amtolle

Try and Try Again

I am headed for a new adventure. Due to the circumstances of my husband being laid off November 2023, and the need to increase the income in our budget, we are trying some new things. Baby boomers using technology to increase income. One stereotype I really dislike is when people say Baby Boomers do not know how to use technology. We are still able to learn. I would like to see the younger generations use a computer requiring all commands in DOS. I wonder, do they know what DOS is?

We are starting a YouTube channel to help bring attention to our sheep farm. The focus is to increase the sale and sale price of our sheep. The eligibility requirements of being paid by YouTube for advertising means there will be no income from YouTube directly for awhile. I am approaching this new adventure one method to bring attention to our sheep and our homestead.

Making a video is not as simple as it seems. There are challenges to setting up a camera phone on a makeshift tripod, then getting the sheep to cooperate with the videoing. Containing emotions and vocabulary when the sheep go the wrong direction because the herding dog had his own idea on where we wanted the sheep. Or practicing what you want to say as in introduction without stumbling over your words. Only to learn that the video stopped due to lack of storage on the cell phone.

After a couple of hours transferring the 974 photos and videos of my grandchildren to my computer. Deleting the said photos from the cell phone. I now have storage to make video footage for our new adventure. Only the sun went down and the lighting is horrible.

I will practice more in the mirror on speaking into a camera. Work at editing the small amount of video we did capture. Tomorrow we will try again to get video for this new adventure in our life.

Bloganaury 2023

Daily writing prompt

What are your biggest challenges?

View all responses

The past few months my biggest challenge is not to stress or worry about finances. In 2023, my husband had a decent job. I started working again outside of the farm, and the sheep were doing well. If we stayed with the budget our little homestead would be paid in full in five years and my husband could retire from working. Things were going well.

Then November arrived and my husband was laid off. He has reached the age to get full benefits from Social Security Retirement. So, he registered for social security. The amount he is receiving is not near what his earning income was. Our budget is way short of getting our little homestead paid in full in the next five years. Our budget is short on just meeting the monthly requirements of electricity, food, fuel, mortgage, cell phone, and insurance. We do not have cable, have not for years. No extras such as eating out or going places on vacation. Money was not there before he was laid off and it definitely is not there now.

My first response is to stress knowing it does not help the situation. My biggest challenge at the beginning of the new year is to not stress. He is looking for work. We have a few ideas on how to bring additional income to the homestead and have started implementing those ideas. Currently, bills are being paid from the income we do receive and the little we are short comes from our small saving account.

In years past, we have never had the electricity turned off, gone without food, or missed a mortgage payment. The Creator always opens a door and leads us to a pathway to travel.

amtolle

Changes in a New Year

Reflections of the past year and looking toward the future year, 2024 will be a year of change for me, my husband and the sheep farm. Change not by choice, but by force of events. Looking back through decades of life, change is not new. Change happens to each of us on a continually. We make decisions and circumstances happen that require us to change. Honestly, I do not like change.

The past few months, I have not been writing as much. I enjoy the writing process of putting thoughts into words, expressing ideas and sharing. In the next year, I am making changes to my daily life tasks to have time to do a few things I enjoy doing, one of those is writing. It may take longer to get the shelter built for the sheep or other farm projects done, but I am going to make time to do two things I really enjoy doing, one is writing.

Since November, my husband has not been working. His layoff affected our monthly income drastically and my future projections of having our home paid off before he retired. He has been looking for work, but has not been hired. There are laws in this country that does not allow an employer to discriminate against age, but proving that the company is discriminating by age is difficult to prove in a court of law. Most potential employers look at him and his age as a person who is going to retire soon. The truth is due to our home mortgage and inflation, retirement is not an event either of us is going to enjoy.

We are going to venture out into social media and start a YouTube channel. Saying older people or baby boomers are unable to learn technology is one of the biggest stereotypes than I distaste. There are many baby boomers that use technology daily, smart phones, smart television and the internet on a daily basis. Perhaps we find more enjoyment in reading a book on kindle than play the countless games available on our phones. Or we do not really care when a friend goes to Starbucks by watching one of the many apps that track where everyone is located. But we do use technology daily.

With the crunch in our income, it is necessary to give up on some dreams. I had this dream of when my husband was able to retire after the mortgage was paid off, that we would be able to do more horseback riding together. An activity we both enjoy, but have had little time to do together with his work schedule. Due to our financial situation at this time, I am going to have to sale two and perhaps three of my beloved horses. I have not had the time to ride as much as I desire, and horses are expensive to feed. The horses do not bring in any income, only an expense that we can no longer afford to pay. So in the next few months I will be preparing two horses for sale and finding them homes.

