comfort in farming

I finally found some time to sit down and do some blogging. I have been busy the past couple of days with farming. We finally got caught up with what we could do and that has allowed me to sit at my desk and do some white collar work that I needed done.


The first thing or more immediate need was working on some things for chatfield for this summer. I have a syllabus ready for the math class I am teaching. I need to get the policies in place with the schedule and then start making plans for each individual class. Sixteen classes shouldn't be to hard to plan for but I don't know what type of students I am going to have. The course is a remedial course designed so the students can take a type of assessment test and qualify for a course that gives credit that other colleges will accept. I have looked through the first three chapters and the material doesn't seem difficult, but I don't know what level my students will be at.

I am also trying to plan on taking a course  this summer. I need to take three semester hours at a four year university so that I can renew my Ohio teaching certificate. So chatfield and southern state are out. I found a course that would fit my schedule real well, but wilmington wants a more in tuition than either of those cheaper places.

I also have come to the conclusion that I need a full time teaching job by the end of the summer. Financially we will make it until I get the corn harvested but things are going to be close for a while. I can bring in some money with the chatfield job and working for the post office. Things have happened that have shown me that I need to consider other work outside of farming. My biggest fear is that we will have to move from the house we have put so much work in. The renovations have come together to give Amanda and me a real nice place for our baby. Being able to provide and care for those two is going to be my job as a husband and father. I am not sure anymore that I can do that with much comfort farming anymore.

Ideally I would find a job that doesn't require us to move. I am not sure if that is best in the long run though. Amanda has said this place has grown on her and she is more comfortable with the rest of my family having such a close address. I am getting more open to moving away and starting over though. My capacity as a farmer is limited here. My capacity to provide for a family is limited here. If I get a job that requires a new start somewhere, I will strongly consider it. I can use my farming income to pay off the majority of our debts and then live on the annually increasing salary and steady benefits of a teaching salary. I can give my family consistent family time and leisure time for each other.

Out of all the other things on my plate, the most important and noteworthy is the impeding arrival of my daughter. Amanda has just started on week 36 and after next week she will be medically cleared to have the baby when natures says it is time. Having a child of our own is one of the reasons we wanted to get married. I hope we don't have to wait until the july 3rd due date we have been told chiefly the reason being that Amanda can not get much comfort at all and I can't do much to help her. She has so much she doesn't like about how she is now and all I can do is try and reassure her that things will get back to how she wants them. I can't seem to do much right so all I am able to do is sit back and not aggravate to much. Out of all the things that I think I have to do, Amanda feels even more overwhelmed about everything that she feels she has to do. Having the baby in our arms is going to give us both some immediate comfort and relief, but that doesn't mean things will be easier once the baby is here. We will still have diapers to change and babies to feed and rest to get when we can.

times typed "oftern"-0