughts for the trail as I head into 2009. So slip into those warm slippers, grab a spot by the fire and settle in for some special reads. Stay encouraged, stay hopeful and have the best 2009 ever. Happy Trails.