Not all change is bad. There are good things in change. One truth about change, is change is happening all the time. We make plans for our current situation, but we do not see the future or the changes that may come our way. In a month or two, our current situation could totally change.

amtolle

After Christmas

This year my Christmas Day was filled with little foot beats, giggles, laughs and a lot of noise, happy noise. My three grandchildren I cared for during the Spring and Summer and their parents spent Christmas at Granny’s house. It has been twelve years since a child spent Christmas Day at Granny’s.

The past years we have celebrated Christmas with family on a day other than December 25. After everyone has celebrated Christmas with their families and others, we would choose a date in January for a feast and gift exchange with us. Christmas Day past has been a quiet day with my husband.

Today, the grandchildren, my son and daughter-in-law started their trip returning home. The house is quiet, the train under the Christmas tree is still. I will miss them, each and everyone, but there is plans for them to visit again in April, and the coming summer.

The past week I have focused on painting snowflake decorations with my grandchildren, playing “Shark Bite”, baking and decorating sugar cookies for Santa. Times of doing chores and petting newborn lambs. Reading a bedtime story. Many meals to prepare and serve, thankfully my daughter-in-law washed the few dishes as paper plates were used for all meals.

Today is the day to change the focus to the approaching New Year. Plans are being formed and changes have to be made. Some of the changes will be sad ones. Thoughts of new adventures in creating income. Memories of this Christmas to help me keep my chin up as I begin a new and change year.

amtolle

A Little Thought for You.

In the United States we travel straight from Thanksgiving to Christmas, almost missing Thanksgiving and Halloween. Christmas is almost here with people busy buying gifts and making travel plans to celebrate with family and friends.

I have been busy with addressing and signing Christmas cards. Why send Christmas cards? I debate on whether I should also send along the yearly letter stating the adventures of the year. This year, I am only sending Christmas cards. The thought and time required to pick out the Christmas card design and message, sign with a small note, address the envelope, place a stamp and put in the mail box, lets the receiver know at least one person thought of them this year.

The usual clutter of envelopes and postcards we receive in our mailbox is advertisements to coerce some sort of purchasing of a product. This usual clutter can be depressing and aggravating, sometimes overwhelming with all that ends in can to be thrown out, extra work in a busy day. A Christmas card brings a thought and message of caring, affection and connection. A Christmas card provides a light during the darkest time of year.

Last year I planned on making the Christmas cards to send this year. Life events, work did not provide the opportunity for such a creative endeavor. Perhaps next year there will be time provided to create the carrier to send the thoughts of caring and affection to those I know and love.

My life did get very busy this year. The desire to create individual Christmas gifts was detoured with the lack of time. I have been able with saving money and purchasing through out the year to be able to obtain gifts for family and friends. Simple gifts I know the individuals will enjoy. Each gift carefully thought out to meet the personality and joys of the person. No random spontaneous shopping for gifts to fill a spot on the gift buying list.

Of course most of my grandchildren are easy to buy a gift for as they all enjoy reading or being read to depending on their age. Simple gifts to share with their young minds. Books and stories I enjoyed, their parents enjoyed are gifts this year for them to enjoy and share again with their parents. Creating memories and reviving old memories to span the years.

Christmas is almost here.

amtolle

Thankfulness

In the United States people celebrate a holiday of Thanksgiving in November. Thanksgiving, a time of giving thanks with a celebration of families and friends gathering together to feast on turkey or ham and a time to be thankful. The holiday is said to have begun with the first harvest of the Pilgrims in the “New Land”. The celebration after a harvest is not new to the Pilgrims or the “New Land”. Many cultures celebrated the conclusion of fall harvest with a feast being thankful for the crops that will provide the yearly food until next fall. Being a farmer for most of my life, I have always been thankful when the harvest is completed.

For several years I practiced writing or saying something I was thankful for each day of the month of November. Being aware to be thankful for those in our lives and the good events during the year condensed into one month, November. As years brings wisdom, in recent years, I make a point to be thankful for something or someone each day.

During the hard times or times of struggle it is easy for us to focus on the problem. I would focus on the problem or struggle and loose sight of what was good around me. My mind going into a downward spiral of depression. I have realized that we need to be mindful of the problems or struggles in our life at the time, but not have our total focus on those things. It is important to see and focus on what is good in our life during those times as well.

Giving thanks daily helps me to realize the good that is happening in my life and around me. Yes, there are struggles, there are unlikable situations, but there is also the good, the beautiful. To keep my mind from the downward spiral, I focus on what is good, what is beautiful and know that the sun will come up tomorrow shedding light on a new day and a new possibility.

