Ah, I remember my last blog post like it was yesterday.
But it wasn’t yesterday.
In fact, I really don’t remember my last blog post. Probably lamenting farming or pouring sickeningly sweet words on my wife.
It has been a while. Maybe too long.
Can I still do this? Do I still have readers?
Let’s find out.
Management is very different than…not-management. Let me tell you. Wow. The things I didn’t know. The things I wish I didn’t know.
“Sure, I’ll take that promotion. Thanks.”
Geez. What a n00b.
Farming isn’t quite what you read about in the magazines. It’s not all fluffy bunnies and fresh strawberries. There is a fair portion of blood and manure and sickness and vet bills and sweat, hard work and sometimes the only sleep that can be had is when you are traveling in a car. Hope you’re not driving.
Management is similar. Less blood. Same amount of manure. Replace the vet with a talent recruiter, cull out the non-performers and drink a lot of alcohol and you’ll have the idea.
I’ve been a little stressed.
Not sleeping well. Not coping well.
Mostly this is an adjustment period. I don’t think it’s bad. Just an adjustment period. I have been forced to grow and that growth has come hard.
Look, man, I know you think this is a blog about farming but it’s not. It’s just not. It’s a blog about a farm. And I’m the farmer’s husband. So I’m going to tell you how it is on the farm.
We start our day early, milk the cow, unleash the chickens, check feed and water, shower, shave, get dressed and roll on in to work. Then people throw stuff at me for several hours until I come home to move cows, check water, gather eggs, have dinner, close up birds and fall asleep on the couch. Somebody does the dishes. Somebody cooks. Somebody does laundry. Somebody mows the grass. I don’t know who. I just try to make sure the things we need are where we need them so the work can get done.
And it does.
And along the way I try to reinforce positive relationships with and between the people I depend on.
And that’s management.
I just hope Julie doesn’t quit. I don’t think I could take that right now. I love you Boo. You are my favorite person. I need you!
I’ll try to make this blog thing happen again. I treasure the people who make time to read my nonsense. Much of my writing is more asking than telling. More wondering. Me admitting that I have no idea.
I have no idea.
I enjoy when readers take the time to minister to me or help me to puzzle something out.
Thank you for your patience. I promise to post something tomorrow…even if it’s just kitten pictures.
Chism Heritage Farm 
I feel your pain – it IS hard. Harder than I thought it would be (and I knew it was going to be hard) but I’m still all in (well, at least most of the time – there are moments…). I wish I had some words of wisdom for you but alas, I’m a n00b… I just keep my eyes on the prize and pray the hard work will pay off in the end and that we will look back upon these times fondly while wearing our rose-colored glasses and sipping cider on the back porch.
I’m rooting for you man.
Cider. Cider got me into this mess. Some vague idea of pressing cider in the fall with our family around us while roasting a pig. Well, the trees are in the ground. Maybe in another couple of years…
Thanks for the support.
Yeah. I hear you. And I’m not even management at my work. On the other hand, I serve the public, they also throw a lot of manure around sometimes, even in a nice place like the library.
You’ve still got this reader. Even if she doesn’t blather on quite as much as she used to. I could echo most of your post, albeit with fewer critters and family members. On the other hand, I AM also the somebody orchestrating the meals, laundry, mowing and chores. And after two months of our new routine (routine? is chaos a routine?) I’m finding I’m still orchestrating – when does that thing happen where it all just happens, the team knows what to do and just gets it done and I don’t have to leave daily lists that are the same every day? Hey, you’re a manager, any tips?
BTW I know you’ve got tons of spare time for reading blogs, but one you might enjoy is http://vpfarming.com/. He doesn’t post often, and I would say his blog is less about “how to” and more about him crafting his thoughts about his lifestyle into words. But like you (and many of us), he’s trying to balance farming, family, and a fulfilling but frantically busy career off farm. And he does craft his writing very well.
I
Thanks for the suggestion.
It never just gets done. Not really. An certainly not to my liking. I am by far the best janitor on the farm but I can’t do that job anymore. So I leave it to inferior janitors and just deal with it. And by “just deal with it” I mean try not to be passive-aggressive about it. I praise what was done, limit myself to one polite comment or helpful suggestion and leave it alone. When something needs to be dealt with, though, it needs to be dealt with. Don’t let things fester. One timely example is water. You would think chickens could just get their own dang water but it turns out they can’t. And it turns out that dad is the only one who seems to notice. So that had to be addressed.
Nobody gets fired. We make adjustments to our day and move on. There is always more work to do. Prioritize and move on.
We are the sum of our parts came to mind as I read your post the first two times. You thought you were writing a blog about farming and you do, well. But that also includes all of your family, all the animals, the weather, the history, the commute to another job, that job, and all that makes you the human you are. I like reading about those things because as much as I want to learn about hogs and pasture, I also want to know how you are making your slice of the world work in Central Illinois. If that means there is a break in the blogging action, we all know there isn’t a break in the living.
And now as a manager, I want to hear about that also. It is a pat of you, but I’m hoping I’ll learn something also from your experience.I want to get better by reading your experiences.
Thanks Steve. Glad you still make time for me. I want to get better by reading your experiences too.
Seriously I was just thinking the other day… it has been an age since we heard you profess your great love for Julie and I was starting to get worried 😉 Good to hear you are still alive and hopefully adjusting to the new job! Like derailed New Year’s resolutions I was wondering too how things were going with the list you made in Jan. https://chismheritagefarm.com/2015/01/14/gonna-get-busy/ With the new job has it become a case of “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”? 🙂
I don’t know. You set up a target and shoot for it. I really can’t blame my job if I miss the target. Especially since the job is currently the best way to pay for the target. It’s a good suggestion for a post though.
I sooo know this space! Farming IS hard… but then so is life… sometimes overwhelming… sometimes euphoric… never dull.
Just keep on keeping on AND give Julie a big hug!
Sitting here watching the weather forecast. Hay still down. Inch of rain coming tomorrow. Good chances of showers this afternoon. Sun hiding behind clouds. Stuck at work. No, it’s not dull.
Consider Julie hugged.
Still here, but you know that.
I don’t know that. I haven’t sent you a therapy request email recently either. lol
Life happens and all your readers know and understand that. Get your feet back under you, we’ll be here when have time to write. I for one appreciate all the time you take when you do write.