2024, Farming Update, Seasons, Technology, Uncategorized

Something Something

67 Comments

Today’s Farming Update is by Ben

Something Something

As I started writing this, I wasn’t sure yet what I had to write about this week, so I was not sure where this was going to end up.

We got some rain Thursday morning and evening. I don’t think it amounted to much. It didn’t help the muddy areas. I did spread out four bales of straw in front of the chickens’ pen as it was just a muddy mess down there. And the mud over by the shed is full of tracks and ruts. That’s worse than usual because it was fresh dirt last fall after the concrete work. Maybe I can get it smoothed out as the weather gets colder in the coming week so it’s not frozen ruts, and it will be better next year, but for now, Ish-da.

I have a young man helping me on weekends; I got to know him as a college student. He’s really interested in working with his hands and willing to try anything. And he never gets frustrated or gives up. He’s working a delivery job now, and he says he’d love to get into one of the trades like electrical or sheet metal or construction, but he really has no experience. It’s kinda cute, whenever we do a job, at the end of the day he says, “OK, what tools did I learn today?” We’ve talked a lot about which companies would hire him “green”. Meaning no school. And as I’ve talked with the HVAC guys working at the theaters or my nephew who works with a remodeling company, they are all willing to give him a chance as long as he’d plan on sticking around for a few years. And it helps I that tell them this young man isn’t a jerk. His biggest issue right now is he only has 1 pair of shoes. Loafers. Which have been terribly impractical in this mud. I’ve got nothing that fits him. I do pay him; he really should buy some boots.

Last week he and I put new batteries in my truck, we mounted some more 2×4’s on the shop walls, and we worked on changing an electrical box. Then I had him frame up the electrical box and add trim steel around it. Then I could add the “J” channel and get the pole barn steel around it.

There was an old, old fuse box here from when my Dad built the shed. I had new electrical service installed to the shed last summer

but I still need the old service. I had bought this new circuit breaker box 10 years ago and never got that installed. So, this was the time.  A job well done.

I plan on working hard on the farm financial bookwork this weekend. I meet the accountant on April 9th, but I should have 3 months of 2024 done by then, not still finishing 2023.

WHAT HAVE YOU GONE INTO GREEN?

SAY SOMETHING ABOUT SHOES.

.

67 thoughts on “Something Something”

  2. I left college in my junior year and didn’t go back until I was in my thirties. I don’t consider my years in retail as going in green and I did work my way up pretty quickly to store manager when I got to the bookstore. But when I was hired at Software Etc as Store Communications Manager, I was worried I would be in over my head. Just the opposite and this job made me realize that I had a lot of skills and talents even though I didn’t have a degree.

    When I moved to BIW 30+ years ago, I couldn’t even get an interview for the job I actually wanted; ended up in a communications jobs. I was told that the travel division usually gets 75-100 applications for the travel jobs; I assumed I was sorted out because I didn’t have a degree and a few years later, when I had made friends with someone in HR, she confirmed this often happens. Anyway, after a year in the communications job, I was able to get the job I had intially tried for. Did this job for 32 years and was quite good at it. 

    But it was the experience of not being able to get this job (which I KNEW I could do) that sent me back to school. I never wanted to get weeded out again simply because I didn’t have a piece of paper. Of course, I also knew that the piece of paper didn’t have a whit to do with my abilities so that’s why I was able to take a lot of courses that I enjoyed but that had nothing to do with anything. BA in Liberal Studies is literally my degree. And it’s a good thing I enjoyed getting the degree, since I never applied for another job (although I DID update my resume at one point).

    Advice? None to give except always leave room in your life to do something you enjoy… whether it be on the job or not!

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

  4. My first response to the question of what I had gone into green was: almost everything! But I was thinking of the myriad crafts and projects I’ve taken on in pursuit of my interests du jour.

    Sherrilee’s comments reminded me that when I first started in advertising I was completely green. I had a bachelor of fine arts degree and had started on an MFA but I wasn’t interested in a teaching job and couldn’t imagine what else an MFA would be useful for. I had put together a portfolio of art and photography from my schoolwork but didn’t have a clear idea where to take it. Robin was working for a law firm at the time and the wife of one of the lawyers worked at an advertising agency. She was able to get me an interview for an opening there. The agency, as it turned out, was one of the largest in the city but I knew nothing about it. None of my education pertained to advertising or marketing.

    I had my interview but I had nothing in my portfolio that suggested ad aptitude, so I was instructed to come back after the weekend with some ad samples. Of course I had no idea what those samples should look like but I gave it my best shot.

