Duane

Good question.

I loaf, and draw my retirement.

I worked for the 'Phone Co' for 30 years during which time it had 5 different names as it kept being bought out and becoming part of a bigger company.

I started as an operator (no cord board though) back in 69 and worked at eight different jobs, in seven different towns within the company.

One year I was an installation/repair person, but never conquered my fear of climbing poles with 'hooks'.

Looking back, the whole 30 years was very stressful, as 'everything' was very important, emergencies were common, and sometimes a matter of life and death (service to hospitals, law enforcement, etc)

I am thankful though for my opportunity to get to be a part of a company that had retirement available after 30 years of service.

Sue

I am one of 3 marketing managers for a large casual dining restaurant chain. I spend about half my time traveling and the other half in the old cubical, which explains my sporadic posting here.

I would actually like to open my own concept having worked my way up in the industry from server, to bartender, to marketing manager. I think I have this thing figured out.

Duker, If your still looking when get things rolling, you could be my first franchisee!

BTW, I will trade coupons for seeds;~)

I am a trailer park thief, who through a series of aquistions and reorganizations became the CEO of a large cooperation. I supplement my salary by stealing the wallets and watches of my employees. ;-)

Actually I am software engineer for a small telecom company that makes PC based test-equipment. My degree was Electrical Engineering but most of what I do now is software.

Greg

I used to work for Greg, until the costs of watch and wallet replacement got to high and I had to find a new job as a landscape architect specializing in public sector and commercial design with a small amount of urban revitalization project work.

Bob

Chris

What I do and how I got there: from entry into a large Pharma company as a Development chemist in 1984, to the Chemical Development Pilot Plant manager in 1995, to a business process change consultant - now adding Lean Sigma trainer and practitioner! (a methodology for identifying waste and variation in business processes)....essentially 22 years in the same company (through a fortuitous combination of mergers!!).

What I wish I were doing: Musician, Chef, Horticulture (plant breeder)...

What I hope to do in retirement - write books, listen through my CDs, spend many hours at the Outer Banks and elsewhere birdwatching, Kayaking and letting the time pass pondering the big questions with my dear wife of 25 years and as many cats and dogs as we decide to add to our current menagerie....get back into playing the guitar - and yes, keep growing tomatoes and spreading around seedlings and seeds!

Craig

Denna

Yes there are a lot of impressive careers listed, but I (and probably many others) think yours is quite as impressive as well.

I consider your family fortunate because of it too. This world would probably be a much better place if there were more fortunate moms like you.

Sue

Oh, and now that I've stopped lurking, perhaps I should answer the question. I'm a self-employed writer and editor specializing in software documentation and training.

Shelley

i started out in retail then went to hospital when we moved to the U.P. now i'm doing both, working in patient, and in the retail pharmacy at the hospital. there are pros and cons to each setting. my wife fills in now and then, but her main job right now is being mom to our little guy. being a stay at home parent is one of the harder, most important, and rewarding jobs that i know of. i've never been charged up to go to work in the morning the way i am when i see my son smiling at me from his crib or watching him do something new for the first time, or hearing him laugh or "talking" or having him walk on over to me and give me a pat or hug just because.

work is over rated.

keith in calumet

Tyffanie
(As much as I would love to have a garden that is the talk of the town, my growing of children takes away a lot of time from my growing tomatoes and other things.)

Good luck to you. The casual chains are all a big hit in my area. I have never seen a single one fail.

Duane

But with so many new GW members I'm glad to see you reposted it so others of us could get to know the newer folks.

My page here is too long and I need to scrap it and put in a much shorter one, so much of my background is given there and I'll just be briefer here.

For starters, I'm retired. I had to retire in 1999 b'c of two bad hips that needed replacing and my inability to do all the standing one needs to in teaching science labs.

Cornell, then a graduate degree from U of Rochester Med School, concentration in Microbiology ( infectious disease and related immunology, etc), taught med students in Rochester, then to Denver where I taught med students for many years, then a move back East to take care of ailing parents where I then taught at a private liberal arts college and taught all sorts of stuff such as Microbiology, Immunology, Soil Microbiology, Biochemical Genetics, Biochemistry, Biology of Handicapping Conditions, Medical Ethics, Microbial Ecology, and I forget what else, for I was the pinch hitter, as it were, in picking up needed courses and doing them as well as my basic course load.

Happy in retirement but disappointed that my health has not allowed for greater gardening and travel as the years pass. I developed Diabetes in 2000 which negated any hip replacements b'c of some complications, and my recent fall last December severing my right quad muscle kinda put an end to gardens and most everything, but I'm still hopeful that something can be done and see my surgeon next Tuesday to see if we can work something out to get me unchained from this walker.

