Jason closes his journal... Thanks!! I love you!!

[modern_pioneer]

"G" You better stop....

It was nothing less than a point I was trying to teach him.

I am a big handed fellow, and I could have "spanked" him, I just don't understand what I could teach him with that approach? I am more pleased with his actions and talking with him. Of course I have a no BS rule in place, common sense or BS why they made that choice. Children are little people looking to learn, to be taught, not to be hit or whipped on because they don't understand adults ideas.

That was funny enough, I didn't have anything to say after that. I admit I was lost on that post.

But hey...... If you want goats to join your clan in yellowstone, consider it done....

I thought they were into another posters thread to be honest, me having goats? Where did that come from?

Yep, I know and saw that.....

People you gotta keep up........

How was that?

 

[keljonma]

Peddlers, you sure have been busy!

Man, that bacon looks awesome!

And I really liked the youtube video Taters Part 1.

 

[TanksHill]

Sorry Jay, I will try to be more specific next time.

 

[lorihadams]

Hey Jay, I caught another frog for my son last night! Want a tree frog for your daughter???

 

[modern_pioneer]

LOL..... Goats and frogs, you two are too funny... I am glad she likes animals so much though, she really has been paying close attention to taking care of the chickens.

I had the chance to meet with a client yesterday, they drove over 4 hours to meet with me here at the shop. Its a pretty big job, and would keep things moving forward around here for awhile longer. Well, during the meeting he mentions that its not to go into production till after the first of the year. That is a bummer because I have been doing everything I can to keep folks busy, but without the work to pay the bills, I might have to lay people off.

In my line of business, it changes so much everyday, but with the money trends these days I doubt its going to pick up like it has in past years. In the past I would have 15-20 sales a day, now its down to 3-8 a day. I decided that I will wait till the end of the month before I would start layoffs just to see if it picks up.

I also decided that I will layoff according to how productive people are to the company. I like all the folks that work here, and my designer has asked to have her hours cut back so that helps the overall problem a little.

My biggest down fall in my leadership is when it comes to cutting jobs. Its a matter I have considered that I might face at some point, but it sure isn't pleasent thoughts. I pray that things will get better, because at the end of the day, I am running a business. (hope that doesn't sound mean)

Thanks kjm, making the bacon is pretty easy, I have a local source for pork belly which I think so people would find hard to locate. I also look forward to making part 2 in a few months.

The basket in the video, the one I filled up, well its almost at the 3/4 mark today. I think it will be there by this time next week.

 

[modern_pioneer]

I had a wonderful visit with my stepdad Bobby today, to be honest it was more than wonderful, one of the top ten best days of my life. To be honest, soft tears came down my face when I saw this table. Memories were quick to come to me, and from time to time, I always wondered what happened to that table.

It was winter time, after Christmas, 1977 when my Mom brought this table in the house. It was rickety, covered with black and white zebra patterned contact paper. The best I can remember is that she had gotton it from a barn somewhere.

Mom patted me on the back and said "heres our weekend project little buddy", after she shook the cold off, we started to remove that contact paper. So in the middle of doing that she went to her bedroom and came out with some loose papers from some books that she had or maybe books that were nearly falling apart. Mom wouldn't have torn up perfectly good books, so I am not sure the source of the pictures.

We removed the sticky glue, gave it a good sand, and she painted it with flat black stove paint. Spinning on the record player was a John Denver album. It was nearing dinner so she set the table in the back room to dry over night. She fixed dinner and came into the livingroom with a cookie sheet. Then she cut the photos, and burned the edges.

The following day, she applied then to the table and with whiteout wrote the dates under the pictures of when they were taken. Than she clear coated it several times, some of the photos bubbled as they weren't applied all the way or something. We created this pioneering decoupage together.

Its in rough shape now, being stored in a grainary the last 28 years. But its back home now....

My mom was in every aspect a pioneering woman, it wasn't a choice we had, it was a lifestyle we were living because of poverty. But, saying that, I always had on clothes on my back, three meals a day, music and games, family and the great outdoors. We always had meat, veggies and bread. Oh yes and egg custard something everyday.

As I am typing, I am trying to express to you the warm emotions I am feeling right now, I just can't find the words. I can't tell you enough about how happy I am to have this now. I don't have many things, just a small handful of photos, a birdfeeder I made my Mom, and this wonderful table. My Mom was a hero to me, she was strong headed and very smart.

Isn't it wonderful????

 

[justusnak]

Oh my Jay...that table is WONDERFUL!! The history behind it makes it worth more than money can buy. Im so glad to see you have it home....where it belongs!

 

[TanksHill]

That is a wonderful story Jay. It warms my heart to know your table is home where it belongs. I was excited to see the photos on the table top. Then when I saw them my heart skipped a beat. Please forgive me for posting pics on your journal but I wanted to share these with you. I think it just shows how the world is not quite as large as it seems and we are all connected somehow.

This is my family at Yosemite National park in 2005





I just noticed the water fall pic. It's know as Bridal Vail Falls. It is locate on the west side of Yosemite near the valley floor.

 

[modern_pioneer]

My step Dad was always a kind man, he knows lots of how to stuff, but can't read or write. Due to his lifestyle growing up he had to stop schooling to help his father on the farm in the 1950s. Later he would take the farm from a hobby level to a full production pork farm which was nearly SS within itself. But soon, the cost of equipment loans and the drop of pork prices would doom all his efforts.

As a child I never understood the adult workings of the farm, I just knew I had my chores to get done, and do the best I could in school. I asked him today what happened to the farm in greater detail, and I could hear in his voice it was a emotional issue, but none the less, he explained it to me. He blames the price of pork dropping on the bigger farms out west, and he blames himself for purchasing so much equipment with bank loans.

He also explained to me at what level the farm was at during the best of times. The farm was moving 60 hogs a week or close to 20,000 lbs. He said that with the dropping of pork prices, they couldn't make payments to cover the loans and keep the farm going without the equipment.

Some quick research myself, I saw where the cost of pork started to fall in 1980, and picked up in 1985. So we won the battle but lost the war.

It reminded me to be thrifty and continue to be debt free, it also reminded me to re-use anything and keep my garden growing for food stores for the winter.

Today he lives in a small 800 square foot home that was built in the early 1900s. Its a very pleasant place with only wood heat from, you guessed it, my Moms old wood cook stove. He talks about Mom with pleasant memories and how kind she was. He stated he missed her very much, and her good cooking. he said "Your Mom was the smartest woman I ever met, and she sure could hunt"

His oven and stove is a two burner mini apartment size, and above the door mounted in the wall is a a/c unit. Most of his back yard is filled with his garden, and its just beautiful. I look forward to his visit up here Sunday afternoon.

 

[modern_pioneer]

Is that the same tree????????