    The position was something of an internship so I guess the employer wasn’t taking a great risk but I got the job, which to start with entailed mostly preparing and mounting the work of the art directors for presentation. In that way I saw a lot of examples of what was expected and after 9 months I was made an art director with my own set of client accounts. I stayed with that company for five years and in one way or another that’s how I made my living for the rest of my working life.

    Robin and I each made a pair of shoes for ourselves once. We traveled out to New Hampshire to do it, working under the tutelage of a couple we had met at the American Craft Council show at the Excel Center. We still have the shoes but I rarely wear mine because they have leather soles and are suitable only in dry and non-icy conditions.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

    1. One observation to my experience with getting hired at the agency is that getting a chance like that would never happen now. The mechanism of applying for a job and getting hired has gotten so rigid and complex that an unproven applicant, even one with apparent potential, never gets an interview and I think that’s a shame and our loss.

      Liked by 5 people

      Reply

      1. I think that small companies of any kind have far more flexibility to hire than big, established companies. That seems to be the way organizations, really bureaucracies, develop. As soon as an industry become formalized, the creative is organized out of it.

        Liked by 4 people

        Reply

        1. I agree, Jacque, small companies are usually much more flexible, and there are lots of reasons for it. Compliance with various laws is a major one. When a company reaches a certain size in terms of number of employees, it is subject to much more scrutiny of its personnel policies. It’s a double-edged sword, it cuts both ways.

          Liked by 4 people

        2. When the initial culling of applications takes place, it’s on the basis of key words and formal qualifications. There’s no metric for native talent.

          Liked by 2 people

  5. Even though I was supposedly trained with an Elementary Ed. degree, I went into that first kindergarten room “green.” For one thing, very little was said about kindergarten in the courses. I did find a Kdgn-1st Grade Workshop to take the summer after my first year, which helped enormously.

    I have loved shoes since I was little – esp. red shoes. It’s the one clothing item I will by new, though I do get lucky fairly often at thrift shops, finding shoes that haven’t been broken in. (Maybe someone got them home and they didn’t fit right?)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  6. I started my career in caring for people on June 6, 1977, the day after my high school graduation. I had been working at a local restaurant as a waitress. I was terrible at it and I only worked one day per week. Someone told me to apply at “the State” as it is referred to in Faribault, which I did. I went from $1.35 per hour to $3.65 (if I recall correctly). It was a Saturday or Sunday. After figuring out which building to go to, I pushed open the door. Behind it was a developmentally disabled boy who roared with excitement to see me and gave me a huge bear hug as a welcome. I can’t say that everyone I met in the following 45-plus years was as friendly or welcoming. Actually, most were not. That was my first day and I was as green as the early June grass.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  8. It seems that young people really have no common sense when it comes to footwear. I didn’t. Older and wiser. If your young guy needs a pair of boots but he can’t afford them, I would gladly chip in to get him a pair of steel-toe work boots.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. I appreciate the gesture, but we shouldn’t need to do that. He’s a big guy so he wears a 12 I think. But yeah, savers or something.

      The second week we knew better and he parked on the concrete and I kept him out of the mud.
      That will work for a while.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

        1. This is a new kid. Padawan has been busy; he’s got a girlfriend now. ’nuff said? I keep calling him, but he can’t usually make it.

          I’m not sure what I’ve said about padawan lately. His mom had been sick for several years with cancer and she passed last fall. He’s 17. They had everything arranged, and he moved in with a family that he’s known and travelled with. He’s pretty quiet and he doesn’t talk about his feelings with me anyway. But he’s in a stable home environment. I text him and stay in touch. He’s a good kid; I hope he manages.

          Liked by 5 people

    2. order him a pair on amazon or 3 different pairs so he has a choice

      or redwings and muck boots

      and tell him he needs to do this either now with these or on his own

      he’ll pull the trigger within a week

      or send him to goodwill but they still get 25 ish for decent boots

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  9. Husband has finally realized that his beloved Frye boots that he has worn for decades and had re-soled several times are not good for his feet and he can’t wear them any longer.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. I’ve been on a Guindon hunt for a couple of years now for two particular cartoons. Unfortunately, they aren’t in any of his published books because they were very specific to Minneapolis. I’m having lunch with a friend of mine in a week or so who worked for years and years and years at the Star Tribune and I’m gonna ask her advice about seeing if the paper still has them in an archive somewhere.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  11. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    WP is being uncooperative today. 