He either keeps me on as his personal challenge after seeing the MRI and EMG reports, ahem, and the current state of the quad, double ahem, or he says bye bye my friend.

In the meantime I read lots of books, watch some TV, listen to music, and can get out to the car to drive short distances. But once the weather closes in the car goes in the garage for the winter and it's just me and my two cat kids for several months and the lady who does my grocery shopping and the lady who cleans for me, and anyone else who might stop by.

AS I sit here at the computer I have a great view to the backyard and the fields beyond, b/c there's a panel of four windows, where I have 30 acres, partly wooded, with a one acre marsh and a lovely brook that runs by the deck with a 30 ft waterfall. Actually I have to walk over a bridge to get to the front door although now the car is pulled up close to the front door for easier access with my walker. So I may be typing here, look up and see some favorite deer and I stop and watch them. One doe has been bringing her fawn, now older, down to the backyard quite a bit this year. I swear she's one of the 12-15 I fed with deer food and apples two years ago when the winter was so awful. Since my dad was a deer hunter and fisherman and shot anything that had four feet or flew I find it great just to now watch the critters on my property which are many since I live in the boonies yet only 5 min from the small town nearby.

So that's me.

Carolyn, going it alone since my only family moved to NC from this area this past June.

If I could do it all over again ? I would do something geared more towards science, or music .... I've got 35 years to go until I can stop working ( 9-5 anyway ) -
I think now might be a better time than any for a career change !!! lol ~ Tom

"I love cooking, its the cleaning part I am working on..."

Tyffanie, I can relate. :-))) I love to cook, especially bake. I'm known in all my various social circles as the one that brings dessert. I could cook all day, if I only had someone who would clean up after me. Those darn dirty dishes keep getting in the way of my creativity, LOL!!

barb

During lunch, on nice days, I head down to Seneca Creek to trout fish. I am often the only person there and it very tranquil and nice.

The fish are also highly prized my me kids :-)

Greg

We are both now retired and working harder than ever.....whenever we feel like it. I have been approached about working in a local bookstore/coffee shop. I may just do it and use my spare time there to finish the first of a series of books I plan to write.

I gotta stop now or next thing I'd know I'd be geared up and westbound.

John

I own a food company that makes salsa, tortilla chips, pizzas, and all that good stuff. We buy lots of tomatoes. My partner is a celebrity chef named Rick Bayless. More info on my profile page.

Nice question to ask...

I will look for your products specifically and give them a try!

Duane

Education is Chemical Engineering but have done lots of things - farmer, bartender, restaurant management, liquor store manager, furniture stripper and refinisher. A jack of all trades but master of none that made me rich and able to retire.

Gary

I use the Frontera products all of the time and consider them to be a refrigerator staple for cooking and eating. Rick Bayless's work on authentic mexican foods is incredible and the sauces seem to reflect those flavors.

Bob

ps. still wondering what it could be though!

Previously, I was the chief deputy county surveyor for about 16 years.

Most of my pre-surveying career was spent in concrete and bridge construction.

In Indiana, the county surveyors, especially in rapidly developing counties, spend most of their efforts reviewing storm water control plans for new residential and commercial development, maintaining the government section corners to which all land deeds are tied, developing GIS orthography and data, administering the county's regulated drain system, serving as technical advisor to the county drainage board, writing and helping enforce storm water management and pollution control ordinances, and developing voting district maps, road maps, and other geographic data.

County surveyors also store and provide copies to the public of county plats, maps, and original copies of various historic land plats and legal land surveys.

You may visit my two Websites if you're actually interested in what a county surveyor does. The are both under construction continuously, and in dire need of update.

Vanderburgh County Surveyor

riverfriendly.com

Additionally, my wife and I originated, owned and operated (for 10 years), and eventually sold a successful mom and pop, full service pizza and sandwich shop which is still doing very well in a commercial neighborhood competing with several national chains. In fact four or so national chains have come and gone since we established the shop 15 years ago.

But nothing I have done makes me as proud as I am of my wife's career as a college instructor and my daughter's new career as an elementary school teacher.

(sorry to hijack the thread ~ carry on)

barb

I think I can retire in about 50 yrs.

Yes I do and I'm not talking. LOL

But let me assure you that what Joe does in addition to growing heirloom tomatoes is quite legal, quite educational and really quite above board, actually wayyyyy above board, and I'm his fan, actually probably one of many. ( smile)

Carolyn

This is an interesting thread, and it is nice to know y'all, to the extent that is possible on here.
Bill P.

