What a day, what a day, what a very long day. Not a bad day, just a long one. Sorry to be so late with a story or two. I've heard from my "public" that I hadn't posted yet. Yesterday, several people who know me personally actually called and emailed asking me to tell certain old farm stories again. Ok, everyone, patience! Not everyone knows the whole story and who's who, so we've got to let them in on the background. That is if I have any stealth followers who aren't showing up and don't actually know me. Remember, the blog is to partially pacify people who want me to write a book. The other purpose is to see if anyone besides my friends and family find it worth reading at all.
So, today, it was just me in the morning again. I'll be so glad when the staff gets back on schedule next week. Since I've started with the staff, I may as well introduce you to them.
The Staff/Farm Hands aka "My Herd of Little Christians"
Dod is my longest tenured farm hand at the moment. He's been with me a year. He's a senior at the local Bible College. He's a little older than most college seniors and just got married over Thanksgiving to his wife, Julie. Julie is awesome. If Dod didn't work for me, Julie and I would be great friends. Since Dod does work for me and it would probably make anyone crazy to have their boss know all about their home life as well as their work life, Julie and I only enjoy the occasional chat to protect his sanity. Dod can fix almost anything. He never shows stress. He's always in a good mood. He'll do absolutely anything he's asked to do with a good attitude. This fella will voluntarily go scoop horse poop out of the paddocks in the rain in the winter. No one volunteers to do that. Dod graduates in May. He and Julie want to go to a very dangerous country to teach English as a second language in a Christian center. I gave him a flashlight for his birthday with an SOS setting to use on the ransom video in case he's kidnapped. They are not going to a safe place. It makes me worry.
Ruthie joined my staff in the fall. She went to the local Bible College for undergrad and now is finishing her graduate degree there, too. Ruthie is sporty. She's super petite but that doesn't slow her down a bit. She's a contender on the co-ed intramural flag football team. I know, I was surprised too that a Bible College lets men and women play football together--even flag football. Ruthie occasionally turns flag football into a contact sport. She showed me a video of her taking down someone who got in her way. She was very proud of herself. Ruthie is a hard worker. At home, she skins her own deer and cuts firewood for her parents with a chainsaw. They don't make a lot of cute little Bible College ladies like Ruthie. In fact, she may be one of a kind.
Rose joined my staff in November. She went to college in another state and is here at the local Bible College for her Masters in Counseling. It's a three year program and she says she wants to stay at the farm the whole time. I hope that works out. I like a little stability in the staff. Rose used to be a waitress. She has no horse knowledge. I've found most of the time people with no horse knowledge make the best employees. I'm not forever trying to break them of bad habits they've developed being around their grandpa's old plow mule. Rose has a willingness to learn and has caught on quickly. Plus the horses say she's great with room service and their meals are never late.
I started relying on the local Bible College as my employee poola few years ago --hence calling them "My Herd of Little Christians"-- when I discovered they don't lie, cheat or steal. They show-up on time. They are very humble and want to work hard. It's great. Now, I did have one employee from there that was maddening. She was with me for two very long years. She's the one everyone wants to make sure I include. She made for some funny stories--to everyone else. To me, it was an exercise in patience. I don't have the strength to tell you about her tonight, but I will. The stories are kind'a funny in retrospect. She's been gone almost a month, so it's starting to get less painful/more funny, even for me. Alas, that's another day.
Saturdays are the busiest days at the farm because I have tons of lesson clients and that's what pays the bills. I'll give you at least one post tomorrow, so you don't have to call me if you haven't heard from me by a time certain, ok? I appreciate the avid readership, though! Tell all your friends! Good night from the farm. Sleep tight.
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