I am increasingly disturbed at the horrible atrocities committed against innocent people. Why doesn’t God step in and stop the advance of evil in the world? Surely He can do it. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. He knows what is going on, and I am sure it grieves Him terribly.

“You’re going to die.” It was my landlord who said this, and she couldn’t hide all of her smugness in saying it. It was the first of many times we would hear it.

And no, that headline isn’t the start of a cheesy joke. This was my reality every Friday at 1 p.m. when the University of Maryland’s Introduction to Dairy Judging class met this past spring semester.

They say everyone needs a good education. I am educated. My mom home-schooled me, and I graduated when I was 7 years old; she looked at me and said, “Well Tim, that’s everything I know.” An education in farming can come in many forms. A formal education can be bought at many colleges and universities, and many of these schools do offer farming degrees. Generally, these are short courses like a couple semesters or a weekend seminar. Actually, it’s shorter than that. They mail you a pack of seeds, tell you to plant them – even if they don’t grow, you have just graduated into being a farmer.

Throughout my college career, a few questions always lingered in my mind. What did I want to do after graduation? Would I find a job that would make me happy? And would I be any good at it? It’s overwhelming.

Congress has returned to Washington from its summer recess for a brief period to work on the federal budget, before leaving Capitol Hill by the end of the month to campaign for the November elections.

What are you going to do with that BMR you planted this spring? The seed is already in the ground. You put it on your best ground to make sure it would grow. There is no turning back now. The stuff grew; you even sprung for the fungicide.

I have a love-hate relationship with autumn. I love the beautiful fall colors, the cooler nights, the warm days, football and the anticipation of farm life slowing down just a little bit.

Tiaras, sashes and beautiful dresses – doesn’t every little girl dream of becoming a princess? Waving to fans along the parade route, greeting people at events and giving speeches. It’s all part of being a princess.

In January, my fiancé, Scott, started trying to convince me that we needed to purchase the house right next to his family’s business. He plans to run the company someday and having our home next door would be pretty handy, he said.