One topic I should have mentioned in the last post was that I am now a one-man team in Vermeer's Forage Product Enhancement Engineering group, which typically has two. Mr Jacob Limke was moved back to the baler group after two years in enhancement. I will be fending for myself at least until May when a new-hire will be brought on and trained by me, which may not be convenient if the season ramps up like it should that time of year. I counted today, and enhancement covers at least thirty models, including eight that were covered by a dedicated alliance engineer until a year ago. Despite the daunting work load, I have been assured that I will not be expected to do the work of two. Other groups may help with some of my responsibilities if things get too busy.
It's easier in a way because I know exactly what's going on with all of enhancement's issues. This is only the second week since the change, but it's manageable.
9/10/14
9/7/14
Portland, National Dealer Meetings, and the Eagles
I've had a very exciting ten days or so. I flew to Portland, Oregon on the 28th to join in on Scott Ervin's wedding festivities. Sarah was not able to come with me because she was in Vegas on a bachelorette party adventure. Scott is a good friend from the Bozeman days, and we were joined by a strong group of MSU alumni, many of whom I hadn't seen in a couple years. It still amazes me how much I can catch up with these old friends and it feels like it's been a few days since we've seen each other, not years. Congratulations Scott and Cheryl, and thank you for the honor of standing with you on your big day!
I had a blast seeing some of Portland, a one-of-a-kind city. My cousin Emily Torstveit and her husband Sven even met up with me for a couple hours. Our trip to a Korean-Hawaiian food truck just about made the trip worth it by itself. There are lots of reasons I need to go back to Portland, so hopefully it isn't long before I can get back.
Vermeer Forage held its National Dealer Meetings this past week. They are held every three years, so I hadn't been involved with one yet. My role was to drive trams of dealers to various events on Thursday afternoon and evening, and to drive a shuttle to the airport on Friday. Seeing the dealer reactions to multiple new product unveilings was very exciting. My dad was not able to attend due to being busy with second cutting and calving. All of the field demos went flawlessly, and the entire program went unbelievably smoothly as far as I could tell.
I had the opportunity to attend an Eagles concert last night in Des Moines with Sarah, her parents, and two sets of aunts and uncles. I'm pretty sure we were the youngest people there. To be perfectly honest, I went in knowing who the Eagles were, and knowing Hotel California, but not much beyond that. I got the feeling right away that the show was aimed at the demographic who had grown up with the band. Things picked up speed, however, and so did my interest. I was surprised how many of the songs I knew. Their musical talent is undeniable, with multiple harmonies and most band members playing multiple instruments well. It was quite an experience.
My biggest news at the moment is that I will be in the process of moving to an old farmhouse north of town soon. My roommate got married a month ago and moved to Des Moines. I was ready to move on from my current apartment in town some time ago, but it seemed best to wait until after Tyler was out and it was closer to the end of our lease. My friend, fellow engineer, and fellow dealer's son James Williams is leaving for North Carolina at the end of September, so his place was available. It's six miles straight north of Vermeer so the commute is easy. It's on 3/4 of an acre with a garage, a workshop, a 30x40 shed, and a party shed called "the Pavilion". It has a corn/wood pellet furnace which most people are confounded by, but I'm quite comfortable with. I am very excited to have a place with a little more room for projects and to have people over.
I had a blast seeing some of Portland, a one-of-a-kind city. My cousin Emily Torstveit and her husband Sven even met up with me for a couple hours. Our trip to a Korean-Hawaiian food truck just about made the trip worth it by itself. There are lots of reasons I need to go back to Portland, so hopefully it isn't long before I can get back.
Vermeer Forage held its National Dealer Meetings this past week. They are held every three years, so I hadn't been involved with one yet. My role was to drive trams of dealers to various events on Thursday afternoon and evening, and to drive a shuttle to the airport on Friday. Seeing the dealer reactions to multiple new product unveilings was very exciting. My dad was not able to attend due to being busy with second cutting and calving. All of the field demos went flawlessly, and the entire program went unbelievably smoothly as far as I could tell.
I had the opportunity to attend an Eagles concert last night in Des Moines with Sarah, her parents, and two sets of aunts and uncles. I'm pretty sure we were the youngest people there. To be perfectly honest, I went in knowing who the Eagles were, and knowing Hotel California, but not much beyond that. I got the feeling right away that the show was aimed at the demographic who had grown up with the band. Things picked up speed, however, and so did my interest. I was surprised how many of the songs I knew. Their musical talent is undeniable, with multiple harmonies and most band members playing multiple instruments well. It was quite an experience.