Wishing everyone a time of thanksgiving happiness. Thank you to all those who stop and read my posts, follow my writing during the year. Thank you to those who leave comments and likes. I may be busy and not read or respond as quickly as I would like to, but I do read each one.

Thank you.

amtolle

Terraces and Wheat

The month of October has been so busy. It is hard for me to even think the month is over, but here I am in November. I have been tired, physically and mentally, and not writing much. I am feeling good about all that has been accomplished.

The first terraces I built are working great. Last week we received rain for five days in a row, not a huge amount about 5 inches total. Thankful for the rain. After the first three days of rain, I had to check my terraces. How did the terraces hold up? Did the terraces slow the water and redirect as planned? I was thrilled to see the terraces do the job I had planned and built them to do. With the rain, the grasses started filling in the area. Satisfaction in having planned and completed a project that did as I had hoped.

Another huge accomplishment in October was getting the pasture seeded in winter wheat. My husband and I were trying to figure out a way of seeding the pasture since we do not own a no till drill or any type of seeder to do a large area. Then, I seen where a neighbor was seeding others’ pastures, pastures he was leasing. I asked if he could seed my pasture as well and the cost. He said yes, but did not give me the cost. He seeded my pasture with my seed for no cost. I was relieved to have the pasture seeded. Now to have rain for the seed to germinate and grow. Thankfully we received the rain, the winter wheat germinated and started growing. Along with the winter wheat growing, the pasture grasses started growing after receiving the much needed moisture.

The first week of November we are able to put the sheep on pasture, and not feed hay.

There was another project scheduled for October, a new water filtration system. Our water is not from a public utility, we have well water. Our filtration system and water softener only did a limited amount of purifying our water, so we did not drink the water or use it for cooking. There was nothing harmful in the water, it was just high in salts. We have our water tested yearly for safety in drinking, and the water tests safe to drink. But we did not like the taste. We purchased a better filtration system, softener and an osmosis system for under the kitchen sink. In order to put this new system in our barn, we had to make some changes of moving things around to create the needed space for the new system. On October 28, they put the new system in place. Now we have cooking and drinking water in the kitchen. This new system is supposed to pull all the iron and calcium elements from the water resulting in no more deposits on faucets and brown toilets.

Meat training in Amarillo was cancelled. The company I work for decided it was too expensive to send and pay for hotel rooms for those wanting to attend the meat training school. Meat cutter training is being done in each store. Two days a week I go in for meat cutter training. I am progressing quite well. I enjoy learning from my supervisor. He is a really good meat cutter and department manager. The store where we work is one of the smallest in the chain of stores, yet this meat department has the highest profit percentage and often out sells the bigger stores in nearby area. I want to learn to be as good and profitable meat cutter as he is.

I work two days a week as the meat department employee on my own. I have been limited in what I can do in putting meat on the shelf for the customer as I was not able to cut meat to replace. My supervisor would work extra on the days before he was off, to have cut meat for the shelf the next day. Not anymore. My training has progressed to the place I am able to cut meat for the shelf on his days off. I still require training on the meat saw. Any meat product that has a bone, I am not able to cut. But everything else, I can cut for the shelf.

Yesterday, my supervisor informed me that my meat cutting abilities were really good. My cuts were beautiful and varied. I am able to see the various meat products that can be cut from a portion of meat. My cutting ability allows for a pleasant presentation of the product. I still need to identify all the different steaks and cuts that I create, and to learn to safely operate the meat saw. My skills are of high level meat cutting, and when training is complete, I will be able to get a job in any store.

It is common knowledge among employees that the company we work for does not pay much. My supervisor makes more than any other department manager as they want to keep him at this store. He could make more and has, but that requires traveling to the metroplex, something he does not want to do. Like me, he works there by choice. But having the option of going somewhere else in a high demand profession is a comfort.

Yes my time has been busy with projects, work and training, not allowing for much time to write. I have missed the writing and will be working on my schedule to create more time to write. There are still many projects that need to be started and completed on the farm. I need to get to riding two horses so they will be ready to sell in March. I am going to be in lambing season in a week or two, as the ewes are getting ready to have their babies. I have some of last lambing ewes being bred, for lambs in five to six months. Since my time is limited, I am starting to decorate for Christmas now, in order to have the decorating done for my son and his family visit this Christmas.

