Tomorrow will be something different

I start punching a time clock again in the morning, for the first time in almost 18 years. Farming operation is down to about "hobby farm" status, even though 50 years ago, it would have been considered a "large farm". Lost a whole section of land this year, that was a stone's throw from my house. I had been renting it for about the last 8 years from an elderly couple. Husband died about 5 years ago, and his wife continued to rent to me. She passed away last year, right after I signed the lease for 2017 crop year, so I still had it last year. Kids decided to sell it. I would have had to borrow the money to buy it, and just interest alone would have been four times as much as I was paying for cash rent. I am not bitter over it. It's just another sign of the times. Both of the highest two bidders came and talked to me first, and would have bowed out of the bidding if I would have been in, so that was very respectable of them.
     My 20 year old son has farming and cattle heavy on his mind, so he'll be here to do most of the work. I'll hopefully be able to guide him through it when I'm at home. My job will have me reporting to work at an ag chemical warehouse over at Dickinson, and then driving delivery truck, delivering ag chemicals all over SW ND. Can be home every night. Be working half to three fourths of a day on Saturdays during busy time. Job only runs from now, until through the fall when things in the farming world come to a screeching halt. That is good and bad, but more good than bad, I guess. Good is that I don't have to drive truck on crappy roads during the winter. Another good, is that my son also works for a veterinarian part time, and he can get time off while I work the summer months, then pick up lots of hours over the winter when I'm off. I wish it could be the other way around, because I prefer farming over cattle, and he prefers cattle over farming, but I guess that between the two of us, we'll get er done. I had to get the haz mat endorsement on my CDL. I am not thrilled about hauling chemicals, but all in all, this job is a pretty good fit for me. Won't be able to check in on here several times a day like I'm used to doing, but going to try to schedule it in early every morning. LOL!
      I suppose that it will turn out that this job will either get me over the hump, or be the final nail in my coffin, but I have to try something different. I am not keen on the notion, but I know that in order to ever get back to being able to do "just farming/ranching" for a living, our operation will have to grow significantly. That writing is on the wall. 18 years ago, when I moved down here to this farm (it's my in-law's home place), I already knew that growth was in-evitable, but my FIL and BIL were so "anti-big farmer", that they would do everything the old ways out of defiance. That worked in the "old days", but not in the present. FIL pretty much fully re-tired 6 to 8 years ago, and passed away a year and a half ago. I split ties with my BIL about six years ago, and went on my own. Was definitely a good thing to do, just a little too late. I still talk to him; my wife doesn't (it's her brother).
      I guess that's enough rambling on and on. I'll try not to be a stranger on here, and keep in touch with all of you "great guys" here on the forum. Darrel

Good luck in your new job! Your route and deliveries will allow you to meet more folks and maybe open some new doors!

Edited by Sugarmaker - 01 Apr 2018 at 8:53am

If you have a smart phone,you'll find yourself checking in throughout the day.....

Well,,Darrel,,,GOOD LUCK to you in your new job,,My Friend,,, I know you'll do well, cause you always seem to have a positive outlook on your responsibilities.
I'm still lookin forward to when we finally meet up as the wife got a call that her Mother is not doing too well,,she is 85,,and looks like we be goin up that way. Just hopin she be OK till the last snow flies this year.
Just think,,tho,,you'll be able to scour all thet BIG country and look me for all them car and trk parts,,,,

Good luck Darrel!

Darrel buddy, I wish you well in your new endeavor.  I'd HATE to go back to punching a clock, but if you have to.....
Yup, keep the faith and God's will be done.   He'll see you through with His plan for you.

Does this mean you won't be coming to Hutch this year?  I've already got my grease gun batteries all charged up!!

You'll make it Darrel. God never lets his children suffer more than they can handle. He loves you and desires only the best for you. It's just we sometimes don't see the Big Picture that shows God's plan for our lives.

Yeah, it's going to be a big change in your life but as others have already said, you will have new adventures and hopefully be successful at what ever you end up doing after this summer.  I'm down to less then 100 acres and making nearly as much as when I had a lot more.  Marketing directly to the consumers is great (most of the time).  BTW, it's not anything illegal that I grow.  Pumpkins and fruit.  Take care out on the highway and remember, shiny side up!

I too wish you the best. And can say the Lord has always provided. Many times I didn't know what I was going to be doing next season. I too have had some doors closing and need to spend more time seeking the way to go forward.

Good luck and best wishes with the new job.  Change is sometimes scary but in a couple of months it will be a piece of cake. 

Best of luck in your new job, take care of that knee and keep your faith in the Lord.

Well, I made it through first day of work. Can't say as though I enjoyed it; but I tolerated it. Do have some nice people to work with. There isn't any chemical going out yet, so was just working in the warehouse, and walking all day on that concrete absolutely killed my bum knee. And I sure would like to know what ever happened to the day when you went to work for someone on a handshake. I have never filled out so much paperwork in my life as what I had to fill out to get this job. Stopped by Trade Home Shoes and got a new pair of work boots after work tonight. I think that they will help my feet and knee out a lot. Thanks for all the support and well wishes! Darrel

The concrete is why I had to quite my job a Lowe's it was getting to my feet and legs

Day two: Lots of learning. More learning than one old brain is capable of. Everything from company policies and procedures, to safety. My knee sure did appreciate being off of it for the day, though. I think I need a secretary to ride around in the truck with me just to do the paperwork. Darrel

Well, I got to "sleep on" everything I learned yesterday, and this morning I decided that I don't think it'll be that bad. And besides, with my wife being an ER nurse, if I told her I had "a lot of paper work", she's probably hit me. Guess her "paper work" is actually "computer work", but same difference. I think that for every hour she spends treating a patient, she probably spends two hours charting it on the puter, thanks to Obama care. Darrel