All of a sudden I am up to by elbows in things that must be done. Our Shearing Celebration is coming up in on May 19th and there is lots to do to prepare, we’re trying to get the last of the Fall shares dyed and in the mail, I have about thousand emails to return, and the magazine is starting to heat up. Unfortunately, I also have to go to Texas for 6 days to take care of some family business, starting tomorrow. I am a little bit stressed.
All the stuff that needs to be done is the work part of my job; i.e. not the shepherding part. Not the fun part. The part that feels like a job. It’s especially hard to get this stuff done when their are puppies in the barn and lambs springing all over the field, let me tell you!
The thing is, Juniper Moon Farm is kind of at a crossroads. We have so many new, exciting things we want to do, but we are all already maxed out in terms of work load. On of the things I’ve noticed as a small business owner is that you inevitably need a larger workforce before you are able to afford it. It’s hard, because more staff equals more opportunities for more products, and eventually more money coming in, but there is a lag time in between that makes everything stressful and terrifying.
There are a lot of things I need to look into- grant opportunities, maybe finding an angel investor or venture capital money- but all of them require a lot of time and that’s puts me back where I was. It’s a frustrating period, but we’ve been through them before and it always works out. I’m just stress and tired and cranky.
While I’m gone, Caroline and Zac will be updating you with daily puppy pics and news from the garden. I have to say, this year’s garden is EPIC. For example, last year we planted 6 tomato plant and we very nearly drowned in them. Remember this at the end of last season?
Well, this year we have 100 tomato plants. One. Hundred. All different varieties. And that’s just one vegetable- there are dozens and dozens!
Now I’m going to try to get as much as I can off my to do list before I leave tomorrow morning. More pics this afternoon.