So much to do but with joy and hope for a good outcome in the next few months.

amtolle

A Different Pace

Last Friday night I worked a different shift and different position. I filled in an empty place in the schedule as a cashier. I have not worked as a cashier very much for the local grocery store I have been employed at since January. I started working as a stocker during the truck delivery days, then moved into the frozen foods department. A month later, I was asked to learn the meat department.

My resume is full of experience working a cash register, but I have only worked the position five previous times for this grocery store. Each store has their own cash register system and procedures for doing things. It has been several months since I was trained at working the cash register. When I arrived that afternoon to start my shift, a fellow employee and friend was surprised I had been scheduled since I have not worked that position very much. When I informed my friend it was my sixth time working the cash register. My friend asked what was the manager thinking? Well, the manager needed a person in a bind. One person who was scheduled had quit, and others requested the night off, leaving no one to fill the vacancy. The manager asked a favor, and I said yes.

In the meat department there is so much to do. I always have a long list of meat items that need to packaged, weighed and put on the shelf, plus some to be put in the cooler to refill the shelves after I leave. I grind various meat into ground meat or seasoned taco meat. I put together different meat items to make combination packages. More recently, since I have been trained to cut different stakes, I am also cutting meat at times. Once I get all the meat packaged, weighed and on the shelf, it is time to clean the meat room and all the equipment. I am always racing the clock to get what needs to be done before I am to leave.

The cashier position is a very different pace. A cashier waits for the work to come to them. Standing, waiting for a customer to arrive after completing the selection of items to purchase. I am the type of person who likes to “do nothing”. I love to stay busy, moving and doing. In my honest opinion the position of cashier is totally boring. Since I do not stand still very well, I clean and straighten in my area. The other cashier asked what I was doing when I started cleaning the front of the counter where the customer stands. I replied, cleaning. It was dirty, I was cleaning. The other cashier responded they have never cleaned the front of the counter.

Later, the cashier asked the closing manager why they had not seen or worked with me before, since I had been working there since January. “Oh, she works the meat department in the mornings. Those working the meat department mostly stay in the meat room where it is really cold. When she first came to work she was a cashier a few times, then mostly worked the truck days and frozen, then moved to the meat department. Now, she is in training to be a meat cutter.”

The evening seemed very long. My dinner time and bedtime came and went. My little area was very clean. During the really slow times, I would take a rag broom and sweep the floor on each aisle, straightening items on every shelf along the way. Not that the store was really slow, the sales were good last night.

Today, I was up early and back in the meat department, where it is cold, the pace always moving, and the position I love to work in.

amtolle

“A Home Run out of a Walk”

People join us and leave us on our journey through life. This past week, I have been dealing with the loss of a special friend. Our journey together began with me answering a help wanted ad for someone to clean stalls in a 16 stall barn.

They had Arabians in the barn. They used to train riders and horses for endurance racing. Newspaper clippings displayed in the barn restroom and their website, they were really good at training horses and riders for this strenuous and demanding equine competition.

When I arrived for the interview, the wife, met me and did the initial interview. But, before I could be hired, I had to pass his interview. She asked me what experience I had with horses. How many I owned, trained, and if I had been around stallions. Basic resume type questions. Then the time came to talk with her husband, Hank.

Hank’s first question was, “Have you ever worked with Arabians?”. I answered yes, I had owned two. Told of the four year old Arabian mare I purchased, that I had to no training or handling. How I trained her to halter and to lead in 15 minutes. Listening to me talk about my Arabian mare, he grinned. Through our discussion he learned the breed of horse I loved was Appaloosas.

In the horse trainer/rider environment there are prejudices. The number one horse prejudiced against is Arabians. The second is Appaloosas. There are many myths and false assumptions concerning these two breed of horses. The consensus is a person either loves or hates these two breeds.

I was hired to clean 16 stalls and the barn on the weekends. I would start the coming week, spend two days helping the person who cleaned the stalls during the week, then be on my own for the weekend. Well, the working with another person did not happen. I started the weekend following my interview.

The Arabian barns I had been in prior, treated the horses as royalty. Spotless stalls, every need and want of the horse taken care of. When I started cleaning stalls, I stripped or removed all the shavings from the first six stalls. I could tell when he came to check on me, I did not meet a standard. I realized with just a look, I had cleaned the stalls too good. Upon discussion with him, I started doing a thorough pick cleaning of the rest of the stalls. They only do a strip cleaning once a week of each stall.

Due to my lack of condition in cleaning stalls, and my back injury, my husband started coming on the weekends, when he was done working to help me finish cleaning the stalls, barn and watering the horses. Soon the four of us would be standing in the aisle telling horse stories of achievement and defeat.