    Re: shoes. I have very high arched feet. When I was young, like 9years old, I had my first case of plantar fasciaitis which caused me to limp through the fourth grade after the Dr. could not suggest a way to treat it. He just kept saying, “but you are too young for fallen arches!” So I am very careful to buy supportive shoes that fit well. 

    Re: Green. It’s not easy being green. When I obtained my first job with my shiny, new MSW (Masters of Social Work),the reality of working was completely different than the reality of grad school.

    Re: Eco Green: I love being this kind of green. Soon I will start shopping for solar panels on the roof. Can’t wait.

    OK, WP. You’d better post this or else.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Re: WP being uncooperative.

      For the past few days, whenever I type something, I’m unable to copy and paste, and the only way to erase something is to backspace through it. Is anyone else experiencing this?

      Like

      Reply

    2. Jacque, I’m sure I must have asked you this before, so please forgive me if I’m repeating the question. Have you tried Birkenstocks? They have a very arch. I have a high arch too and I wear either Birks or New Balance walkers for trails walking, Keen hiking shoes for hiking.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      2. I have owned several pairs of Birkies, as well as Keen sandals that I wore in Europe. I am wearing New Balance, with orthotic, exclusively while this episode of PF passes. It is much better now.

        Liked by 3 people

        Reply

      3. I am wearing Halflinger clogs almost exclusively these days . I have my father’s perfect little Dutch feet, though, so there are very few shoes I can’t wear.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  13. Another OT.., since I know you are all on tenterhooks over my hot cereal conundrum. I have discovered that if you take half Wheateena and half Bob’s Oat Bran, you can get something closer to my now defunct Ralston hot cereal. It’s not an exact duplicate but I can see myself getting used to it.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  15. Kind of OT: I have informally joined the Northfield Citizen’s Climate Lobby group, kind of from encouragement by our friend Jim Tjepkema. I just attended a Zoom meeting with them. They gave a great presentation on Miyakawa forest planting. These tiny forests are biodiverse, use native species, and they grow very fast. It was really interesting. And green (in a different way).

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  16. most of the stuff on my plate these days is stuff i’m green at so my experience in start ups should help but my non laser approach must be the problem

    my problem is i am visionary and not a detail nerd so i need help to get it rolling

    i’m going to be writing ads for the top 5 this week offering partnership and talking a blue streak to get enthusiasm up for start up biz

    water water walker container home/ commercial space to residential transition backyard kitchen gourmet component thing is off the drawing board and in the works today

    plus my ebay stuff has to start up

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  17. i have always been a shoe freak

    broken feet and fused big toe has me in a specialty shoe mode for the last two or three years

    i love boots the boot shoes that are popular today many of the styles out today (this has never happened before) but when i wear them my feet are just killing me after 1/2 day

    back to birky sandals some birky shoes are ok but some aren’t.

    was asking my pt ( for the broken leg) about using the stimulator machine on my feet and he didn’t sound encouraging but i’ll try some stuff

    meanwhile i have lots of shoes to sell on ebay that don’t work

    i remind myself of that when i go spend lots of time to earn money delivering and realize i could take pictures of stuff i own for a year straight and make money that way too

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  18. I went into caring for The Birds quite green.

    Dogs, cats, fish and amphibians had received my attention.

    I did some research and came to the conclusion that budgies were the species for me. Allowed by my landlords. Not too loud. Many of the others had lifespans that would likely have far exceeded my remaining time. These guys are in my will to cover the cost of rehoming.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. We used to be a multiple bird household, but are down to one pretty shabby looking, twenty-two-year old Bourke’s parakeet. He is well past his prime. For well over a year we’ve been expecting him to drop dead any day, but he keeps hanging in there. Good old Pepito.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

        1. No, BiR, we rarely ever hear a peep out of him. Gizmo, our double yellow headed Amazon parrot, was the only one that talked. We had to have him euthanized some years ago because we was very old and sick (he was 43). That was a sad day.

          Liked by 2 people

  19. My new helper; even at age 25, it’s a big step to give up the job, and start an entirely new career that you’re not sure about. He really doesn’t want to quit work to go to school to get that training. So I hope I can keep him going for a few months here and encourage and support his decisions and gently nudge him into one of these jobs. Fingers crossed.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    1. Robin & Linda Williams and Neal & Leandra are two very different musical duos. What they share are their genuine kindness to others. Lovely people, all four of them.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

Leave a reply to tim Cancel reply