My biggest news at the moment is that I will be in the process of moving to an old farmhouse north of town soon. My roommate got married a month ago and moved to Des Moines. I was ready to move on from my current apartment in town some time ago, but it seemed best to wait until after Tyler was out and it was closer to the end of our lease. My friend, fellow engineer, and fellow dealer's son James Williams is leaving for North Carolina at the end of September, so his place was available. It's six miles straight north of Vermeer so the commute is easy. It's on 3/4 of an acre with a garage, a workshop, a 30x40 shed, and a party shed called "the Pavilion". It has a corn/wood pellet furnace which most people are confounded by, but I'm quite comfortable with. I am very excited to have a place with a little more room for projects and to have people over.
8/3/14
Colorado and Montana in Summer
I've gotten behind in my journaling. It's been a month since my trip to Colorado Springs for Jake Duede's wedding, and I'm just now writing it up. Sarah and I had a nice drive across Nebraska to partake in the festivities and enjoyed the Air Force wedding over 4th of July weekend. Alicia and my parents were also there, so it was a good get together all around. Congrats Kate and Jake!
It was a big week in Winston last week, with my mom's birthday, my sisters coming home for their 10th and 20th reunions, the Townsend rodeo, and the family celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Cox Ranch this month. My Aunt Janet, Uncle Allen, and Janet's sister Nancy were also vacationing in Montana, so it was a busy week. All this, along with the usual ranch busy-ness of summer meant there was lots to do in just a few days. I apologize to many for not being able to visit quite as much as I like, my usual regret after a trip home. There will be a next time, I promise!
It was a big week in Winston last week, with my mom's birthday, my sisters coming home for their 10th and 20th reunions, the Townsend rodeo, and the family celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Cox Ranch this month. My Aunt Janet, Uncle Allen, and Janet's sister Nancy were also vacationing in Montana, so it was a busy week. All this, along with the usual ranch busy-ness of summer meant there was lots to do in just a few days. I apologize to many for not being able to visit quite as much as I like, my usual regret after a trip home. There will be a next time, I promise!
6/17/14
Quick Trip to Dillon
Two Tuesdays ago, Travis Koster and I started one of two driving days to Dillon to work on a mower conditioner. This was the first work trip I had gotten to take to Montana. As usual, we had to drive to take parts and tools. I've been getting familiar with the I-80, 29, I-90 route after several trips down in the last couple years. Travis had never been to Montana, a trip to Yellowstone as a kid notwithstanding. This is the prime time to be there in my opinion, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the drive.
We made the executive decision to stay in Bozeman on Wednesday night. Shepherd's Garage in Dillon wouldn't be open til 8 or so anyway, so there was plenty of time in the morning to get there. I told Travis my choices for food would be self-serving, but that I wouldn't disappoint. Mackenzie River with Chris and Jim, Jim's dad Roger, and my Grandma was great and as reliable as ever. I also relished stops at my old favorite bars.
This mower campaign was an update of mower conditioners that were launched last year. There was only one MC in Montana. The updates were substantial, but Travis had done several of them elsewhere and we got the job done in a day and a half. Finishing up at noon on Friday opened up the weekend nicely, and we made our way to Winston. I hadn't been home in seven months, and it was good to see my parents and the ranch.
Travis comes from western Iowa and has been around cattle, hogs, hay, and corn his entire life. Montana ranching is a bit different from that environment, and I tried to give him a taste of this whenever we weren't doing other Vermeer-related activities for my dad. Irrigating is mostly unnecessary east of the Missouri so our pivots, wheellines, handlines, and ditches were foreign to him. The scale of the pastures was also beyond what's seen in Iowa.
We stopped by Dave and Barb Clark's on Sunday on our way out. Travis is admittedly not a horseman, and I suspected he had gotten bored when the conversation drifted toward stockwhips, riding, and saddles. I later learned he had never heard such a conversation, and what stuck with him was that it could have happened an era ago with no difference. I'd secretly hoped he'd get that sort of experience. We rolled back to Iowa from there, stopping at King Ropes in Sheridan. I could have spent a full day wandering through all that tack.
Only a few days after getting back to Pella, Sarah and I backtracked to Mitchell, South Dakota for a wedding of a Vermeer engineer who grew up near there and recently moved back to work at Vermeer's Freeman facility. It was a great day, and great trip, and we were glad to be there. Our return to Pella topped 3600 miles for me in twelve days. Just five more weddings to go this summer...
