Thursday, September 2, 2010

Perks

Today was my last day of work for the summer. Five months of working at Soil Test Farm Consultants. It was a great job. Want me to list out a few of the perks? I thought you might. So I made this list.

  • No name tag! (Remember this? This was when I swore I wouldn’t wear another name tag.)
  • Wearing jeans, old, soft t-shirts, even older pumas (they got duct tape on them at month three), no make-up, and my hair in a pony tail.
  • Drinking Diet Dr. Pepper through a straw that tastes how the Shell gas station smells.
  • Driving at least 600 miles a week allowed for a lot of time to listen to the radio. This gave two perks in itself:
    1. Knowing the words to every country song on the radio.
    2. Listening to books on tape (Favorites included: Beatrice and Virgil, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, No Country for Old Men, The Scarlet Pimpernel.)
  • Leaning how maps really work! I no longer get irrevocably lost! I now understand if a road is N.E. it means N.E. from a certain point and does not mean if you turn around then all the sudden that road becomes S.E.
  • Naps on Mondays (I often had to wait for farmers to bring their soil samples to a designated point.)
  • Lunch at home on Tuesdays.
  • Driving past a mini-horse farm mini-horse farm! on Thursdays.

Great job, no?

But the biggest perk had nothing to do with books on tape, my work “uniform”, or discovering maps.

The biggest perk was I got to work with my dad.

  • He shared sips of his Diet Pepsi whenever I was around.
  • We drove miles and miles together listening to political or classic country radio. He entertained me with stories and discussed life.
  • He bought me gas-station corn dogs for breakfast and occasional lunch at Inca’s.
  • Many mornings he walked me out to my truck to give me a hug and send me on my way.
  • My dad reminisced at the office in the a.m. and shared his pretzels with me in the p.m.
  • He never got too mad at me when I messed up (and I messed up a lot).

And the best of all of these was that we got to spend more time together this summer than we have ever spent.

7 comments:

Neighbor Jane Payne said...

It was a great job, wasn't it? Beats waiting tables, mowing lawns, babysitting, AND Staples combined. Glad you and dad had a great year.

Tyler - Danielle - Emree said...

I am delighted with the perks and it makes me want to put on an old pair of jeans and jump in the truck with my Dad. There is nothing better than being a farmer's daughter. :)

Cassidy said...

Nice!

Anonymous said...

Oh Ande, I'm glad you're back! Does this mean you're going back to Idaho? Bummer for us folks on the farm. Try not to let weeks go by before you post again, please.

Your biggest fan, with love,
BRENDA

Tyson Pyle said...

I love your dad.

Julie said...

You are a lucky girl! I guess I don't really know how maps work. Being with your dad is the best. I wish I could do that more often too.

Kelsey and Jon Edwards said...

I miss your dad.
I need a good "Kelsey Payne!" hollering and some delicious steak.