Friday, October 10, 2008

Everything Changes


The leaves are finally starting to change here and it is beginning to feel a lot more like fall although, as I type this I am sitting here in a tank top with the doors open and it is a comfortable 70 degrees. The photo shows some stuff I picked up at the local farmer's market last weekend or Fred picked up for me. We have several U-pick farms in the area and Fred made several trips during the summer. So thanks to him I have put up several quarts of blueberries, peaches and Mama got me some strawberries. My okra is still producing but Fred also brought me a load from his kin's garden and I pickled a half dozen pints and froze some. I am trying to switch the garden over now to fall crops and am happy to say my brussel sprouts and cabbage seem to be doing great. If I could get some old stuff cleaned out I will plant some spinach and lettuce. I was going to dry the apples but have ended up eating most of them in my lunches at work! Well, I can get some more maybe. Fred also came up with a food dehydrator for me recently. He runs a antique/junk store downtown but easily has more stuff at his house so if I say, "Fred, I need a silver-plated monkey with a gilded horse turd on it's head", he can find one. I must get some more apples though because part of the deal was to make him some fried pies!

Well, there have been a number of changes at work also. They are almost through setting the panels and the steel erectors will be there next week. We have completed most of our heavy concrete work so there was a mass exodus of men from the job yesterday. The majority of guys will go to new jobs Monday. Me and 3 or 4 other guys are the only ones left. I suspect that I will stay because they will need a welder a little later on. We heard through the grapevine that the job in Slidell, LA (the one I thought I might go to) has shut down indefinitely and another job we had in Montgomery, AL has had several guys leave that site due to lack of work, although the job has not stopped. We thought we were going to do the tilt ups on that site but they ended up subbing it out at the last minute. So, a lot of work we thought we had is not materializing. We got our raises on yesterday's checks too. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of changes there. I don't know of anyone that was particularly pleased with what they got, in fact, most were fairly pissed off. Morale in the field is the lowest I think I have ever seen it right now. Lots of talk of men going to other companies. Our office just does not seem to care about anything but loading their own pockets and think we (in the field)are so stupid that if they pay for us to attend a baseball game now and again that we will be happy with that. Don't get me wrong, I think company outings are fine. I always enjoyed our company picnic when they had them, but these men in the field have children to feed. Throwing some tickets to a baseball game or amusement park to us every once in a while is just not going to cut it when our pay fell behind inflation several years ago. Hhmmm. This all sounds familiar doesn't it. Maybe my company has been watching the government too much lately.
Well, I have my last 3-day weekend. We go back on 5-eights next week so I'm going to try to make a big effort on the heater and garden. My sister and her family are coming to town tonight for a football game and a work buddy of mine is also in town for a side job so I might have company today!! Wow! Well, got to get to work!

*Staind

5 comments:

Ron said...

That produce sure looks good!

I had trouble getting my broccoli going... grasshoppers ate it all twice before I could get protection on it. Some lettuce is growing good though. Ahh, next year. That's what I love about gardening, you always get another shot at it. :)

Ron

Anonymous said...

Fried pies? Fried pies!

MamaHen said...

Hey Ron! It was all very good. They grow some nice stuff around here; we are fortunate in that way.
So far my sprouts and cabbage don't seem to have had even a bite out of them even though the hoppers are still here. I should probably mist them with a little deterrent anyway.

Hey Pablo! Yeah! Fried pies! Apple is my favorite although the guys at work seem to like chocolate the best. You have had fried pies, right??

Anonymous said...

Those foods look delicious ER. You have to tell this aussie what a fried pie is....sounds funny!

I love dried apples. I remember when I first made them, I sat and munched for hours on them, not realising that dried meant less = more....omg what a tummy ache for days later LMAO!!!

I think it is sad when businesses lose sight of the fact that without their staff they would have no business. Thankfully in aussie there is a minimum wage, about $500 and something per week, it is illegal to pay an adult below that, and it is adjusted annually against inflation...the only fair way to go I believe.

Pick up your house, move it to aussie, they are screaming for good trades people here....think of the fun we could have LOL!

Blessings:)

MamaHen said...

Hey Molly! Oh, we would have a blast I'm sure! lol!
Fried pies are a traditional southern treat; I'll have to make some and show you. You just cut out a small circle of pie crust, put a little filling in the middle and fold the crust over (so they are kinda half moon shaped), sealing the edges and then fry or bake. Delicious!
We have a minimum wage here but it's doesn't sound as high as ya'lls and it's not adjusted annually. I actually make good money (about what my sister makes who is a occupational therapist) but we should make good money for what we have to do. Our company has just recently done some stuff that doesn't seem to make sense. Like the baseball tickets but say they can't afford to give all the guys their safety award ($25 gift certificate) if the guy got laid off (not our fault) for a couple of days.