My job at Wal Mart

I recently got a job.  A job a at Walmart.  Now here's where it all comes to a head. I have actually pondered over this blog for several days.  That's pretty stupid.  If I were to say "I got a job as a stripper!"  Everyone would say-oh how wonderful that you're willing to support your family.  Instead, I have a secure position with people I like in a town I like for....pretty much no pay (although it is more than I was getting at the playhouse).  But it's something.

Here, there are no places to work.  I went to orientation with people driving from all over to get to work.  Insane.  But I like living where I do.  I like that I don't work with a bunch of drunks who sleep with each other.  I like that no one is trying to compete with me for the new position every few weeks.  And I like that gossip is GREATLY discouraged and there's a zero retaliation policy.  Sweet.  (And for those of you working in offices, you know EXACTLY what I mean).  I don't have to work up reports at the end of the night, keep up with and subscribe to all the journals of my field, go to seminars and conferences every other week.  Or work 20 hours off the clock and 60 hours on.  I'm married to my husband, not my career, and my priorities are God and family, not my supervisor and advancement.

So yes, I made straight A's, took all the hard classes graduated college with honors with some crazy degree everyone cringes at when they hear the name, but I work at Wal-mart.  And I like it :P!

First Harvest

We just ate our first harvest.  We collected seeds from the lettuce we grew last year and planted it in the garden this year.

 From transplants

 And in the freezer-turned raised flat

 A month or so later, we have salad!!  Red romaine, regular romaine, red leaf, and butter crunch.  Yum!

 So then, on our way to remove a previously stuck chainsaw from the tree in the woods, we notice...strawberries!

Early this year...
We haven't kept up with the weeds this year (not that we ever kept them where we should have)
This is clover, which here, is a weed.  That bend is my knee.  The clover can get over 2 feet tall and HUGE!

 Here is about half or less of our strawberry field.

 

Today's pick

 We pick every day for about 2 hours when they really come in, and weed a good bit as well.  This lasts for about a month.  We get so many, we drink smoothies, make toppings, and lots and lots of fruit leather.

 With our dehydrator.

 Just add a good quart of capped and cleaned berries to the blender with a 2-3 spoons of sugar.  Blend and pour onto the fruit leather tray of the dehydrator (which looks dirtier than it really is).  First harvest is always a good day of celebration!

Spring calves

We have a problem this year.  We have more customers already lined up than we will have calves.  That's a good problem.  But in hope, we have the first one born this year.  We named him King, just like his older brother, because he is destined for slaughter.  But, he sure is awful cute until then.

Betsy keeps him well hidden when he's asleep and she wants to go for a walk or something.  We have a hard time finding him sometimes.

 Hey dad.

 Hey son.  Fargo is the best bull in the world, and Betsy is the best mother.  Fargo really misses his boys when they leave, and plays with them when they're young.

 We bought a new cow-Pepper.  She came with lice, so she's being treated for that.  She's older, 10, but she's got the best disposition and is so sweet.  She should calve soon too from the looks of her.

 Here are the chicks we hatched for our neighbors that are pointless and rude.  Don't say come over any time if you don't mean it, and don't ask us to hatch you a bunch of chicks if you aren't going to get them.  Chicks anyone?

Religious Extremism

I go out of my way to keep my opinions to myself about religion and politics.  It keeps my job and allows me to keep customers.  But recently, I discovered I am a religious extremist.  Yes, me.  Here is why:

I follow God's commandments.
I do not believe the Bible is to be changed or interpreted other than the way it is written.  I believe in a literal Bible.  If God wanted us to be confused all the time, and try to "figure out" what He meant, He would have a riot on His hands come Judgement Day.
I do not follow man's traditions, or the current fad.

That, to me, is not extremism.  To me, extremism was adding things in that weren't really there, making it part of your core belief, and them getting violent about it.  For example, abortion clinic bombings.  God gave us pretty strict rules for a religious state, but we no longer live in that religious state, and we are now to show love and kindness even to those who sin against God.  If you feel abortion is wrong, don't bomb the people, that is bad and makes those who believe in God look bad.

What concerns me is that the "norm" is becoming less and less accepting of my religion.  For example, find me a job where I can NOT work on the Sabbath.  Go ahead, but I'm not waiting b/c you won't.  And don't say you will b/c teachers are called in on Saturday to make up snow days, workers are always called in on the weekends, and most jobs just expect you to work Sabbath as a general rule.  If you don't, you will be let go.  They will find or make a way to let you go, and good luck suing them.  And don't tell me "well, they expect you to worship on Sunday."  That's their problem not mine, and I've spoken with many "Christians" who have no problem at all working on their sabbath and think it's ridiculous to do otherwise.  If they weren't called in, they'd be mowing the lawn, going out to eat (making others work), painting the house, cleaning out the garage....

If you tell someone that you cannot do that b/c it goes against your beliefs, you are again let go, or exempted from the group (child's sports teams, drama club, etc)

If reminds me of the laws that say you don't have to give your such and such info to people trying to hire you, but if you don't, you won't be considered for the job.  So, you do have to.  I actually signed a government contract where it said "Under code blah blah, you are not required to give us your SSN, but optioning not to do so will eliminate you from consideration".  Yeah, that's real freedom isn't it...  Sort of a pointless rule, don't you think?

So, go ahead, call me an extremist.  Apparently it's something I'm going to have to get used to.  But just for the record, I have no intentions of stoning people or blowing up demonstrations, and I will still try my very best to keep my opinions to myself no matter how much others don't.