I play music (ocassionally). I prefer to play bass. I hate smokey bars and dont care to be out till 3-4am so I don't gig much these days.

I am "Mr Mom" in that because of my schedule flexibility I am able to take my son around to his various therapies. It's strange often being the only dad doing so and to be honest I have faced some discrimination - I often hear "well we really need to talk to the mother".

I have also spent this last year as a "rescue angel" for Generation Rescue. I help parents in the Western Mo and Eastern Ks areas in finding doctors willing to help with biomedical interventions to recover their children from their "autistic" diagnosis. I provide them info and share what we have been doing. I just recently stepped down as a board member of another regional parent advocacy group - EFECT - which helps families that are dealing with children of various disabilities.

If I could do as I wanted I would have a small farm and raise organic produce for local families with immune compromised kids (a recurring issue with many disabilities), travel in the winter, start painting again, play more music and of course breed plants. I'd likely end up being the guy with all kinds of weird folk art in his yard (tomato cage stonehenge, Little Bighorn reinactments using white and regular pumpkins on cornstalk ponies, etc..).

Landscaping is killing me and lately I have been thinking about how I could work with kids with disabilities. It's scary but once upon a time I was certified to be a kindergarten teacher before I went back to school and studied horticulture. It was more gratifying teaching kindergarteners than college students (they whined far less and probably understood math better too).

I have been told over and over I should teach but alas, like landscaping, I hear it's not good for one's hips.

I used to be a Professor (Physics and Math) in a small university in Russia, then we moved to Canada in 1997, and I reluctantly moved into software business, started as a software engineer, now I manage a department in a large software company... Very stressful job at times, and my garden chores help me to relax a bit.

I am dreaming about retirement and spending more time with tomatoes and other green living things.

At home I play piano and occasonally knit when I am not gardening. I wish I was stay-at-home Mom though (as opposed to being a 'always-at-work-and-busy-Mom') . Oh well. Maybe in my next life I'll do better... (smile)

Tania

Nice looking work there, you do good stuff with design and those perrenials.

Bob

(tomato cage stonehenge, Little Bighorn reinactments using white and regular pumpkins on cornstalk ponies)

What can I say, LOL!! quirky!!

barb

Me - a farmer. My husband and I raise 8 acres of certified organic produce - specializing in heirloom tomatoes (over 3000 tomato plants last year) though we grow every kind of veggie possible. Our vegetables go to a farmers' market, restaurants and Whole Foods in Kansas City.

We also raise angus cattle and horses - 37 at last count. Get to spend lots of time on tractors in the hay fields. Like some of the rest of you - the hips are going.(Used to teach - is that what caused the hip problem?) Live in the boonies on a beautiful farm 15 miles from a small town and love it!

Robbins

Seems to be a theme here Robbins, but being raised on a farm myself and doing lots of heavy labor when I was still at home, I can't help but wonder if young bones/spines remember those days. LOL

And Keith, thanks so much for putting a link to your outstanding webpage at the bottom of your landscape pictures.

There was a recent thread where it was brought up and I let folks know you were the perp b'c as I remember, you don't even ID yourself at your website.

Bill, I sure hear you on the spine/MRI/pain talk, yes I do. LOL Right now I'm kind of coordinating with two others sending seeds for 1000 heirloom varieties to Israel for a research project on the evolution of the tomato, and sitting for long persiods packing seeds just isn't working.

Why? Pain, bad pain in upper left back, so bad that I have to go lie down. So when I see my surgeon Tuesday I'm going to ask him about muscle relaxants that might help. No, this isn't the reason I'm going there Tuesday but he's a muscle and bone man, as in orthopaedic surgery, and I figure he should know about one that I could take that won't make me feel stupid/nutty as some do, so I'm told.

I've also jammed both thumbs and the right elbow is shot, but I don't tell him things like that b'c mobility on my feet is my first priority and last I knew I didn't walk on my thumbs or elbow. LOL

Carolyn

And as much as I have accomplished within the corporate world, I really no longer desire to be a part of it...really tired of the politics that go along with it. I have always wanted to have my own business but not just any old business. It would have to be a business with a noble purpose and recently I have taken the first steps towards making that dream a reality.

Cheers,
Scott

Precisely , as in you should have known that, and almost as bad as the warning on baby strollers to remove baby before folding stroller. LOL

Carolyn, who must now get to work as in bills to pay, meds to get renewed, AM paper to read, stuff to order by phone, etc., and get offline. LOL

Carolyn, when i put info up about myself on the web page I got all kinds of weird responses. Actually the info is still there but takes work finding it. I also got tired of answering questions for people too lazy to look or the ones like "can I use antifreeze in my wall-o-waters instead?"

hortist, barkeater and Vgkg,
Sometimes, I wish I could'a stayed with the government job, retirement might be an option then. Seems my personality was just not suited to government employment, some problem with telling the President of the Board of Directors to go pound nails, or some such thing, and telling the Mayor to lead or get out of the way...gets you fired.

