Fulfilling Friday

Today was a good day. No qualifier, no additions, no question. It started strong and kept going right through a fast paced morning and afternoon. I didn't have to sit at my computer like a slave to the machine. I didn't have to hustle to meet a deadline. I spent the majority of the day on the phone with my cooperators. My people. It was glorious. I started making the calls to discuss what we'd like to do in 2016 with them in terms of research and most times that turned into them asking me a bevy of questions about management practices and things that they could improve in their own operations. I have become quite knowledgeable in such subjects as it turns out and if not armed with a direct correct answer I certainly have the resources to track it down for them, which was not a regular occurrence  in this exercise. It is fun when farmers are optimistic in the off season. The frustration and stress of the in season portion of the year has almost been forgotten and while planning things out for the coming year mostly optimism remains. It is interesting how farmers share that attribute with Leaf fans. Every year is going to be the year. As a member of both camps, that is the most relate-able example for me. If you have something more specific in mind then drop a comment in the basket. The basket is of course virtual and access to it is located below this post in case you are newer to the internet. Which is possible, don't doubt that. I got out of the house again on this day also. I went down to the local bank to deposit a cheque and pay a bill. Some people still do those things okay! I usually pay things online from the comfort of my own chair but this was a new vendor I was dealing with and that option had to be set up in the bank. The cheque was co-incidental. Speaking of being old fashioned, I mailed a couple of letters this week too. A couple of shots out into the abyss. It will be interesting to see if there is a response. There is something more exciting about actually mailing a letter than simply sending an email. There is nothing tangible with email and a response also lacks excitement, just words on a screen. To write a letter to someone takes time and effort. It actually costs money to perform the operation as well. It feels bigger than just sending an email. That is why some of the more sacred correspondence is still done with real paper. Most of what I receive in this vein is all wedding related but still, it proves my point. I am excited to see what kind of response I get back, if any. The evening was spent watching my weekend entertainment. In a moment of weakness I ordered and devoured an entire pizza. I really need to stop this practice. I feel terrible now, both physically and emotionally. Hopefully sleep will dispel both of these things.