We made the executive decision to stay in Bozeman on Wednesday night. Shepherd's Garage in Dillon wouldn't be open til 8 or so anyway, so there was plenty of time in the morning to get there. I told Travis my choices for food would be self-serving, but that I wouldn't disappoint. Mackenzie River with Chris and Jim, Jim's dad Roger, and my Grandma was great and as reliable as ever. I also relished stops at my old favorite bars.
This mower campaign was an update of mower conditioners that were launched last year. There was only one MC in Montana. The updates were substantial, but Travis had done several of them elsewhere and we got the job done in a day and a half. Finishing up at noon on Friday opened up the weekend nicely, and we made our way to Winston. I hadn't been home in seven months, and it was good to see my parents and the ranch.
Travis comes from western Iowa and has been around cattle, hogs, hay, and corn his entire life. Montana ranching is a bit different from that environment, and I tried to give him a taste of this whenever we weren't doing other Vermeer-related activities for my dad. Irrigating is mostly unnecessary east of the Missouri so our pivots, wheellines, handlines, and ditches were foreign to him. The scale of the pastures was also beyond what's seen in Iowa.
We stopped by Dave and Barb Clark's on Sunday on our way out. Travis is admittedly not a horseman, and I suspected he had gotten bored when the conversation drifted toward stockwhips, riding, and saddles. I later learned he had never heard such a conversation, and what stuck with him was that it could have happened an era ago with no difference. I'd secretly hoped he'd get that sort of experience. We rolled back to Iowa from there, stopping at King Ropes in Sheridan. I could have spent a full day wandering through all that tack.
Only a few days after getting back to Pella, Sarah and I backtracked to Mitchell, South Dakota for a wedding of a Vermeer engineer who grew up near there and recently moved back to work at Vermeer's Freeman facility. It was a great day, and great trip, and we were glad to be there. Our return to Pella topped 3600 miles for me in twelve days. Just five more weddings to go this summer...
4/14/14
All Around Georgia
With my bags barely unpacked from Ireland, I packed them again and headed to Georgia for a work trip last week, this time to ride around with regional manager Bryan Setzer, who oversees the territory managers in Texas and Louisiana and himself manages the territories in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and part of Louisiana.
Riding with a TM is on my official list of goals for the year at work, to better understand their role at Vermeer and the scope of everything their title entails, to learn about regional markets around the country, and to meet a few of the dealers in those areas. I definitely did all of those things.
Bryan lives in Montgomery, Alabama, so my tour started there after an early flight on Monday. Montgomery has a great deal of history involving the civil war and civil rights movement. We drove to Cumming, Georgia afterward. We called on two dealers in the area the next day, stopped at a customer's place to help him set up a TM850, (editor's note: this customer happened to be Bill Elliott, the winningest NASCAR driver ever. He's also a very agreeable fellow) and hiked to Amicalola Falls, which is on the approach trail to Springer Mountain, the starting point to the Appalachian Trail. We met four dealers on Wednesday all over eastern GA, and wound down to St Simon's Island that night. After breakfast on Jekyll Island on Thursday, we made a long haul west to Elko to the aptly named Perfect Equipment, a long-time farmer-dealership. Though I'd known nothing about it before seeing it, we stopped at the Andersonville Civil War Prison Camp and National Cemetery. Learning about the unimaginably miserable conditions in a place where 12,900 people had suffered and died and seeing the resting place of those soldiers and those of other wars was very powerful. We made it back to Montgomery afterward, with a wander through the Auburn University campus. We'd covered 1440 miles in four days
The food on this trip was outstanding. Bryan has been doing this for years, so he knows all the best places. Georgia and Alabama offer both good barbecue and seafood. Gator tail and whole steamed shrimp on the Alabama River, listening to live blues out on the patio wrapped up the trip very well.
Being a TM is tough to imagine; 60,000 miles on the road a year, managing and dealing with scores of people, and keeping a handle on so many constantly changing ins-and-outs are all daunting tasks. I much better understand that end of the business after this educational trip.
Riding with a TM is on my official list of goals for the year at work, to better understand their role at Vermeer and the scope of everything their title entails, to learn about regional markets around the country, and to meet a few of the dealers in those areas. I definitely did all of those things.