Bob

Hortist, I found a mixture of lemon and lime jello to be just as pretty a green color as antifreeze for the wall of water.

At Christmas time I fill my walls of water alternately with lime and cherry jello and light candles inside them for that cheery holiday effect.

Bill, who has to go now since I'm workin' on wiring up CB speakers to my walls of water and gettin' them ready for Sad Sac overwintering.

However, now my full time job is looking for a new full time job!

Lee

I hear you on IDing yourself at the webpage.LOL

About the picture. You I can ID with no problem, young as you once were, LOL, but which one might be Randy, aka Dr. Gardner? Is he second from left standing? Seems to be the oldest one there. I've talked to him a couple of times but never saw a picture of him.

About what year was that when you were still in grad school at NCSU? I'm not being funny, honestly, just trying to remember myself b'c I think you were still in grad school when you and I first made contact. Right?

Carolyn

I have a degree in social work, but discovered early on that I couldn't pay the bills that way. I was living alone when I first finished college and had to have multiple jobs just to pay rent. And none of those part time jobs had any benefits, either. So I had to be practical. I mean, eating peanut butter and cereal for dinner on a regular basis gets pretty old!

For awhile I had a management job at a pet store, then landed a great job managing a free-flight aviary housing lories and lorikeets. I learned a lot about parrot care, and breeding parrots, and sometimes I also got to help out with other exotic animals...for instance, the guy who bred butterflies for the company always needed help. The pay wasn't fabulous, but I loved going to work every day, and there were benefits. Unfortunately, funding came to a halt, and I had to find something else to do. And without a science degree, cool jobs involving wildlife are virtually impossible to get.

So that's how I ended up at Pier 1. And I really am grateful for my good medical/dental/vision coverage, my ample paid vacation and sick days, and a decent (but certainly not excessive) hourly wage. But if I had my choice? I'd have a tiny farm out in the boonies somewhere with heirloom tomatoes, other veggies, flowers, and LOTS of animals...and I'd pretty much retreat from society! Sigh....those bills just keep coming, though!

Nice thread. Good to get to "know" you all better!

Jen

"But if I had my choice? I'd have a tiny farm out in the boonies somewhere with heirloom tomatoes, other veggies, flowers, and LOTS of animals...and I'd pretty much retreat from society! Sigh....those bills just keep coming, though!"

But, LOL, isn't that what quite a lot of us would want if we had out druthers? I sure would.

Duane

I know for certain its what I'd do !!!

~ Tom

that picture was taken in 94 during the Tomato Genetics Coop meeting. I was in school from 93-96. I dont recall when we met I dont think I met Craig until 96? It was when I was working for Dr Peet. She took me out to Craig's (Craig made her blush when he showed her a Peter Pepper). Maybe we talked before that I dont recall.

All the people in the picture except Tom were Randy's students.
Left to right: (Standing) Tom Eaker (Randy's assistant and comic relief), Randy (red hat), Bill McCarthy (now pepper breeder for Sakata), Me, Joe Kemble (Ext Veg Specialist fo' Alabama - no relation to Hank that I know of).

Sitting: Rich Ozminkowski (breeder for Heinz), Allan Nash (I dont know what happened with Allan. He was working with CalGene but left probably sometime after this picture was taken - brillant person, rather quirky and definitely not an NC native [outspoken liberal]).

I'm there!...only I 'just' have 3 big dogs. When the leaves are on and the crops are in, there is no one in sight. I just hate getting off the farm and going anywhere other than visiting friends.

That explains having 2 refrigerators and a huge freezer for a one person household. I don't want to run out of anything.

Sue

I would like a career change, but I am still not sure what I want to do. DH works in Public Health (HIV Educator) for the county we live in and seems to love his work. I am looking to have the same passion.

An old Italian neighbor introduced me to tomato gardening many years ago. Our ground is just sand and we do have to add much to it. Tony used to put a fish under each plant but I don't do that. I use quite a bit of peat moss, which I soak first in water that has a very little bit of some kind of tomato food mixed in it. Works well mixing it with the sand that way. I also do plant marigolds among the plants...one of Tony's rules of gardening.

The past two years I have used raised beds because of my back, etc. They work fine. My two teen-age grandsons will be coming by in a few days to take down my tomato garden, turn the ground over and put stuff away for next year.

