8/7/09 FridayHard to believe we’re a week into August already. Seems like yesterday it was the first. I’ve been busy, busy, busy, but it’s all good. Haven’t had any bad slowdowns and my mind has been sharp and clear for days now. What an encouragement that is. It’s 11:30 now. I’ve been out working since 8:00 and came in a half hour ago to take a pain pill and lay down in front of the fan. Rascal and Trixie always like this as they come in too and lay on the bed with me, along with both cats. Usually Carman kitty sits on my chest and begs for pets and purrs. It’s such a peaceful time. There’s a new spirit in me, a renewal of my hopes for the future, my confidence that things will come about. It is good to have and helps combat the frustration I have in being unable to keep up with the physical requirements of this farm. I spent the morning with the hoe attacking weeds. This afternoon it’s time to get the tiller out and till under weeds in the plot I intend to plant fall vegetables in. I found some old castor beans and after soaking them planted them in some small containers filled with potting soil. Didn’t have a lot of hope they would come up seeing as they were old seeds but so far five of them have. Castor beans are highly poisonous and an effective means of combating the gophers that plague us.
I made a lot of progress on the business plan yesterday. What I’m doing is painting a picture with words of my vision for the place. Writing is a gift I have and by doing this I can better convey what will be. “There it is daddy!!!” Jim heard his young son exclaim when he recognized the Westbrook logo with two distinctive intertwined hearts” is the opening line. From there it describes the experiences this family has as they visit the farm and explore it’s charms. This visual depiction will greatly enhance the details of the business plan as potential investor/partners read through them. I talked to Cherie about whether or not to post this on the blog and she agreed with my hesitance to do so. I’ll reveal it to specific individuals when it the right time. Pray for us in this venture if you’re the praying type. If you’re not the praying type give it a shot. Can’t hurt and could well do you a lot of good.
This is a poop scoop day. I’ll also stop by Mrs. G’s to mow her lawn and do any other chores she may have. I dropped by there earlier this week and took her some of the basil we have. She loved it but loved having the company and someone to share her troubles with more. She told of her granddaughter. What she shared was a heavy burden. It reminds me of the things Genelle, a friend from church, has and is experiencing. I think I should introduce them because they have so much in common. Mrs. G’s granddaughter is in her thirties now but was molested as a child. She jumped into a marriage as so many abused girls do and is married to a…well I won’t use the word I want to but he’s a real piece of work. There are two children in the marriage and they are psychologically abused if not worse. He’s mean and lazy. Not just a little bit but in a major way. Mrs. G asked “How do I pray about this”. She’s got such a sweet spirit and tries not to say or feel anything bad about people. She told me that she had prayed for God to show her just one good thing about this man and looked for it for one year. She couldn’t find anything.
They had come to “visit” this week. Actually he brought them and tried to pressure Mrs. G into letting them move in. He won’t work and Geneva’s granddaughter has lost her job so things are tough. She’s supported the whole family for years and he lays on a couch and barks orders like “Bring me my food woman”. He pretends to be disabled but regularly forgets which leg is supposed to not work well. He was in a car accident and headed straight to a lawyer but the lady who hit him had no insurance and no money. Regardless the guy won’t even look for work. I was glad to hear Mrs. G tell me she refused to let them stay. When it came to how to pray I told her that God isn’t always love and peace, that He’s a God of vengeance and judgment too. I told her of a scripture where, I think it was Paul, said he was praying for the destruction of the flesh of someone who was causing serious trouble so that their soul might at least be saved. When it was time for me to go I prayed with Mrs. G that God lay his hand on this man to deal with the situation, to perhaps wake him up. Or if nothing else to deliver the granddaughter and her children from this horrible situation. I hope not to meet him because I don’t mince words and will most likely tell him exactly what I think, especially if I see him yell at or smack one of his kids. All of them, from the wife to the kids, are afraid of him. I have no problem asking God to smack him down.
I keep getting notifications of seminars and conferences that would be a great asset to attend. But we just don’t have the means. One of them is a farm and food leadership conference in San Antonio that lasts for two days. Here’s their opening statement about the conference “Be part of an exciting gathering of non-profit leaders, farmers and ranchers, farmers market organizers, local foods activists, and more! This two-day event will feature speakers on issues critical to both farmers and consumers, including:” There have been other conferences and seminars that are educational regarding how to grow and market produce that would have been of great benefit. After all a lot of what I do is learn about what I’m doing.
The other conference is of even more potential benefit to us. It’s on RV parks, a big part of our business goals. Here’s their description;
RVParkStore.com, the nation's largest website devoted to investing in the RV Park industry, has announced that it will be holding an RV Park Boot Camp in New Branfels, Texas (Between San Antonio and Austin) on the weekend of October 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
This event will cover all aspects of owning and operating RV parks, including finding, evaluating, negotiating, doing diligence on, purchasing, managing, operating, marketing, financing and selling RV parks. It will look at the full spectrum of RV parks, from 1-star gravel road parks to 5-star parks with pools, clubhouses, miniature golf and live entertainment. This will give attendees a feel for the many different types of RV parks, so they can decide what works for them.
The course is based on classroom instruction and field study - walking around real RV parks and seeing what the business is like in a real world perspective. It is taught by Frank Rolfe and Dave Reynolds, who have owned and operated over $100,000,000 in Mobile Home and RV Parks. There experience is augmented by several expert guests, and many real RV park owners.
So there’s two items on my wish list. I know where I want to go but getting there requires a lot of work.
Speaking of work it’s time to get back out there. See ya.
========
Just got back from Mrs. G’s. Mowed her lawn and helped cut grass burrs out of her Pomeranians. I took Genelle over there and they hit it off pretty good. Talked for the hour or so I was working on the lawn. At the end they exchanged numbers and promised to talk again. That seems good. Getting home I just remembered that I totally forgot about poop scooping. Hope Steve and Janie don’t get upset. I’m tired now. It’s almost 8:00. Cherie’s fixing dinner and it’s likely I’ll call it a day.
No comments:
Post a Comment