Each weekend, between them meeting and riding with clients and me cleaning stalls, we would have short discussions. They had retired from endurance riding, and most of their horses were clients’ horses who were retired from endurance riding, but still used for trail riding. But, this one young lady talked them into taking her on as a client for endurance riding. She was young, had just obtained a prestigious job placement, and was wanting to meet the challenge of endurance riding so she thought.

During one of our discussions, I had asked how this young lady was doing. Since I was only there on weekends, I did not know how often she came to work at her sport choice. Hank informed me she did not spend the time riding or being at the barn required of the sport endurance riding. The discussion turned to how when working with clients it is hard to motivate a person to ride and work hard to reach their goals, unless they are passionate about their goals.

“They do not believe they can get a homerun from a walk” Hank stated. I instantly was thinking how this could be achieved. He smiled giving the look, ‘you will think about it and figure it out one day’ as he walked away. I continued to finish my job, and figured out the possibility, it was possible, but I had never seen it done.

Yesterday, at Hank’s memorial service his son was doing the eulogy. Sharing some stories of how his father had coached him during the years he played baseball. He was not a very good batter, but was very good at stealing bases. His father had taught him how to take a hit from a pitch. During one game, he took his hit from the pitch and was given the walk to first base, only he always ran past first base, so the catcher threw the ball to second baseman. As he was sliding into second base, the second baseman missed the catch, the ball was in the outfield. He ran to third. The outfielder threw to third, and the third baseman missed the catch as he arrived at third base. His coach told him to run, and he ran to home plate scoring a run. He made a homerun on a walk.

Regardless of what a person wants to achieve in life, this statement holds true. Understand our individual strengths and weakness, use our strengths to the full potential, and work on our weaknesses to reach our goals. Never forget, with the proper work and training, when the situation arrives a homerun can be achieved from a walk.

There were many horse adventures shared, single line words of wisdom, lots of laughs and a friendship formed. Treasures I will always hold dear.

Thank you for hiring me, becoming a treasured friend.

In Honor of :

Henry “Hank” Olin Copeland, III

April 21, 1942 – September 6, 2023

amtolle

Christmas Planning

It is September, fall, time of harvest and preparing for winter. I am also preparing for Christmas. This year is planned to be different from other years. Since my husband and I have been married, we have celebrated Christmas Day as only a couple. He usually had to work, our children and their families live in other states away. This year, the plans are for my son, his wife and the three little grandchildren to spend Christmas Day with us, unless a blizzard is happening between their home and ours.

Decades back, when my children were young, I started planning Christmas in January. We did not have much money, so I would watch my children and see what they were really longing to have, and buy for a Christmas present or Birthday present when I had the money to do so. Stretching out the Christmas present purchasing to all year long, allowed me to give my children several gifts, instead of just one gift.

I took the same idea to when purchasing food for Christmas dinner. I would buy a bag of chocolate chips or nuts or extra cans of vegetables during my regular grocery shopping a few months before. Spreading out the cost of Christmas dinner over several months was easier on my budget than purchasing the one week of Christmas.

My daughter-in-law and I have discussed the menu, and it is set. Main course is salmon. The salmon was on sale, I was hungry for salmon, so I purchased some. I always buy turkeys and ham when they are on sale during that time of year. I will probably prepare a turkey or ham for Christmas dinner to join the salmon, for those who may not want to eat salmon. The rest of the menu will be purchased, little by little at each grocery shopping day.

A new addition this year is going to be the “Mystery Box”. Since my daughter-in-law and I like to do crafty things. Children love to do crafty things. This “Mystery Box” will be supplied each day with a different Christmas type craft for the family to craft together. One day will be clothes pin snowflakes. I will glue the clothes pins into various snowflake shapes and paint them white before they arrive. Everyone will decorate them with glitter, paints, and other items. The Mystery Box will have an activity of stringing popcorn one day, and another day of making Christmas chains from red, green and white construction paper. I have supplies to make reindeer and decorate foam Christmas trees. All items crafted will be used as part of the decorations in the house. At the conclusion of their visit, they can take the decorations they have made home if they wish.

On Christmas Eve, we will do the age old family tradition of decorating sugar cookies with colored frosting and candy decorations for Santa. The boys will help me make oatmeal cookies for the reindeer. When it is time for bed, we will gather for the poem, “The Night Before Christmas”, and the Christmas Story.

Seems like a lot to prepare for and do. But by purchasing needed cooking and crafting supplies, a little at a time, I will be able to stay within my budget and enjoy a festive time of the year with children and grandchildren.

amtolle