Bryan lives in Montgomery, Alabama, so my tour started there after an early flight on Monday. Montgomery has a great deal of history involving the civil war and civil rights movement. We drove to Cumming, Georgia afterward. We called on two dealers in the area the next day, stopped at a customer's place to help him set up a TM850, (editor's note: this customer happened to be Bill Elliott, the winningest NASCAR driver ever. He's also a very agreeable fellow) and hiked to Amicalola Falls, which is on the approach trail to Springer Mountain, the starting point to the Appalachian Trail. We met four dealers on Wednesday all over eastern GA, and wound down to St Simon's Island that night. After breakfast on Jekyll Island on Thursday, we made a long haul west to Elko to the aptly named Perfect Equipment, a long-time farmer-dealership. Though I'd known nothing about it before seeing it, we stopped at the Andersonville Civil War Prison Camp and National Cemetery. Learning about the unimaginably miserable conditions in a place where 12,900 people had suffered and died and seeing the resting place of those soldiers and those of other wars was very powerful. We made it back to Montgomery afterward, with a wander through the Auburn University campus. We'd covered 1440 miles in four days
The food on this trip was outstanding. Bryan has been doing this for years, so he knows all the best places. Georgia and Alabama offer both good barbecue and seafood. Gator tail and whole steamed shrimp on the Alabama River, listening to live blues out on the patio wrapped up the trip very well.
Being a TM is tough to imagine; 60,000 miles on the road a year, managing and dealing with scores of people, and keeping a handle on so many constantly changing ins-and-outs are all daunting tasks. I much better understand that end of the business after this educational trip.
4/3/14
Trip to Ireland
Sarah and I got back from Ireland Tuesday night. We left the morning of the 26th, flew to Newark for a day-long layover. A bus and train ride took us to Hoboken where we toured Noah and Jean's new house, had a walk round town, had lunch, saw the New York skyline over the Hudson river, and watched Lydia play. It was a very short visit, but a day well spent.
After flying overnight with little sleep and getting picked up at the Dublin airport Thursday morning by David Kelly, we dropped our stuff off, got breakfast, cleaned up, and headed into Dublin. David had the day off so he showed us around. We braced for rain on the way to the city, but it quit after the twenty minute train ride; we were very lucky the entire trip as far as weather went: Saturday was a little damp, but it didn't rain otherwise. Thursday took us to Dublin Castle, St Patrick's Cathedral, the Old Jameson Distillery, then O'Connell and Grafton Streets. I was randomly picked to do a taste test of Irish whiskey versus Scotch and American whiskeys, and now proudly own a certificate of my accomplishment. We collapsed into two pubs on Baggott Street, which has several old "still as they were built" pubs, which were exactly what we were looking for. It was here that Sarah was introduced to proper Guinness, not the questionable stuff gotten in America, and she was instantly converted. She's also a fan of Irish coffees. After a full day of touring on next to no sleep, we collapsed into comas after having been awake for 37 hours.
David had to go to class for grad school on Friday, so we adventured on our own. A day-tour bus took us to various places. we went through the Irish Museum of Modern Art mostly because it was close to the Kilmainham Gaol. The jail had operated for 250 years and would have been a very foul place to be, and was even a step up compared to city life in the rougher times. Much Irish history had been affected by what had happened there and by who had gone through it.
The rest of the day was spent idly listening to the bus commentary, walking around the O'Connell and Grafton Street areas, having dinner together, and getting drinks with David and his wife Amy on Baggott Street. Another fine day.
We headed west on Saturday and had lunch with David's parents and brother Ciaran in Tober, Co Offaly in the center of the country. Sarah and I took the train to Galway afterward. Galway is on the west coast and is a city of about 75,000, much smaller than Dublin's 1.2 million. It's known for it's music and festivals and many pubs have music every night.
We headed out Saturday evening, including my fiddle, and stepped into Taaffe's bar which had a sign for music, and we were not disappointed. I asked the session leader if I could join, and the Seattle-native offered me a seat. I knew a few of their tunes, taught them one, and loved it. The leader invited me to another session a few blocks away across the river at the Crane Bar later that night.
The Crane Bar has two floors, and the upstairs is exclusively for nightly sessions. The place filled in after 10, including a nicely varied bunch of about a dozen players: younger at about my age, older to about 80; fiddles, banjos, flutes, a bouzouki, and a concertina. It was also supposedly a quiet night. There were songs sung as well. Nothing against bodhrans, but I particularly liked the rhythm kept by the stamping of the session leader's feet on the wood floor. I liked being part of a session in a place where everyone present was there for the music and what it evoked. I've missed sessions, and playing in these two have inspired me a great deal.
