My office is a mess.
Papers and notes strewn across my desk, overflowing down to the floor. Can’t throw anything away as I may need that bit of info sometime soon. As long as I know where everything is, cool. Sound like anyone you know in your life? Go easy on us. It’s a disease I think. Guess to be specific I should say I’m organizationally challenged. Always have been. True story…2nd Grade Open House night at Southside Elementary School in Benson, MN, Fall of 1972, my teacher Mrs. Wordelman walks me along with my parents back to my desk. We were to have straightened them up for the big night.
Little messy Machinery Pete did not accomplish that task.
I open my desk…to Mrs. Wordelman’s horror!
Next day at school, time for lunch…but young Machinery Pete won’t be going outside for recess this day. Nope. Mrs. W. came over to my desk, pulled me up by my ear and instructed me in no uncertain terms I’d be staying in to clean up my desk. Now, I should point out that the picking up kids up by the ear thing…totally legal back then. Heck, I knew I had it coming. I didn’t do what I was instructed to do. Lesson learned. The painful way…which is ok sometimes.
And Mrs. W.? The absolute best. Fantastic teacher. Love her, always did. Passed on a few years back.
Mrs. W. may have been smiling down this morning as I assessed my messy Machinery Pete office and assigned myself clean up duty. Didn’t take long at all. Never does. Just get to it. You feel good when things are back in order, looking ship shape.
But the best part?
The things you find.
Like a little handwritten note from a farm couple in Cuba City, WI you met 5 1/2 years ago. Jim & Sue Kraus:
As I reread this handwritten note this morning while cleaning up my office, I was struck by…“It was our only baler that we bought 40+ years ago and used it for all of those 40 years. It baled a lot of hay.”
Built to Last.
Both the baler and farmers too I think. Think about what that baler has been through, all the work its done. And think about everything Jim & Sue Kraus and all farmers who’ve been at it for decades have been through, the ups and the downs. And they survived. More than that…they Thrived. You Thrived.
Built to Last indeed.
On the back of one of the baler pics was a handwritten note…“We sold the baler for $2,500 at consignment auction March 2015.”
I’d say that JD baler proved to be quite a good investment for the Kraus Farm. Here are a couple more pics of Jim Kraus with his trusty JD Tractors…also built to last.
Pete
Machinery Pete
www.MachineryPete.com