I have enjoyed retirement and did a lot of travelling with my husband when he was still alive.

Regards..........Doris, NJ

In my late thirties, currently self-employed, and have managed to stay that way for the last three+ years. Whew -- I did it, I think I really did :)

Much of what I do is to assist companies in SEC (securities and exchange commission) compliance and filings. There's quite a bit more, but I don't want to bore anyone with the details.

Former background: BBA in accounting (w/minors in psych and biology). Masters in Finance. When I graduated, I went to work for a big 6 public accounting firm. It was Expected [tm]. Frankly, it just wasn't very much fun, though. Oh well.

Butched up, did 'my time', networked my way outta there and into a fairly decent mgt position in a large public company. Did well, and a few years later moved on to a senior mgt position at similar type of company. From there, I went to a controllership at a mid-sized company that later went public, and quite successfully. That situation ended up working out well for me, and afforded me a bit of flexibility.

About the only way I can see wanting to own a bunch of land would be to own a vineyard, somewhere on the Sonoma Coast, or Howell Mountain.

Bob

Denna
who probably just bored the snot out of the collective forum. ;-)

Bob

: ^ ) ~ Tom

I googled "Armenian text Nazianzen" and other combinations of that and other words you reference, and I got some really interesting reading lined out.

It probably would bore some folks, but you have to realize, I get yelled at on a regular basis for watching all those "boring programs" on National Geographic and History Channel.

The Armenian thing that goes back apparently to preConstantine ... maybe even ... really starts to put another spin on things. Email me some links if you have time so I don't get going down the wrong Internet circuit on that Nazianzen thing.

Bill

You should have chosen a forum name like Copernicus. Now I can imagine you in a brown hooded robe with a garden next to the church where you cross breed tomatoes. ;-)

Greg

Now why did you go and tell the truth Joe? LOL

Since you mentioned that I knew what you did, if pushed I was going to say that you were the only person alive who swam down the entire St Lawrence Seaway and then swam all five Great Lakes, without stopping. LOL

But we won't tell them what it was I said online a few years back, and I was talking about tomatoes if you recall, that allowed for you to share your occupation with me. LOL

Do you remember???? I sure do. LOL

Carolyn

Un texte sur l'entrée du Christ à Jérusalem attribué à Grégoire de Nazianze en arménien. I don't think the text is on-line. One of the differences between Europe and America: class was held Fri. 6:00 p.m.

I just love it I love life and I have always tried to live life to the fullest.

I am a fire and gas technician I test gas monitors up here on the North Slope and watch out for polar bears, what a great place to be.

Think about this when I go home it will be over a 100 degree change in the temp, wow!

A short list of things I have done.
Farm kid
Cow boy
US Marine
Biker
Oil field trash
Cabinet maker
Truck driver
Mechanic on really big motors
Fire alarm tech
Project manager
Project superintendent
Machinist
Welder
Gun smith
And now a human pop sickle in Alaska.
It isn’t as impressive as some of yawls jobs but I wouldn’t change it for the world and the adventure isn’t over yet.

Good day folks and peace and love to all.
Ps rock and roll get real get cold get real cold.
HA HA HA

Worth

No way Joe, not publically. LOL

You took something I actually said about seeds and germination in, well, a different way than it was intended, and you e-mailed me about it and I just sat there laughing my head off. LOL

I'll e-mail you to remind you.

Carolyn

I got married young before finishing college (big, **HUGE** mistake) and went to work for a pediatric cardiologist. I really loved working there (8 yrs.) and learned a lot for later when I had my own kids. I was only 20 (and looked 15) so the moms were reluctant to take my advise over the phone. Thankfully, I had the world's best RN working there (my mom) and she taught me what to say. (Here's what you do for cradle cap [or cr*p, as one mom called it, LOL]) It was a very rewarding job, which definitely had it's downside too...young teen moms who didn't take proper care of their babies, the cardiac patients who couldn't be helped back in the early '70's.

We moved to Redmond, WA and I went to work for a datasystems computer company. This was 1980 and I had never heard of word processing, let alone seen a computer. I was fascinated. The trainer was busy training clients, so I basically taught myself using the manual. You had to boot up these computers (DEC-Digital Equipment Corp.) and install the operating system each time you used it. The company sold DEC computers with their own software to architects, lawyers, accountants, etc. The cost was $10,000!! The printer was a humongous loud thing with a daisy wheel printhead. The computer the programmers used was half the size of a small room.

