-Posted by Isaac

Big news!

Becky had her baby!

Little Louisa Mae made her appearance, 7 lbs, 4 oz, late Wednesday evening. Everything went well and we’re happy to welcome another bright shining light into the family.

We see big brother Arlo is still shouldering the important work of the world.

And very soon (today, actually) Becky and Justin will be right back on the Tilley Farmstead. Not missing a beat.

They stopped by on Wednesday. Here’s Becky, heavy with child and still farming just hours before heading up to the hospital.

I thought that was kinda funny.

And she’ll probably be right back in the brass choir this Sunday.

Arlo has picked up the trumpet. He’s a prodigy, of course. Right beside this prodigy mother. In fact, last week we decided he was good enough to get a chair. Not yet first chair… but he’s still ahead of me somehow.

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you know Becky and Justin. They run an organic farm about a mile from the bee farm. Sometimes I think about it, and it’s inspiring. They’re doers. They’re thinkers, builders, creators, idealists. Smart people.

The world needs more of them. And their children are going to be smart people.

Hopefully, cross your fingers, those smart children can work on some smart solutions in this problematic world… because yes, we’ve got a few problems. You name it. From climate change to WTF politics.

It’s much harder to hoodwink smart people.

It’s much easier for smart people to face facts and take action.

I’m in several science /environmentalist /activist groups on Facebook. (Because, you know, I care.) And the thing that gets me is how often and how hard the members lay into people who have the audacity to procreate. People like me with my four kids. They really put the guilt on.

And being a condemned procreator, I’ve never had the nerve to actually comment on one of the threads, but what I want to say is, hey, you’ve got the wrong target! Yes, it’s a big mess we’re in, but no, it’s not the fault of people who have children. For God’s sake, children are our only hope! It’s the fault of people who have dumb children. We need the smart ones! If you don’t have smart parents creating smart kids, then you’ve really got a problem. Have you ever seen Idiocracy?

(LANGUAGE DISCLAIMER on that video.)

Think about the world to come if smart parents don’t do their duty.

I take a look at my own kids… they’re beautiful! They’re awesome! (At the very least, above average.)

All highly intelligent, and bound to save the world in their own way.

And me, I’m your average dimwit. What happened?? I’ll tell you what happened. With one smart move, I did my own saving of the planet—I picked the right girl. Jayne! That’s it! She’s keeping us out of idiocracy.

When average dimwit meets exceptional, the progeny are bound to be above average. I progenied up! And I have no doubt that my progeny have the capacity to mate well and smarten the world even further. All four of them.

Man, now that I think about it… we should’ve had more!

The environmentalists can shove it.