Madison, Indiana, is in the news regarding a data center that’s likely going to be built at the old Jefferson County Proving Ground. Formerly army land, the owner is selling off nearly 2,000 acres for the proposed building of a massive, 9-building, 7.1 million square foot data center campus.
I’m one of THOSE people… happy it’s not in my backyard.
Pros & Cons…
Supporters estimate the campus could generate roughly $60 million in annual tax revenue for Jefferson County.
Residents have raised issues regarding the project’s secrecy, water usage, power grid demands, noise pollution, and potential fire risks.
Those against the project are repeating they weren’t properly notified. I get that… but I personally don’t think that would’ve changed anything. It would’ve given more time for them to complain and stir people up, for sure.
Change will happen, even when we don’t want it to.
As I sit here enjoying my morning coffee, I also think about the new housing plans for Bethany Road…
Sadly, again, I’m one of THOSE people — happy it’s not in my backyard.
Now you know: Data centers regularly exceed 300 MW—equivalent to the power needs of over 240,000 households; annually consume as much electricity as 100,000 households; and use between 3-5 million gallons of water a day — more than is required for a small town.
“Knee-high by the Fourth of July” is a classic agricultural adage that farmers once used to gauge if their corn crops were on track for a successful, high-yielding harvest.
Our Mr. Farmer is ahead of schedule!
While the phrase remains a popular piece of rural folklore, it is largely outdated. Thanks to advanced agricultural technology, hybrid seeds, and improved fertilizers, today’s corn grows much faster and taller.
Corn is nature’s privacy fence.
Although we can still see the top half of the house belonging to those pesky neighbors, it won’t be long until we can no longer see each other through the corn.
The yard here has been mowed and we’re ready for the forecasted rain. Ain’t late spring grand? 🌞
Now you know: When John Williams first played the two-note “Jaws” theme for Spielberg, Spielberg laughed, thinking it was a joke and expecting something more melodic. Williams replied, “The sophisticated approach you would like me to take isn’t the approach you took with the film I just experienced.”
Edith, the killdeer, was back at the Pesky’s showing off fake broken wings and guarding 3 eggs. Mr. Pesky routed traffic around her nest with gusto. She (maybe it’s not the same bird every year, but every year we name the nesting killdeer Edith), loves to build her nest in the gravel part of their driveway.
Of course, I’m not lucky enough to get Edith here.
I do have baby rabbits in the wood pile that’s yet to be moved, and I’m pretty sure it’s Chipmunk Charlie that advised Edith to make her nest down the road.
We typically have the opportunity to see the eggs hatch and watch the proud parents feed their offspring, but that didn’t happen this year. One day it was egg sitting – and the next day… POOF!
Gone.
We’re hoping they were robust, early flyers, but with so many cat lovers on this road we can’t be sure. 🙁
But it looks like babies are a distinct possibility at the barndo!
The tiniest little bird, that was identified by Grok as a wren, has built a nest in one of my outdoor planters. The nest is very well-hidden in a somewhat cavity-like, domed structure made of the plant’s loose material. I would’ve never spotted it if I hadn’t seen the Momma slip in from behind.
4 tiny eggs — 4 possibilities for new babies. Cats better stay away from here — I have 3 dogs and I’m not afraid to use them!
Now you know: In 2001 Sharon Stone arranged a private visit to the LA Zoo’s komodo dragon pen for her then-husband, who’d always wanted to see one up close. However, the dragon attacked him by biting his foot and attempting to eat it by jerking back & forth. He survived, but the top half of his foot was gone.
April showers bring May flowers, right? Welp, Mother Nature is messing with us this year by waiting until the flower growth month to dump the rain. How much rain you ask? We aren’t sure because Mr. Pesky’s gauge — that’s just down the road a bit — shows an amount that’s way different than mine.
Yesterday morning, his gauge showed 2 inches of rainfall overnight. Mine was different… a LOT different…
Between the rain storms, Perry planted 4 trees.
Property across the road from the barndo was sold a few years back and the owners plan to build there at some point in the future. It looks like they’re planning to build more in front of the woods, but we still wanted to have some sort of privacy block just in case.
Hugo is convinced the trees are some evil predators eyeing his slice of the earth and loudly protests their existence.
In other news, May doesn’t just bring flowers…
Now you know: Horses have no muscles in their lower legs, so their hooves act as “second hearts”. A horse that can’t move risks blood pooling in its hooves, which can cause tissue death starting from the hooves up. This is a key reason why leg injuries are often fatal for horses.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had it in my head that property taxes were due on April 10th and paid mine already. Now that it’s almost time for them to REALLY be due, many people are complaining about the higher amounts they’re seeing they’re required to pay. There’s even a Facebook group for it. (No, I didn’t join.)
Our old house in Seymour is for sale…
I saw our old Seymour house on the market today. It’s truly a great house and I hope they sell quickly if that’s what they want. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to move again so soon after buying a place — but they’re a whole lot younger than I am.
One of the great things about the Seymour house? Not a single red bird pecked windows 24/7.
Back to property taxes…
Zillow shows property tax amounts on listing pages. As I was peeping the photos of the changes made by the new owners, I also looked at property tax amounts for that house over the years. It was pretty shocking…
For example, in 2007, the house’s tax assessment value was $201,800, and the tax for that year was $383.00.
Fast forward to 2024…
The tax assessment value was $248,700 ($46,900 more in value than in ’07 — a 23% increase). The tax for that year was $2,479.00 (a 548% increase from 2007!!).
That’s just a wow.
Now you know: Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl observed that the physically strongest prisoners in WWII concentration camps didn’t necessarily have the highest survival rates. Rather, those who survived longest were the ones who held onto a strong sense of meaning or an unfinished purpose.
