Wednesday Morning Ramblings

February 2, 2011 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

Eleven years before I got to become “Daddy,” I became an uncle. Today, my oldest niece turns 18, and while the protective side of me is not happy about it, I remember how special and difficult of a time it is. So today’s blog is for you, Brianna, and the following are things I want you to remember as you go through life:

You are a beautiful person, inside and out. You have a good heart and a sweet nature, and one day, hopefully many years from now, you are going to be an excellent mother.

You are intelligent and capable, and you can accomplish anything you strive for as long as you are willing to work hard for it. Never underestimate the power of your own will and the importance of hard work.

Your love is a precious gift. Never let anyone take it for granted, mistreat it, or abuse it. If your heart tells you that you aren’t getting what you want from someone, listen to it. Your heart is a good compass to follow, and if you quieten your brain long enough to hear it, your heart will rarely lead you astray.

I will always have your back. When life knocks you down and the days seem their darkest, remember that and take comfort in it. No matter where you are or what has happened, you can come to me for shelter and safety, so don’t be afraid to take a few chances and reach for your dreams.

The only failures in life are not trying and quitting on your goals. If you come up short or fall on your face, you can learn from that and grow stronger as long as you pick yourself up and keep pressing forward. Nothing worth anything comes easy, and real successes usually come after many failures.

Life can sometimes seem pointless and difficult and overwhelming, and there will be days when you want to give up. Those are the moments when you need to reach deep down inside of yourself, get a firm grasp on your spine, clench your teeth, and get through the dark days. The sunshine will come back eventually.

I love you, my beautiful girl. You have always been more like a daughter than a niece, and I’m very proud of you. Happy birthday with many, many more to come.

General Posts

Tuesday Afternoon Ramblings

February 1, 2011 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

After working on the farm over the weekend, I’m re-energized and re-enthused about getting it operational. After having been stifled for nearly two months by that terrible illness and also the frigid weather, I enjoyed exerting myself and getting a little dirty. While we didn’t get as much done as I would’ve liked, we did make progress, and it felt good to check a couple more items off the list. The biggest obstacle right now is getting the building cleaned out. After nearly sixteen years of sitting unused and neglected, it needs a lot of TLC and a lot of minor repairs. Luckily, it’s still structurally sound, so all the repairs should be things that we can do ourselves.

In a couple of weeks (this weekend, of course, is the Super Bowl), we’re gonna clear out all of the trees and plants around the perimeter. That’s going to be a major undertaking, but once it’s finished, the property will look much better and the building will be much safer. Once the area is clear, we’ll then work on sealing the back wall to keep any water from getting in. There are a couple of places where after a heavy rain water can seep through the cinder blocks, so we’ll use a masonry sealer to stop that. After those two issues are resolved, we’ll then focus on insulating the walls and replacing the doors and windows that are bad. Our goal is to have the building ready for the aeroponic units by mid-May. To me, that’s a completely realistic and achievable goal. It’ll just take a little sweat and a little energy to make it happen.

General Posts

Saturday Morning Ramblings

January 29, 2011 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

We’re heading to the farm this morning to work on the building a little. This is the first Saturday in 7-8 weeks that the weather’s been good enough for us to go out there. We’ve decided to focus on getting the building cleaned and renovated before focusing on anything else. There are a couple of windows and doors that need replacing, and the whole building needs insulation. We also have to get the power turned back on and clean up the area around the building of trees, brush, and weeds. There’s a lot of work to do before we can even seriously consider putting an aeroponic or hydroponic unit in there, but every single time I have to make that commute down 66 and up Dolly Parton Parkway, I’m more committed to making the farm successful. I might post a follow-up this evening about the progress we made.