Sunday was a startlingly sunny day; indeed the best Galway had seen yet that year. We booked a day tour into Clare to see the Burren region and the Cliffs of Moher. I had no knowledge of the Burren before then, and was intrigued by its ruggedness, its surprising biodiversity, its history, its lack of touristiness. It is a hilly limestone region that is home to a majority of Ireland's biodiversity. The limestone allows its seven feet of rainfall to be absorbed into the ground, making it one of the driest places in Ireland in terms of surface water. Its stone fences are a practical relic from another time and are endearing. An ancient tower and an abbey were in the valley.
The tour took us to a farm in the Burren that covered 100 acres of pasture and 700 acres in the hills. Their Angus and Charolais cows grazed in the valleys in spring, summer, and fall, and wintered in the hills because the weather is that mild. The guide was local and had been formally trained in Irish history. One of the most poignant topics of the tour was the stone fences built over the hills, dividing nothing. Instead of putting their tenants to work doing any number of useful tasks to earn their soup rations during the potato famine, landlords had instead given them busy work. How terrible it would have been to barely survive a famine by performing menial, pointless labor.
The Cliffs of Moher are an often photographed icon of Ireland, but cannot be given justice unless seen with your own eyes. The 700 foot drop straight to the sea is truly awe-inspiring and just has to be taken in. Most of the five miles of the cliffs are a park and are fenced off, but part of them are not, so the edge is unguarded and available to anyone interested in peering right over the edge, namely me, to Sarah's disapproval.
After the lovely ride back along the coast, we found another session at the Tig Coili. This one was smaller but in one of the best-known music pubs in Ireland. I didn't know any of their tunes though, and they were just about wrapped up when we got there. We were exhausted after this anyway, after being out late the night before, the early rise for the tour, and the lost hour due to daylight savings. We were not thrilled to have caught the worst night of the year twice.
We went to mass Monday morning at Galway Cathedral, then walked along the pier and the busy Shop Street. We rode the train back to Dublin and spent a perfect last evening of the trip out to dinner with the Kellys. They were perfect hosts, and we enjoyed that they are in nearly the same spot in life as we are. David and I always seem to have plenty to talk about, and I thank him and Amy again for making my time in Ireland even better.
The flights back to Iowa were uneventful, and back to work on Wednesday, another adventure in the books and batch of stories collected.
After flying overnight with little sleep and getting picked up at the Dublin airport Thursday morning by David Kelly, we dropped our stuff off, got breakfast, cleaned up, and headed into Dublin. David had the day off so he showed us around. We braced for rain on the way to the city, but it quit after the twenty minute train ride; we were very lucky the entire trip as far as weather went: Saturday was a little damp, but it didn't rain otherwise. Thursday took us to Dublin Castle, St Patrick's Cathedral, the Old Jameson Distillery, then O'Connell and Grafton Streets. I was randomly picked to do a taste test of Irish whiskey versus Scotch and American whiskeys, and now proudly own a certificate of my accomplishment. We collapsed into two pubs on Baggott Street, which has several old "still as they were built" pubs, which were exactly what we were looking for. It was here that Sarah was introduced to proper Guinness, not the questionable stuff gotten in America, and she was instantly converted. She's also a fan of Irish coffees. After a full day of touring on next to no sleep, we collapsed into comas after having been awake for 37 hours.
David had to go to class for grad school on Friday, so we adventured on our own. A day-tour bus took us to various places. we went through the Irish Museum of Modern Art mostly because it was close to the Kilmainham Gaol. The jail had operated for 250 years and would have been a very foul place to be, and was even a step up compared to city life in the rougher times. Much Irish history had been affected by what had happened there and by who had gone through it.
The rest of the day was spent idly listening to the bus commentary, walking around the O'Connell and Grafton Street areas, having dinner together, and getting drinks with David and his wife Amy on Baggott Street. Another fine day.
We headed west on Saturday and had lunch with David's parents and brother Ciaran in Tober, Co Offaly in the center of the country. Sarah and I took the train to Galway afterward. Galway is on the west coast and is a city of about 75,000, much smaller than Dublin's 1.2 million. It's known for it's music and festivals and many pubs have music every night.
