NIcks & Cuts/Shearing With Mom

The month of June has been rainy...very, very rainy. I heard the weatherman say this morning that we received 1/3 of an average year's rain TOTAL during just the last 30 days.

Yesterday I found that the boys left an extension cord, the medical supplies, and the the shears in a wheelbarrow, OUTSIDE, over the weekend. It rained so hard that the wheelbarrow filled up with water and all of the items were completely submerged.

Thankfully, the box that houses the shears and the corresponding combs, oils, and blades, protected the machine, for the most part.

The sun was out so I mowed until the lawnmower died and wouldn't restart (argh).

My oldest son, now 19, offered to catch and shear one of our new Cormo-Merino wethers, "Licorice." I had noticed that the animal was limping and he had been carrying at least two season's worth of wool.

We haven't worked on an animal together in awhile, my oldest son and I. I'm slow, and apparently I make my son very nervous (he commented that "it's like learning to drive with you. Sometimes it's just better to learn from someone else").

He was so nervous that he had several "oops" moments while cutting, leaving the animal bloody under the belly and on the neck. The shears fell to the floor, breaking the brand new replacement comb.

I wasn't grumpy.

Or a nag.

Or loud.

I'm working hard, in fact, to choose HAPPY.

In spite of the political climate, international events, and a very discouraging situation at my full time job, I want to be an encouragement to others and to "keep on the sunny side of life."

Maybe I can learn a thing or two from old "Licorice," who, despite being nicked and cut by the shears, seemed glad to have the wool trimmed from around his eyes and ears.

J and I pushed the lawnmower into the shop and it started to rain again. WE enjoyed a bowl of ice cream and I went upstairs to read (a fictional novel instead of a textbook!)


"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."
Audrey Hepburn

from Brainyquote

A Business Process

Awhile back, the book Who Moved My Cheese? was popular among managers. There was a widespread understanding that individuals, and organizations, needed to constantly scan the environment, evaluate options, and quickly change course in order to successfully compete in today's technology-driven marketplace.

Ironically, perhaps, I'm now surrounded by an organizational culture of rigidity and complacency. If something doesn't work, people blame the business process (even if there isn't a business process.) (Yes, I actually heard this today, "Yes, you should have been notified of the outage but there isn't a business process for that.).

The secretaries and I agree that the phrase "business process" has become nausea-inducing.

Imagine, in the "Who Moved My Cheese" scenario, that the mice voluntarily spend months...years even...in meetings, trying to agree upon a route through a maze they've never navigated before. Through layers of committees the process would be sketched out until the "top mouse committee" gave the go-ahead to navigate toward "the prize."

Chances are, the cheese gets pretty rotten and stale by then (or, in my own case, our "customers" take themselves elsewhere.).

Here's to It's FINALLY Friday and a a break from carrying the weight of b.p.'s (bleh).

Boiling Over

There's something I need to get off of my chest. I wish that there was someone...someone in my family...who would teach our little boys to fish. A grandparent or an aunt/uncle.

This weekend is "free fishing" time in our state, a few days when neither adults nor children require a fishing license. I'll be working long days at the winery while hoping that, at a minimum, the boys aren't in danger while under someone else's care. It would be a luxury to know that they were OUTSIDE, learning valuable life skills like fishing.

I purchased a fishing license yesterday for our 17-year-old who is headed off to work at a camp for the summer. I also bought a machete, boys' underwear, mens' socks, golf balls, and "Jacked" Doritos.

After shopping, we went to the library where the boys borrowed books on such topics as Werewolves and Minecraft. Later we built a "small" bonfire in the backyard, which the boys expanded via the addition of lighter fluid and a school year's worth of papers and folders.

I broke up an air soft gun fight, cleaned 20 matchbox cars out of the tub so that I could shower, and listened to a lengthy description of a scream-o metal concert with highlights like dancing on broken glass, ripped out stud earrings, and an ear-drum smashing first number.

I cleaned up enough dirty dishes to find a small patch of counter underneath, recycled several empty soup cans, fished dirty socks from the couch pillows, picked a box containing a wench off of the kitchen floor, and disposed of the pancakes left in the back of the minivan.

Mine is a boys' world. And when their dad is working out of town, the "boy antics" seem to boil over.

Good Things

I like-

Holding sweet Adeline, 6 weeks old.

Hearing Joe Dady play an instrument first owned by the banjo player from Bill Monroe's band.

Watching The Dady Brothers play, canal side.

Tug boats, canal bridges, sunshine on the water.

Petunias

Chicken barbecue

A Dalmatian in the fire house.

Kale, cucumber and green apple smoothies.

Cold dense, dark stout from the tap that tastes like burnt caramel and cocoa.

Teaching my children our favorite drinking songs.

Words of Appreciation

"Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible - the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family."
Virginia Satir, American Psychologist

This is a tale of two leaders.

One leader always seems to be short on time. He fails to present guidelines ahead of time, but he quickly reprimands and criticizes his employees when they make mistakes.

The second leader clearly describes his expectations and establishes an atmosphere where employees feel supported.

This leader takes time to show his employees know that they are appreciated.

I've come to more fully understand the importance of "shows appreciation" as a quality of leadership.

Yesterday, for instance, my boss at the vineyard was headed to Canada for the day. I observed that he gave everyone words of encouragement before he headed out. He said to me, "And you, you are a smart lady. You'll be able to figure out anything that comes up."

I'd like to say that I'm not easily flattered but I quickly noticed how his words made me feel... ten feet tall...ready to take on the day (my day would include scrubbing the men's room after a bus full of drunk guys got sick as they passed through).


1 Timothy 5:17

The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

Ephesians 4:25

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

Back to The Farm

The cows that used to live on our family's dairy farm left this morning inside of tractor trailers bound for Michigan. The buildings and land will soon go up for sale as well.

For certain, ours wasn't the first small, family-owned, multi-generation farm to wither and fade away. Still, it was sad to see the trucks pull away.

It's odd to see my son at home instead of working on the farm. My dad doesn't leave for his new job, or to check on the old farm, until well after 8 a.m. I was amused to hear my son report, "that hasn't happened since 1960."

I was certainly blessed to grow up on a dairy farm and I'm grateful for the many lessons that the lifestyle provided.

Yesterday, I started a part time job on a thriving family farm located within a neighboring county. My boss, who is young, bright, and congenial, just welcomed his first daughter into the world. She is ("if she wants to be," he says) the 6th generation of the farm's owners.

Many, many family members work on the farm, running special events, making wine, tilling kale, and pruning vines. Employees are treated like family.

I enjoyed reading a sign that reminded people to "leave your troubles behind" when visiting the farm. Enjoy the company. Watch the animals. Talk with friends or make a new friend. Savor the flavors of the bounty that God provides.

That's what I remember about my childhood...working together, taking meals around the same table, and marveling at the riches of the harvest. I remember hauling until I thought my back would break, responding to animal emergencies, and working through extreme weather.

It was always fun to have visitors and to watch them take in all that the farm offered. The Farm where I work "bucked the trend" of the failing family farm and now features a beer garden, world class wines, two wedding venues, and more. We employ several professional chefs and we offer a CSA that includes raw milk, grapes, baked goods, and cheese.

It isn't my own family's farm, but I feel tremendously privileged to be able to spend time and lend a hand at a job where I feel needed and appreciated.

It's good to get a little bit of that "family farm" feeling back.