Quest for the Golden Chalice

Oil pump at sunset on our farm.

Today was my first day at my new job. This rollercoaster-of-a-ride that I am on has been STRESSFUL at times but keeps proving out to be the right thing to do. One of the biggest worries I've had was how I would be accepted at my new job.

It's always odd being the new person on the block. Whether it's school, work or a  new neighborhood, I'm always careful of my presentation and try not to appear in a negative light. I try to keep a low profile and blend with the natives in hopes of becoming one myself.

As this day approached, I worried increasingly more that something would not work out. Would my new boss be a HUGE jerk? Would my coworkers all be lazy turds expecting the NEW GUY to do all the work?  I've had both of those situations in the past and it did not end well. This job is SO crucial to my plan of homesteading that I had to start deflecting my attention when I would become worrisome. After all, this job was the only acceptable employment I had been offered since being laid off over one month ago.

I showered  and set two alarms the night before like a good little soldier. I enjoyed my new morning ritual of cooking breakfast on an old hotplate and had scrambled eggs with a side of brown sugar oatmeal. YUM! Serving the eggs in an old tin pie pan made me feel like I was going to step outside into an old mining camp. Yeah, so I'm a dork. So what?

Work's over, time to explore the farm.

I enjoyed driving down the old farm roads leading me to my new destination. I arrived on time and began to meet the crew. Then the miracle happened...it went TERRIFIC! The employees were awesome, my boss was amicable (he even hung out with the staff most of the day), and I was given a FREE lunch card for the day! Woo hoo! I couldn't ask for anything more.

The day went by fairly quickly (I'm an old night shifter so days go a little slower for me) and soon I was headed back to the farm. I couldn't wait to call Wifey and tell her how well it went. She had good news for me too but you'll have to check the Back Home Report for it. I spent the rest of the evening daylight driving around the farm and collected film footage for my next video (have you seen the first one?). I hadn't had time yet to even explore the farm since I arrived three days ago. I used my trusty Corona Dual Compound Action Tree Pruner to drop overhead tree limbs that threatened to block my path.  Then I stopped and enjoyed watching an oil pump at sunset.

So that successfully concludes obtaining the second Golden Chalice out of the four that make up our final goal...becoming happy homesteaders! The first chalice was deciding on a homestead location: rural Oklahoma...check! The second chalice was obtaining a good source of income near the homestead...check! Half way there!

Sun vs Clouds.

The third chalice will be figuring out how to get my clan to Oklahoma. This includes moving Wifey, six daughters, a mother-in-law, and ALL our stuff (and her stuff) to Oklahoma, selling her house, renting our house AND coming up with the roughly $2000 it will take to Uhaul it all to OK. This is a tough challenge because the longer it takes me to figure out HOW to do it, the longer my family and I are apart. I miss my girlies and Wifey tremendously.

The fourth chalice will be what to move our family into once they get here: a double-wide trailer on the farm, rent near the farm and wait for a house to be built, shove everyone in the farmhouse until...??? This challenge feels the farthest removed from my grasp. I simply have not had an inkling of a revelation on how this will play out.

One step at a time I guess. I got the job, let's celebrate that for a bit. Put that second chalice up on the mantle and admire it. It was no easy feat to get THIS far.

~OJD

New Rules for the Farm

#4) don't just drive blindly through thick grass exploring the land. You might run over an old piece of farm equipment. (Almost ran over what I think is an old tractor plow/disc?)

#5) it doesn't do any good to continuously spray the spider for five minutes with pesticide until it falls off the wall in a paralytic state. It would have died after the first five seconds and you would have saved a lot of bug spray. (Yeah, so...I like to be sure...)

Back Home Report

Wifey and I were so excited to talk with each other this evening that we initially began talking over each other. Once we stopped the traffic jam, she preceded to share with me that one of our favorite neighbors (whom we also go to church with) approached her tonight about renting our house when we move out! Blessing! I had mentioned the idea to Neighbor Daddy about a week ago knowing it would be cheaper for him than the house he currently rents...by about $400 a month. He has also had problems with his landlord and I couldn't think more highly of him. Outstanding father and great husband, I'd be thrilled to rent to him for the exact price I pay. WIN-WIN!

And that is a part of the third Golden Chalice too! Win-Win-WIN!

I mentioned the other day that while Sis was taking her final exam online, she was having computer difficulties. At her prompting (read: panicking), I checked the school website at that time and it appeared to be crashed from too much traffic. The last hour, of the last day of online school, when all tests are due apparently brings some heavy traffic ;-)

Wifey had sent the teacher an email requesting a response to the issue. She was just informed that the site was INDEED down and that Sis had another 24 hours to retake her final.  This gives her a bonus opportunity to raise her grade even higher!

The dogs are doing fine but Jade (German Shepherd) keeps getting out of her choker chain collar. Of course, if I had to wear one...I probably would too. I'll have to get her to take some pictures of those two dogs. They are simply gorgeous.


 ~OJD