That was supposed to be the title of my first book…’Where do I start?’ I’ll settle for a blog post at this point. If you follow us on Facebook or Insta @GriffRun you know where I’m coming from…if not, it won’t take you long to get up to speed.
My former colleagues, back when I had a ‘real’ job, will just be thrilled that I started this blog at all. Apparently, my daily farm stories told in the big city of Madison seemed otherwordly. Well, I was the only staffer bringing fresh, organic eggs by the dozen to sell to my co-workers on Lake Street. Even I had to laugh when I would get off of the elevator and turn the corner to my office to see empty egg cartons hanging on my door – an enviro-friendly co-worker looking to recycle their carton back to me.
The day job was a solid challenge for certain…about 25 years working in media, marketing and communications for everyone from road builders to organic food cooperatives to University of Wisconsin. I was probably the only communications professional working for the State of Wisconsin with a burner phone from Walmart. I was also the one on the leadership team showing up to the boardroom with my home-brewed iced tea…in a Ball jar. I loved the work…but it was always going to be the paycheck that enabled us to live here and bleed out financially to save an old organic farm in the middle of nowhere (aka: Viola).
It’s been ten years since we moved here and we just might be figuring this hobby farm thing out…or not. Mother Nature and nine falling down buildings try to hand us our asses just about daily. A common statement at Griff Run is: “just another day blown up at the farm.” It’s a shit show and I’m the ringmaster…I have that written on a pair of socks to prove it.
Stick around and you’ll undoubtedly hear more about dogs running away to dig up and roll around in a dead horse, husbands sneaking out to buy $30K tractors, kids deciding that electrical transformers look like great target practice, me deciding to nearly kill myself eating foraged mushrooms, and those infamous ‘Kids, Dogs & Nudity Ahead…Please Slow Down” signs I put roadside to keep speeders from running anyone over on the road that bisects our farm. Just had lookie-loos stop at our hand-painted sign today for a photo opp. Signs have been up for nearly eight years, now? This shit never gets old.
