BLACKBERRY TIME AT SLEEPY HOLLOW FARM

It is that time of year again! So far, we have sold our berries as fast as we can pick them. My blackberries have been producing all this month and are starting to slow down so I will continue selling on a "first come, first serve" basis. The berries are $2.00 a pint or $1.75 a pint for an order of 8 pints (1 gallon) or more. I have also started selling homemade seedless blackberry jam in 1/2 pint jars. My jam price is $3.00 per jar or a special price of $2.75 per jar for orders of 3 or more. I live in the Lexington area and we can arrange for pickup or possible delivery (for larger orders) of berry orders.

BLACKBERRY TIME AT SLEEPY HOLLOW FARM

It is that time of year again! So far, we have sold our berries as fast as we can pick them. My blackberries have been producing all this month and are starting to slow down so I will continue selling on a "first come, first serve" basis. The berries are $2.00 a pint or $1.75 a pint for an order of 8 pints (1 gallon) or more. I have also started selling homemade seedless blackberry jam in 1/2 pint jars. My jam price is $3.00 per jar or a special price of $2.75 per jar for orders of 3 or more. I live in the Lexington area and we can arrange for pickup or possible delivery (for larger orders) of berry orders.

Fair Time Again!

There's a nip in the air with a chilling wind to boot. The smell of onions, smoked sausages, and too many other other delicacies to comprehend hit my nose like a slap in the face. Noise and confusion seem to be everywhere and I must pay constant attention to my navigational skills to avoid running into or being run into by a passerby-er. The autumn season has begun and so has the Dixie Classic Fair in Winston-Salem. The festivities are in full swing and I find myself right smack dap in the middle of it all.

My main and only objective in going to the Dixie Classic Fair is always the same. The food. The cuisine is a junk food junkie's dream come true and I saw food combined that God never intended to go together! I didn't think that butter could be deep fried but now I know that nothing is impossible. My cholesterol level jumped just by walking past some of the food stands! I bypassed all of that junk food and got down to some serious business with a plate of pork chops, collard greens, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn bread. Oh, I did top it off with a Diet Pepsi (I must have some balance in the meal!). I didn't get into all those deep fried candy bars and such, just give me that old fashion, home style, greasy, blood slowing, heart stopping home cooking that I grew up with!

I don't indulge in the rides. Most are too fast, too jerky, and too expensive for the short ride-time. Age could be one of the determining factors but I won't admit it. My main reason for not partaking in the frenzied thrill of spinning on a ride until my ears bleed is the fact that I like the way food taste going down and not the other way around! Most of my experience as a young child involving motion sickness was not pleasant. My mom still enjoys telling the story of me getting sick while watching a washer on the spin cycle at a laundry mat! That's all I've got to say about that.

If you get a chance to go to the fair, go. Play games till your broke, walk till you cramp, eat till you explode, and ride rides until you puke. Above all, have fun. When you can't move another inch and you pass out from inhaling too many grease fumes, look up and enjoy the fireworks. I like the fireworks too, especially the grand finale. You've worked hard and God knows we all deserve a break. We can all be a kid again when we enter that fair gate!

Doing Job Right Pays Off

Many years ago I had my own business called "Dirty Works" which involved home improvements, painting, hauling off trash, yard work, etc. I used to give out business cards, fliers and advertise in Yellow Book. I received a call about a week ago from a retired couple that had gotten one of my cards in years passed and needed stuff hauled off from their basement.

I told them that I no longer did that type of work but that I would look at their basement to see if I could work them in on a weekend. The stuff in their basement had been stored there for over 20 years and had also received flood damage. Among the stuff was a mattress & box springs, old cardboard boxes, a couple of old chairs, some smelly old carpet rolled up and other odds and ends, some of which was stuck to the floor.

It wasn't as bad as I have seen and I saw an opportunity to make a little extra money in my spare time. They were in no real big hurry for the completion of the task and said they could work around my schedule. They said, "we've waited 20 years to clean it up so a few weeks more isn't going to hurt".

I told them I would charge them by the load and told them it would take at least two truck loads. It took me two Saturdays to complete the cleaning. Over 7 large construction grade trash bags and two truck loads later the job was complete.

The retired couple were well pleased with my work and I felt guilty about charging them full price for the second truck load because my truck was only about three fourths full. After my work was done and it was time for them to write me a check I explained my reasoning concerning the second load and told them I would reduce their fee by $25.00 to pro-rate the last load. The lady of the house spoke up and said, "Oh no, we will pay you for two full loads and give you a tip"!

I was surprised by their response and not only received pay for hauling off two full loads but was given an extra $25.00 tip! I thanked them and was on my merry way.

Thanks to being honest and not taking advantage of them I not only got rewarded with monetary means but gained new friends in the process. Before I left their home they promised to call on me in the future if they needed any other work done. Doing a job right does pay off!

Job Update

It has been 15 days on my new lab job. With each day there are things to learn and new responsibilities. Yes, I have made some mistakes but hopefully they won't be repeated. I enjoy my work and love the chance to help local mushroom farmers with their livelihood. It is the ultimate to do what you enjoy and get paid to boot!

Made it Through First Week of New Job

Well it's Friday night as of this writing and all is well. I slid through this first week of my new job without too much distress. The first few days of a new job is always an adventure to say the least. I am getting used to working first shift very, very quickly. I have discovered that night time is mostly for sleeping and not working. But a person has to do what they have to do. I'm just glad I ain't got to work at night anymore. I know that's not good English, but this isn't English class now is it?

The lab I am working in is small and sometimes cluttered but we get our work done just the same. The mushroom biology lab where I am working is said to be the "pride" of A & T but just doesn't get the proper amount of attention needed to update to a larger space. Go figure!

My official job duties haven't kicked in as yet. My boss told me that this week would be my "honeymoon" and that it would be over soon. No intimation intended I'm sure! I am looking forward to getting accustomed to the "lay of the land" and doing work on my own. In the mean time I am trying to absorb information like a sponge and I am hoping not too much of it leaks out before I retain the information needed to do my job well.

I am grateful to be working when so many people are laid off and unemployed. I am even more blessed to be doing what I enjoy doing and getting paid to boot! I was raised on a farm and now get a chance to work with a college boasting around 500 acres of farm land. I am just a small cog in the wheel of things but that's OK. I will be working closely with mushroom farmers from surrounding counties and possibly surrounding states to improve their farming livelihood.

I'm taking it a day at a time and learning what I can. E, I, E, I, O!

FYI, My New Job

Yes I am happy to be getting my new job at A & T in Greensboro. I will be working in the Mushroom Biology lab. I am not fully aware of all of my job responsibilities but I can give you an idea of the purpose for the lab.

The laboratory is responsible for the project titled: Edible and Medicinal Mushroom Farming in North Carolina: A Cash Crop for the Future, funded by GoldenLEAF Foundation Inc. In line with this project, we are conducting research on cultivation of exotic mushrooms and working with participating farmers in developing the mushroom industry in North Carolina. The goal is to make North Carolina a leader in the production of edible and medicinal mushrooms in the US.

We have edible mushroom culture Bank, from which strains are applied areas of research that includes mushroom breeding and strain improvement, medicinal and functional food properties in mushrooms and the application of white rot fungi in bio-mining, bio-refining agricultural wastes, including bioremediation of pollutants.

Research in truffles forming fungi is ongoing in collaboration with Dr. Rytas Vilgalys of Duke University, Durham, USA. The lab is also involved in technology transfer and education on application of low-cost technology in sustainable commercial mushroom cultivation in developing countries.