Along came the kids and I was a stay at home mom for many years, as well as Cub Scout/Boy Scout/Girl Scout leader, school room mom (for you guys, that means the one who supervises the computer room, arranges all parties, does all the phone calling for field trips, guesses what the teacher would like for Christmas, run to the store when parents don't bring what they said they would, etcccc.), science fair coordinator.

I also worked part time at the kids' school as a classroom aide/teacher, which was an eyeopener at what goes on at schools between the principal, teachers, and parents. The teacher I worked with talked me into judging the 4 county science fair for two years, which wasn't as difficult as I'd thought it would be and was lots of fun.

I went back to college part time for 5 yrs and really should go back next spring to finish those last few classes to at least get an AA. That has always been a dream of mine.

I worked for 5 yrs at an elementary school cafeteria, which wasn't as bad as it sounds. :-)) Corona/Norco school district has a national reputation for it's food service dept. They have two separate food prep sites where food is made up fresh each day and trucked to school locations...think fresh cooked turkey, corn on the cob, taco meat for soft/hard tacos. We were only allowed to put a pinch of cheese on those tacos due to fat concerns.

I quit last year to take care of my mother, who has Alzheimer's disease. When it became apparent to my sister and I just how bad things were, we moved her to my house, then found a seniors' apt just a few minutes from here. She pays me the p.t. income I was making to help her with bills, groceries, Dr. appts, remembering things and other every day living necessities, allowing her to live unassisted for the time being. I am fortunate that she is in perfect health, otherwise...better physical shape than I am in. I am glad to take care of one of the most wonderful people I have ever known. (see RN comment above)

I also manage two rental homes (one that I own) from which I get income. I live on an acre just outside of Corona and could do wonderful things here if I just had more help. :-))

barb, who has always loved botany and missed her calling as a research scientist

barb

I raise pointers, the huge running,horseback field trial type. I no longer hunt but am still fascinated by their bird finding abilities and amazing athleticism.
Denny

I have read you posts, and I have notice that everybody is so intelligent, even the stay at home Moms and Dads.

Well, I am a stay at home Mommy and a full Time House Wife, In which I wear many hats around here, especially Learning to become a Professional Tomatoes Farmer. It has be My Husband and I, long time goal to make our Land self-supporting, by growing our own Fruits Veggies, Nuts.

I am saving so much money on food, especially with my fall garden, which is finally complete, Amen!!

A very nice Forum member is teaching me about spices, and once I learn to us all this spices, I will grow them next year, to save more money.

My Tomatoes Garden has a Professional look, and I pray to God, that I am successfully next year.

Even as a full time house wife, the need to learn is very great for me in seeking wisdom's, to over come my Complex Dyslexia, and Learns ways to communicate better in my Upcoming Tomatoes Business, and this winter I will be learning the Business part of Owning your own Tomatoes Farm.

My boys are learning to like my tomatoes dishes, but they can improve on enjoying my Ketchup Canning Products. The only thing they do not like is my Ketchup, so I have continued to buy them their Ketchup, until I can make mines teat better to them.

My Heirlooms tomatoes I am growing this fall for the first times, I grow in pots until about 12 inches, in which were developing (little white lines in their leaves), even the Brandywine, until I transplanted then in the my fall garden with plastic protections. All Plants are doing better, and the [little white lines has gone away. I gust its the warmth under the plastic that help them recover.

Learning ways to deliver my cherry tomatoes to Hurricane Victims has been a lesson in it self. So I took a month to learn the shift life, of the different colors of ripeness, ending last month with a bowl of Green tomatoes cherries tomatoes with a tough of red on the bottoms. For the last seven days, my boys have been watching this bowl green cherry Tomatoes form their color, so I plan to send some to all Red Cross centers in Hurricane Hit areas for the first time.

The thank you notes that I have received, have only included the name of my husband, which makes me feel a little bad, amen!! I Guess people stop using Mr. & Mrs. these day, but I will continues to give, anyway. We House wife's are not giving credit any more these days. But that's O.K., "because my husband and me," "are one," in God Names.

My Children High School is very working with my boys, and I am thankful for that. I just hope they will learn to like, all the new recipes and spices one day. I build them a large Black Board, but no one uses it, but me.

So I will just "keep on keeping on," making my better best "Better," Amen!!

MrsJustice

I hope so too, because I think It taste good to me and atless it smells like Ketchup too. I am making them Pizza from the cherry tomatoes tomorrow, hope all goes well, Amen!!

Pray for these kids, and my new recipes I am putting on them.

