Allen, That was a very thoughtful, thought-provoking post. You are a fine writer and I'd appreciate it if you considered creating a character and joining The Family. I don't know what beef is selling for in your neck of the woods but here in Idaho it's higher than prairie grass. I figure if the heat and drought keeps up that they'll be using that as an excuse to raise prices. That's what happened here 2 years ago when those cattlemen were selling off their herds -- the price actually rose! Liz