Friday, April 19, 2013

Barnyard Barbie's Guide for Going on Vacay with a Farmer

So a while ago I blogged on Guide to Dating a Farmer--well now it's time for Barnyard Barbie's Guide to Going on Vacay with a Farmer.

Going on vacation may seem like a wonderful idea--warm weather, cold drinks, relaxation, shopping, rejuvenation, etc, etc.  Well...unless you're married to a farmer and have to plan one.  First hurdle--who's going to look after all the critters while we're gone?  I mean turning the lights on a timer is great and all--but who's going to feed Arnold twice a day; check on the cows; feed cows; feed the donkeys; let the chickens out; collect chicken eggs; feed the bulls; water all said creatures; etc, etc?  These are our livelihood and critters and it takes a little more than a neighbor collecting your mail responsibility.  The list takes up a full page of notes and details of where to get water and feed sacks, etc. 

Then comes the big question of when?  Because getting your farmer off the farm is the goal!  Looking at a calendar here are the options, I have scored each one according to the Magic Eight Ball, because sometimes the Magic Eight Ball is a better predictor than Kansas weather  :-)



January--Don't count on it  Calving starts, can't leave those cows alone in the cold
February--My reply is no Calving continues
March--Better not tell you now
April--Reply hazy, try again!  How's the weather?  has corn been planted?  Has corn seed been delivered?  If it hasn't, chances are better on getting your farmer off the farm.  If the seed is delivered, dream on.
May--My sources say no!  Between other grain planting and moving cows to greener pastures (literally), there won't be much time for you and your farmer.
June--Very doubtful!  Not only will you not get your farmer to go on vacation--you probably won't even see him at all
July--Very doubtful!  As nice as cold water and cold drinks sound, cutting down hay and hauling hay will keep you and your farmer busy.
August--Concentrate and ask again. 
September--Don't count on it.  Harvest of corn will keep you both busy.
October--Ask again later.  Chances are dependent on the weather--is it raining?  Your chances of a getaway are better than if its dry.
November--Concentrate and ask again.  Moving cattle to their winter homes will take some time.  Cleaning all equipment for winter storage will leave your farmer frustrated that XYZ bearing went out AGAIN. 
December--Who has time to vacay in December?  LOL

So once you have conned some lucky individual into watching your critters AND chosen a time that your farmer can leave--you have vacation time!  Woot woot!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Lean In or Lean Back?

I’ve been following the dialogue of Sheryl Sandberg’s theory/book Lean In.  It is very interesting stuff and I commend her for writing the book and expressing her opinion.  I do agree that women need to Lean In more and not to stay quiet during board meetings or to not not apply for a promotion because we’re pregnant, etc.  The idea that we (as women) need to Lean In to our careers is a good one.  Except for one thing…what if we want to lean into something else besides our careers?  Someone once told me to work towards what you want your end of the day to look like.  What does that look like?  Is it furiously typing emails into an Ipad?  Is it tucking children into bed?  Is it bottle-feeding calves?  Is it a ritual with a spouse?  Or happy hour with girlfriends?  Or some great combo of all?   What do we want our end of the day to look like?  And does that require us to Lean In to our careers or Lean Back?

Great pic from fellow blogger, http://momontherange.com/


When I was training servers, there were those very gifted, confident people that had no problems walking up to a table of strangers and telling them the featured item for the day.  Others had a sense of apprehension at the table and would physically lean into the table stressed that they would miss something or mess up.  If you are an experienced server, you recognize this immediately dining somewhere, and think “how cute, they’re new”.  I would coach the trainees to physically lean back and relax.  Lean back and relax with the table—apprehension is contagious and your guests will feel it.  Be confident, relaxed, and sure of what you’re doing (or do your best to fake it).   It’s better to have the table laugh with you on a FUBR, than laughing at you. 

When we contemplate how we want our end of the day to look—what if leaning back is leaning in to what we want it to really look like?