MrsJustice

Bill

The last 8 years I have been a mostly stay at home mom to 3 late in life children. Having kids 20 years ago may have been smarter. My DH is a ranch manager for a very large ranch along the front range of the Rockies. He loves it and working with a large crew of capable people. Until the final child is out of diapers I mainly cook for the brandings and shippings. We have 12 personal horses and the company has 60 so that is where my interest is. We raise a few Morgan foals and that keeps us busy. I do not enjoy being housebound as much as I am, but am thankful for all the traveling I did before I was married. Our view is incredible and the ranch winters about 1000 elk and many Big Horn sheep, plus ample bear, mountain lion and wolves.
Glad I discovered this forum last summer, as I had been plodding along on my own, growing only a handful of op tomatoes. Looking forward to expanding and learning lots.
Only 3 years until kindergarten!
Jeanne

but i was reading this thread and could not resist. no wonder i admire you people so much.

i was a painter/artist before i married at the age of 35, and became a stay at home mom. that was 9 years ago.

i painted special finishes, murals, faux finishes
..but really, i was a jack of all trades,.. if i wanted to do it, i could, (if it was back breaking labor! no brains! no brains! LOL) painter, mechanic, farming, (remember those tractors that had to be started by manually spinning a wheel located on the side of the tractor?) been there, done that. i was as strong as a horse,and worked hard all my life.
... but when i was 33 i ruptured a disc in my lower back and everything changed, i was no longer invincible.
now i am happily married, with a 7 yr old son, growing tomatoes.....i couldn't be happier.

jeri

Duane

Joyce

It's really great to read about the wide variety of productive and meaningful occupations of the various forum members. It's encouraging to know that everyone participates in our diverse and growing economy and social structure here and abroad.

I really hope someone initiates following thread when this one hits 100, so we have an opportunity to get to know everyone better.

Tom

Michael

Judging by threads in other forums, there is no limit now. We'll see, eh?

barb

Bully, I immediately thought you sold drugs....and was a pharmacist.

Sue

My trip to car sales was round about. I attended Kansas State University majoring in first journalism, then Agricultural Economics. I spent 16 years either behind the counter in an agricultural co-operative or on the front side of the counter as a territory manager for a livestock feed company.

When interviewing for something better, I was told that if I wanted to stay in the feed business, I needed to move to Iowa. If I wanted to stay in Kansas, I needed to get out of the feed business. So, here I am.

Mike,

I think I remember reading in newspapers or seeing on TV (so how in the world I could take it for gospel is beyond me) that media reporters now rank higher on Americans' least trusted top 10 list than even politicians and used car salesmen!

But that was about 4 years ago, and after the current rash of excellent reporting on recent natural and political disasters, it wouldn't surprise me if reporters have at least fallen behind us politicians in the spurious line-up.

So, all in all, it seems you may have at least two ranks of front line defenders of your dubious reputation.

Bill

* this was one of the funniest covos ever * ~ Tom

Martin

If you haven’t been welcomed to Texas yet, here it is "Welcome to Texas.
A democrat and a yank is a hard act down here.

Best of luck to you!

Worth

El Paso since 71, I have only seen the place from afar before I turned north to head for Carlsbad.

Worth

When I began college, I was a music ed major and came within 12 hours of that degree - but switched to elementary ed at the last moment.

I have a masters in education and have taught small children 18 months - kindergarten, also taught child development at a junior college.

Then I went to seminary to get an M. Div and am an ordained Epsicopal Priest (at least two priests on this thread!). I worked in a parish and then as chaplain to an Epsicopal school.

then I went back to grad school and got a counseling degree.

Now I work full-time as a therapist at the Rape Crisis Center in San Antonio. Good work, have been here 3 years. But it is a non-profit and that goes for me as well - low pay but doing good things.

Just this past month, I have opened my own private practice on the side - in hopes of becoming fully self-employed in the next couple of years. here is my website: www.cynthiamckennacounseling.com

I love this work and it pulls together all the things I have learned along the way.

I have also worked in a new-agey shop selling dried herbs and oils and learning a lot about natural remedies, I have been a singer and bodhran player in a small Celtic band, taught workshops all over the state of TX for educators, and waited tables at a very good restaurant during this last round of grad school - great money, very hard work.

I fancy that in another life, I will be Rick Bayless' business partner, or his sous chef, or perhaps Julia Child or Alice Waters will want to be MY best friend.

My tomatoes are thriving right now - best production of the whole year - go figure!
Cyn

Duane

I could feel myself turn red too.

I thought I was a freak of some sort for years because I didn’t slap girls upside the head like the big shots on campus did.

Worth

It was back in the 70’s in southeast Oklahoma I had a 63-ford 1-ton truck with a trailer I built myself.

