Where we’ve been…All 48 lower…Where we are…Extensively traveling…Working and having a blast!

Where we’ve been…All 48 lower…Where we are…Extensively traveling…Working and having a blast!
LIFE IS GRAND!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Another Heat Wave…Breaking Old Habits

We didn’t have much heat while we were at the ranch this summer, but California is certainly making up for that now for us. They are predicting temperatures in the 90’s here in Saratoga for the next few days, just as they were when we were setting up the patch…not looking forward to that at all. It was getting really nice the past week, high in the 70’s, lows in the 50’s, but now…too hot for working outdoors, that is for sure.

Long Island Cheese

Are you one of those people that expect too much of yourself?

We once again have turned back into that type of people and it is so hard to change those habits. It’s about that old recording we playback in our heads, telling us that if we are not working as hard as an ox, then we are not doing enough. That old stinking thinking that we are never good enough to do anything else but to work our bodies until we end up actually hurting ourselves. We get into that frame of mind that makes us believe that doing for others and neglecting ourselves is acceptable behavior. We get so busy trying to make everything so perfect that we neglect taking care of ourselves. We don’t eat properly, we don’t take those moments to do what we should be doing so that we don’t get burned out. It’s not others that tell us to work that hard, it is our own selves that take our ethics to a level that is truly unhealthy.

Jarrahdales

We are working 12 hour shifts, the lot is open from 9 to 9 and there are times that we are not busy, but for the most part, we are so busy. Not that we are making many sales, since most folks just come in to allow their children to run rapid throughout the patch, destroying pumpkins and then getting upset with us if we ask then nicely not to allow them to do it. As I said in previous posts, it is only a small percentage but we allow those few a day to almost wreck our days. Learning hard not to let that happen, but not always accomplishing that lesson.

Speckled Swans

As you can probably gather from these posts, most likely, we will not be doing another pumpkin patch any time soon, at least not this kind that has all this FREE activity. Working in a lot and selling pumpkins would be ideal, not having all this free for all with the children is the problem. We are told, but we doubt it, that all these people will come back and buy pumpkins later…NOT! We have had several folks, the truly buying ones that said they did not appreciate all the kids running around as if this were a park. Trying to maintain some sort of sanity has been the most difficult task for us, the parents always come back with the same arguments, “We have always been able to do this in the past…blah…blah…blah” Maybe they had, maybe not, but what matters to us is that we have to tell them over and over not to allow their children to run through the pumpkins, pick them up and try to carry them around, walk all over them, or so many other things that they do to disturb any sort of sanity. Then there have been a few of those parents that drop off their children and either leave completely or sit in their cars the entire time. We have tried to stop that from happening but many times, there are so many people in this lot that we can’t tell who is with who.

It’s a mad house I tell you…it’s a mad house…but it’s only for 20 more days…

Flying Saucers

Would love to hear from anyone out there who has done a pumpkin patch in the past, or are doing one now that can tell me if they are all like this one.

5 comments:

Carol K said...

It sounds like you are having a rough time, Kimberly and Jerry. Hang in there as best you can and in 20 days you will be free. I'm looking forward to seeing Oregon (and maybe Washington?) filled in on your travel map. Don't work too hard--I hear what you are saying about expecting a lot of yourselves. And as we age, we sometimes have to downsize our expectations about our physical stamina. It's not easy to do less when there is work to be done. But your health and well-being is important, too!

Margie M. said...

We always learn from our experiences. I guess this pumpkin patch was certainly one of those learning experiences for you guys. You'd never know what a pain it is if you hadn't tried it. In the days after the pumpkin job is over you can take some "You" time and regroup. Hang in there!

pidge said...

Sorry you are having such a rough time. Some people are just plain rude and think their kids can do no wrong. Hang in there and pray for those 20 days to fly by. stay safe.

Breathtaking Vintage said...

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. In the case of this job, if it were me - I would rather go without some things than to work this hard again. Are you not able to skip work like this? It must be awfully hard to see other people's kids act this way.
Colleen Sykora has tons of work for RVers on her website. You have probably seen it before, but maybe she has something a little better for you.
I saw your post about Stinking Thinking, but I don't think it is your fault at all and that accepting what "is" would be tough in your shoes.
Good luck and many better returns for what you've endured.
Lynne

Ali Workentin said...

Sounds like things are not going as smoothly as they could. Sorry about that.

We so understand "doing enough" and wondering when enough is enough. I think we had those thoughts sometimes working at the carnival (more Ron than me I think). I know in my job as Office Manager and Secretary I had that problem ~ always working so hard to do my job (and more than what was expected of me) but never satisfied with myself unless I did it all. I think (at least hope) that I have gotten better with that. A real test for me will be when I go back as secretary at our church (doing that for at least a little while, while looking for work for us for the winter).

Thanks for the advice/comments about DirectTV - think we have it all settled now ~ at least I sure hope so.

Wishing you a great weekend! And well behaved children.