Mourning The Component Stereo System

There was a time when a wall of stereo equipment was enough to impress most people. Names like Altec Lansing and Kenwood inspired envy among friends and one’s status could be measured by the weight of their speakers.

Times have changed of course. My wall of sound now consists of two small Bose desktop speakers and a woofer at my feet. Two heavy stereo speakers serve as sturdy end tables in my office and the component stereo system sleeps inside my television cabinet hoping cassettes will make a surprising comeback.

I have come to the sad realization that my stereo system is no longer valuable or impressive. In fact, it has almost no value at all. I cruised Craigslist and found several folks who were trying to unload their stereos for prices they probably would never see. My favorite listing stated “stackable JVC receiver with am/fm radio, Pioneer 6-cd changer, JVC dual cassette player and equalizer plus two large speakers – paid over $2000 eight years ago but will take a loss.”

My IPOD holds more music, sounds better with headphones and fits in my pocket for $300. I think he will be taking a big loss.

I came face to face with stereo reality last week at Best Buy. I wanted to replace a broken CD player for one of our elementary schools. First the salesman tried to sell me a home theater receiver. Then he pitched the new Blue-Ray players.

“I just want an inexpensive CD player to hook up to a stereo,” I explained. He looked at me blankly and I realized that the store no longer carries stereo components. Even the CD music had been moved to the back of the store and replaced by video games.

Strange as it may seem, they did have a turntable at the store but it was made to convert scratchy records into digital files.

The big speakers were meant to impress but it was the turntable that showed folks how serious a person was about music listening. A stacking turntable was considered low class. The showoff turntables were fully manual and heavy so they wouldn’t vibrate when your neighbor cranked up his mega-stereo. Cool turntables also had lights and gadgets that allowed the owner to carefully adjust the speed but very few people ever did.

My favorite stereo component was a graphic equalizer. It had lots of lights and announced to everyone that I was a very serious audiophile. A better description was probably audiodork but aren’t we always the last to see that?

If there is one thing I miss about my stereo system, it’s the pleasure of opening a new album and just listening to it while I read the liner notes. There would be listening parties in our college dorm rooms when someone bought a new album release. Now kids download the album and share it within 5 minutes.

Like an old set of golf clubs or that Yashica SLR in the closet, home stereos are too good to throw out but worthless to anyone else. That explains why garages have amazing sound systems. The stereo was headed for the trash but didn’t quite make it that far. Instead it provides a soundtrack for weekend projects in the workshop.

My favorite Craigslist posting summed it up very well – “amazing Kenwood stereo system, wife says it must be sold, will trade for tools.”

Searching For A Home On The Range

Shortly before we moved from Indiana to Texas, I bought a pair of cowboy boots. It just seemed like a good way to celebrate a new job and a big move to the Lone Star State.

Life in the suburbs hasn’t offered many opportunities to get my boots broken in. We took some dance lessons and I dusted them up at the animal barn a few times but I couldn’t convince a Texan that I had actually worked in those boots. Don’t get me started with the cowboy hat in my closet.
That’s why I have decided to start a cattle ranch. It’s time I did something Texan and what’s more Texan than being a cattle rancher?

I began with a website called ehow.com and an article appropriately titled “How To Start A Cattle Ranch.” Looking more like a recipe index, the page listed ten items I would need to start my ranch: lasso, chaps, ten gallon hat, cowboy boots, cattle, land, fencing, fence posts, a cattle brand and a horse.

I already had the boots and hat so it was time to search for land. Collin County acreage is out of my price range so I have chosen the 100 acre Bar S Ranch in Thalia, Texas just south of Vernon. I am confident that I can pay off the $180,000 after my first cattle drive.

Step two instructed me to purchase a herd of cattle at the auction. I needed just a bit more information so I paid a visit to Kenneth Bolin, the only person I know who owns cattle. His 42 acre farm borders Luther and Anna Mae Bolin Elementary School (named after his parents) and his cattle can often be seen grazing near the school property.

Mr. Bolin recommended I start with 30 cows and one bull. My idea to add a few more bulls to the herd would bring me nothing but trouble, he said. Speaking of trouble, he also suggested I stay away from horns as in longhorns. Black Angus is a good breed and won’t eat you off the land like some others, he offered. Herefords and Brahmas are also good breeds for this area.

Search for the cost of cattle online and you will need an A&M extension course to understand it. There are too many variables to explain so let’s say 30 heifers will cost me $500 each. From what I’ve read, don’t look for bargains when buying your bull. I found one for $1000 and the ad says he’s quite popular with the ladies.

Keeping them healthy and keeping them fed is the key to running a good cattle operation, according to Bolin. Unfortunately good weather and some good luck are also needed if you plan to make any money at ranching.

“You shouldn’t let the grass in any one pasture get below 4” so that it has enough size to capture moisture and grow back,” explained Bolin. “If we get a drought and the grass turns brown, you will need to supplement with hay.”

Hay is a big expense on a ranch. A load of hay to feed 30 head of cattle might cost $6000. There are cheaper options but cheap hay doesn’t lead to healthy animals. Hay prices also go up when availability is low.

It wasn’t the cost of hay that eventually scared me out of my cattle ranching dream – it was the medical discussion. Aside from being experts on the calf birthing process, cattle ranchers need to spot behavior that might signal serious problems like bloat. There are over 100 different cattle diseases listed at cattlesite.com and some don’t sound real pretty.

I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer to break in those boots although there was a sheep ranch for sale in Quanah that looked like a real bargain.