We headed out Saturday evening, including my fiddle, and stepped into Taaffe's bar which had a sign for music, and we were not disappointed. I asked the session leader if I could join, and the Seattle-native offered me a seat. I knew a few of their tunes, taught them one, and loved it. The leader invited me to another session a few blocks away across the river at the Crane Bar later that night.
The Crane Bar has two floors, and the upstairs is exclusively for nightly sessions. The place filled in after 10, including a nicely varied bunch of about a dozen players: younger at about my age, older to about 80; fiddles, banjos, flutes, a bouzouki, and a concertina. It was also supposedly a quiet night. There were songs sung as well. Nothing against bodhrans, but I particularly liked the rhythm kept by the stamping of the session leader's feet on the wood floor. I liked being part of a session in a place where everyone present was there for the music and what it evoked. I've missed sessions, and playing in these two have inspired me a great deal.
Sunday was a startlingly sunny day; indeed the best Galway had seen yet that year. We booked a day tour into Clare to see the Burren region and the Cliffs of Moher. I had no knowledge of the Burren before then, and was intrigued by its ruggedness, its surprising biodiversity, its history, its lack of touristiness. It is a hilly limestone region that is home to a majority of Ireland's biodiversity. The limestone allows its seven feet of rainfall to be absorbed into the ground, making it one of the driest places in Ireland in terms of surface water. Its stone fences are a practical relic from another time and are endearing. An ancient tower and an abbey were in the valley.
The tour took us to a farm in the Burren that covered 100 acres of pasture and 700 acres in the hills. Their Angus and Charolais cows grazed in the valleys in spring, summer, and fall, and wintered in the hills because the weather is that mild. The guide was local and had been formally trained in Irish history. One of the most poignant topics of the tour was the stone fences built over the hills, dividing nothing. Instead of putting their tenants to work doing any number of useful tasks to earn their soup rations during the potato famine, landlords had instead given them busy work. How terrible it would have been to barely survive a famine by performing menial, pointless labor.
The Cliffs of Moher are an often photographed icon of Ireland, but cannot be given justice unless seen with your own eyes. The 700 foot drop straight to the sea is truly awe-inspiring and just has to be taken in. Most of the five miles of the cliffs are a park and are fenced off, but part of them are not, so the edge is unguarded and available to anyone interested in peering right over the edge, namely me, to Sarah's disapproval.
After the lovely ride back along the coast, we found another session at the Tig Coili. This one was smaller but in one of the best-known music pubs in Ireland. I didn't know any of their tunes though, and they were just about wrapped up when we got there. We were exhausted after this anyway, after being out late the night before, the early rise for the tour, and the lost hour due to daylight savings. We were not thrilled to have caught the worst night of the year twice.
We went to mass Monday morning at Galway Cathedral, then walked along the pier and the busy Shop Street. We rode the train back to Dublin and spent a perfect last evening of the trip out to dinner with the Kellys. They were perfect hosts, and we enjoyed that they are in nearly the same spot in life as we are. David and I always seem to have plenty to talk about, and I thank him and Amy again for making my time in Ireland even better.
The flights back to Iowa were uneventful, and back to work on Wednesday, another adventure in the books and batch of stories collected.
3/23/14
On Our Way to Ireland
Sarah and I are leaving for Ireland on Wednesday! After missing Mr David Kelly's wedding last August to be at my parents' anniversary, I had made it a priority to go visit. We can only be gone a week due to our limited time off from work, but we are going nonetheless! David and his wife live in Dublin so we will spend some time there, and in Galway in the west, but not in Belfast this trip.
As for everyday activities, I've been liking my role as an enhancement engineer. I deal with a lot of people, touch all of Vermeer's forage products, and generally feel satisfied with what I'm doing. I feel like my activities have a much more immediate impact than they did as a new product engineer.
Iowa has had what they consider a long winter, with snow into the second week of March or so. I scratch my head at what they'd think of Montana's regularly long winters; I distinctly remember many years where snow continued into May or even twice into June, and one semester with snow every single week, including during finals. And that's not even considering the early starts to the winters. Everyone also seems to have forgotten that it snowed here last May. In any case, we seem to have turned a corner, and it is more pleasant lately.
I've finished two more stockwhips this year, one going to Jesse Munk, and another that I intend to keep. I've got a kangaroo hide that will get cut up and braided after the trip. To test out the roohide, I made Sarah a one-of-a-kind roohide bracelet for Valentine's Day.
Stay tuned for forthcoming stories about my return to Ireland!
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