It was about 3 am in the morning and I was just finishing up a long days work of hay hauling, "I too had a wore out straw hat with the raggedy cow boy boots and a shirt with the sleeves cut out.
The wind was starting to blow a little and a thunderstorm was brewing in the west a real blow was coming for sure.
The lightning and thunder in the distant horizon reminded me of an artillery barrage and Mother Nature had mustered up all of the passion she could.
The 8 track was playing Aerosmith’s get your wings album.
Right there in that hay field in the wee hours of the morning with a hundred bales of hay on the truck and trailer with that storm quickly approaching the rain starting to fall in large ice cold drops is where I lost my virginity.
Now that is a memory I will never forget.

Splendor in the grass is one of my favorite movies AND books, I wonder why.

Hay hauling is a job too so I am on topic aren’t I?

Worth

The city folks are probably wondering why we didn't listen to Hank Williams, aren't they?

I married the Coach's daughter. She was a little aloof perhaps, some may have considered her a snob. But that wasn't it at all. She was a new kid in town, did not make friends easily, was highly intelligent and was happy with her books and did not feel like she had a chance at me.
But, there was some magic there between us. One day after football season was past and all the hoopla died down, we met each other walking down the sidewalk in the middle of our little town and ZAP, there it was. We knew that we were made for each other, forsaking all others. Just a feeling of wanting to be together and comfortableness with each other that neither of us had ever felt with anyone else. Fifty two and a half years later, four kids, 12 grand kids, one great grandkid, some really good and some really bad times, tragedeys and sorrow, triumphs and sucesses, it is still there in our souls, spirit and bodies somewhat worse for the wear, that have somehow managed to withstand the ravages of time to some extent. The minds, souls and sprirts have grown over the years with the experiences, and are still as young and strong as ever, just more sensitive and mature. I am beginning to think that it may become permanent ! ":^)
She is my numero uno girl, and my dog lady is my numero dos.
Bill P.

Ann.

Gotta tell ya', I have worn boots all of my life, and my freshman year at college, I was putting myself through school working in a warehouse (no hay) and I found the pretty girls at school more than happy to put up with the beat up boots (which I still wear), hats and shirts in various levels of disarray and the dirt and all. Something about being a little rough around the edges, I suppose.

31 years is darned impressive though.

Bob

The way I look at it is that at least when I grew up ladies liked a man that would go out and work, if that meant hauling hay or working in the oil field at least you worked and could support yourself.
Girls cant help there selves if they are born pretty and it makes it hard on the good ones to find a good guy as they have to put up with all of the wolves that are out for one thing.

I can’t think of a lady that will put up with a poof boy that will not work, at least for long.

Thus my story about the hay field, I have had real good girl friends that were real lookers that helped me cut timber and castrate calves and they did not need $500 worth of makeup to look that way.
I had my share of those too and they were shown the way to the door real quick.
I will take a lady that will get her hands dirty in the tomato patch any day of the week.

Worth

i got to meet a lot of great people, and saw a lot of trauma. it was exciting work.

jeri

My Reply

Is that why my husband loves me so much. He is a very cowboy from Texas, and I LOOOOve him so much. Amen!!

MrsJustice

I have realized that my memories of spelling is not good, so I mush be stressed and need to relax more. Maybe I am worried about my fall garden. I need to develop away to heat the air under the plastic, because it cold in there, and my Tomatoes Plants do not look to happy today.

Glad to hear from you.
And also glad to hear your doing Ok.
The other half is a Texan you say?

Worth

In the 30 years at 'The Phone Co' I said many times that I'd rather be shoveling manure...in to the wind. It just didn't have the wages or the benefits though.

Sue

I'm a 911 - police - fire - ems dispatcher for a suburb of columbus, oh. It's a fun job, although it can be stressful sometimes. Gardening is great stress relief though and I'm already planning my veggie garden for next year, including several varieties of tomatoes that are new to me.

Yeah, those *family situations*! I'm with you, Duane, in hoping 2006 will be better than 2005.

I quit my *real* job to help take care of my mom, but that's not the same thing as *retiring*. ;-))

barb

Once I retire (16 years to go!) I too want that country acreage with animals and maters and veggies and fruit trees. And solitude, or small like-minded community. And work from there doing research and consulting with tribes (American Indian or indigenous elsewhere) on a variety of issues, assuming I've managed to put the MA I'm working on into some kind of work experience before I retire. The great thing is that kind of work exists within the organization, so I can change careers to something meaningful without sacrificing the pension!

Winnjoe and Cyn, and Douglas, a couple times I tried to find a monastery to join where I could do the farming and all that .... never found "my" place, though. But life is good.