LONG time!!

Ok where do I start? My last post in August was about my dog, so I guess I should update from then...

Well, we've moved. DH was scanning the internet one day while sitting at a truck stop and stumbled upon a farm job in Colorado. It advertised a 3,200 acre hay farm, house provided, utilities paid, plus a small salary. So, he called the owner and chatted for a bit, called me and we chatted for a bit, and the next thing we knew, 2 days later we were on our way to a farm 1,000 miles away! How crazy is that??? We initially said, "Ok, we're going for 30 days, and if we don't like it, we're back to Illinois." We thought, what have we got to lose? Well, that was 60 days ago! LOL Ok, so its not the best job, simply because our boss and his wife are quite possibly the worst managers ever. However, there MIGHT be some good news about it all.....more about that later.

So, what does this job entail? Well, 22 hay circles growing alfalfa, with center pivot irrigation. It is cut 3 times each year, and I've managed to learn to run almost all of the equipment. I can run the swather, the rake, and to drive the semi as well as the loader. I've also learned how to get completely covered in mud and clippings while using the power washer to clean the swathers, as well as back up the rake that is on a 3 point hitch.....this is harder than backing with a normal ball hitch. This job, during cutting season, can encompass up to 30 days of work, with no day off, and days lasting 16 hours at a stretch. Its long, and boring, and back breaking all at once. In between cutting times, its checking sprinklers morning and evening, maintaining the grounds and doing any equipment maintenance. In the winter, DH will haul hay via semi truck to the main farm in Las Vegas, Nevada.

So, what is the POSSIBLE good news? Well, let me start by saying that the DH has been hauling hay to a dairy farm. The guy that owns this farm owns the 2 largest farms in New Mexico. He has some serious $$$. So he was talking to DH about purchasing the farm in Colorado. Yes, its for sale. Anyway, he voiced the fact that he would only seriously consider purchasing it if DH and I came with the farm. If we quit, all deals are off. Now, he talked extensively with DH about what it needed, how things were done there, and what DH was getting as far as salary. DH was honest, told him all of the pros and cons....like the fact there are NO tools whatsoever, the fact that our farm truck is on its last leg, and that the house that was provided is not what it should be. So, the dairy farmer promised that if he were to purchase this farm, that everything would be taken care of. He promised that no matter what we needed (tools, trucks, tractors, etc) would be purchased, we would be able to do some serious home improvement, and our salary would increase exponentially. We would also get 2 weeks of paid vacation each year, and a Christmas bonus. None of which we get now.

Ok, currently, we had to come back to Illinois to pack up our house and to go to my stepson's Army boot camp graduation. So, we got him graduated and are now overwhelmed with packing up a 2,500 square foot house. We have been working on it for about 2 days, and have 2 days left.....I just hope we can get it done.

As a side note, if the dairy guy decides not to buy it, well, we'll be looking for another job.