Day 333 - That's Half & Half Interesting

It's an interesting thing to think about our interests. Not our best interests mind you, but more along the terms of what we're interested in and why. Wow, I just used a variation of the word 'interest' four times in two sentences. That has to be some kind of record, right? All of those 'interests' and not a one deals with the banking definition of the term. That's impressive in itself for someone who spent nearly eight years in the financial industry.

That's just harsh, Mr. Larry David.

Ok, back from my little side rant now. I've been thinking about the concept of our interests lately, particularly when and why they form? Also, whether or not the interests we develop as a child remain with us throughout our lives? I mean, when I was a kid, I was super into the Ninja Turtles. Of course, so was every other child of the eighties. Now though, I couldn't care less. However, the opposite is true in some aspects. For example, I was really into NASCAR even before the boom period of the late nineties/early aughts and that still remains today.

Ellie, as I'm sure every toddler does, is very rapidly developing her own likes and dislikes, as well as things in which she is super interested. Chief among them for the time being seems to be cows. Despite her inability to mimic what a cow says (you know, not "Baa"), she still has a love for them that defies all logic for a child of her age. That was clearly evident after the 26th reading of our library book, Find a Cow, Now. Lucky for Ellie, Bethany's job at DFA has allowed us to procure a multitude of cow-based periodicals over the years. Also, lucky for Ellie, one happened to show up the same day we returned Find a Cow, Now.

Allow me to introduce you to Half & Half Magazine. DFA's newest magazine is essentially a mix of a recipe book and stories about farmers. When it arrived in the mail on Friday, neither Bethany or I gave it much thought at first. At least, that was the case until Ellie stumbled upon it. From the time she first cracked the pages, she's been enthralled by it. Seriously, the girl has spent upwards of fifteen minutes at a time perusing the pages just staring at the combination of food and cows.

Why yes, that is a lasagna on the cover.

Of course, Ellie's intense love of sharing has resulted in her wanting to share her affinity for Half & Half Magazine with her mother and I as well. Multiple times a day, Ellie will come to us with her magazine in hand requesting we partake in it with her. That pretty much leads to Bethany or I sitting down and describing pictures to her in detail. 

"Look at that, Ellie. It's a quiche. Oh, what's that you see? Why, of course, it's an article about the love of lasagna. What do you see there? That's coffee. Your aunt is obsessed with the stuff but you're way too young for it, Ellie."

Of course, it goes without saying that Ellie's affection for the magazine completely changes once pictures of cows come into play. Basically as soon as we reach those pages, Ellie will grab hold of our hands and "encourage" us to lovingly stroke each picture of cattle. For the record, these aren't touch-and-feel pictures either. They're just regular old color photos printed on recycled paper. The good thing about Ellie's current love of cattle is that it makes it relatively easy to keep her entertained. Especially when you consider it really just takes an agriculture magazine to do so.

Oh, the irony of a stack of books sitting by Bethany's feet as they instead read Half & Half Magazine.

Honestly, I'm hoping Ellie's love of agriculture continues throughout her childhood, teenage years, and on into adulthood. Even though we don't currently live on a farm, Bethany and I both have a deep appreciation for agriculture's role in our lives stemming from our respective childhoods spent living on farms. Hopefully Ellie will grow up with a hint of understanding for the role of agriculture in everyday life as well.

Or, you know, at least continue to be entertained by simple photos of cows. If nothing else, it'll make long car trips easier someday. #DaddyWrite