Thursday, July 16, 2009

Tick wars continue

7/16/09 Thursday
The tick wars continue. When I took Gretchen to have her stitches removed I picked eight or nine off of her. We’ve sprayed the dogs and the house and Cherie runs the vacuum to suck up the ticks we see on the floor where the dogs had been. Plus we check each other for ticks on a regular basis. If we feel anything on our skin we run and check, thinking it might be a tick. It seldom is but the paranoia’s there. Today we will spend the bucks to get the Frontline stuff that works well.

I sold out of the blackeyed peas yesterday and then went and picked some more. As I picked in saw some new types of bugs and there are lots of little moths flying in the leaves. They lay eggs of all kinds of hungry bugs and caterpillars. So I got out early this morning and sprayed everything. The cantaloupe are looking really good now. What wasn’t killed by my insecticide soap experiment has recovered well and the new seeds are coming out strong. After spraying I came in and whipped up some eggs for breakfast. Gotta keep fuel in the body you know, helps me keep going.

I need to run to the landfill later. Don’t want to do it this morning because I want to work out in the fields before it gets too hot. It will be another hundred plus degree day but the humidity will be high. That’ll make it bad. I’m already sweating and it’s only 9:30.

Yesterday I ate lunch at Bushes chicken. Don’t usually eat out because of the budget but had some cash from selling peas. While eating I could hear a conversation between the manager and another gentleman regarding advertising. With my marketing background I eavesdropped with great interest. When done with the meal I stopped by their table and complemented the manager about having chickens that “aren’t starved to death”. All the other chicken places serve drumsticks that look like toothpicks and it frustrates me. The gentleman said that Bushes hasn’t gone cheap and still buy chickens that have some weight to them.

I asked if he was an owner or something and he said he was a consultant to restaurants. I made a suggestion regarding a marketing campaign that he seemed to think was pretty good. “Who are you” he asked with curiosity. I explained that I had once owned a marketing company and told about the coma, how everything was gone when I woke up. I didn’t mention that I had pretty much trashed everything prior to the accident due to going off the deep end with the divorce from the second wife and another probable brain injury.

As we talked it turns out that he’s from up Michigan way and had managed forty or sixty pizza huts (Can’t remember exactly but it was a bunch) He gave me his business card and asked me to send him an email. Henry (That’s his name) also mentioned that he knew a couple of good writers that might be interested in helping me write my book. That sound good as I really haven’t been good at getting to that and most of what I had written is trapped on the two hard drives of my still unrepaired laptop.

I told Henry about the plans I have for the farm. Lately I’ve been feeling an urgency about getting moving on that. I have also had a return of mental clarity, glimpses of who I used to be. That is encouraging. It would be good to get back in the saddle again. I’m still up and down regarding my cognizance but more up than down. It’s time to move on this. As I tell others about my vision I can see that it’s hard for them to accept. That’s because I’m talking about a multi million dollar operation, nothing small or shy about it. And I can understand it would be hard to swallow, especially when they all know, or at least have an idea, of the difficulties I have from the TBI. Fact is that I know I can’t do this by myself. Understanding that, the primary key to my plan is to enlist others with talents and abilities, to create a team of people who share the vision and will work to make it happen. I’ll reveal more when it’s time.

So back to work. I will call the old man to see if I can use his disc today or tomorrow. I need to go cut weeds at the old store as well. See ya.
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1:17 – Made it to the landfill. Ate a hamburger at the Stanton drug store. I’m tired. Forgot to take checks to the bank and drop off the check for the electric bill. Better do that now before I forget. Can’t believe it’s so late already. I think I’m a little slow. Still need to get tick medicine in Midland. Will wash dogs before putting it on with the tick shampoo. Might not get to borrowing the disc. We’ll see how that goes. Hate it when I get slow. You can see it in how I write. All short sentences. If I talked to someone I’m sure I could hear it. Cherie knows how that is.

4 comments:

Jeff said...

Bob, I RTEALLY liked today's photo ... thanks for sharing that. I anm encouraged by the fact that - whatever else you may have lost - you still have your vision of what you will do someday. That's good!

Bob Westbrook said...

Thanks Jeff. I feel that there are many reason's I was "raised from the dead". Having my marriage with Cherie is only one of them. What I see for this farm will be a highly visible enterprise that can be a place families can gather for wholesome time together. More on that when the time is right.

Loretta said...

This picture is beautiful.You certainly have an eye for taking pictures.

Bob Westbrook said...

I'm surrounded with beauty, just as you all are. The wonder I had of the world when I woke from the coma and everything was new still remains. I try to keep the camera handy and regret when I'm unable to capture a moment.