Farm 69 - Change the name? And other thoughts.
So the time has come for a tough decision. I knew the day was coming, but until it arrived, the decision was easy to ignore.
Farm 69. Just writing it out, makes it easy to understand why the number represents a sexual innuendo.
I remember when we sold Cottage 13 to Dean back in 2008 or so and we had a conversation about it and he said 'what the hell, let's go for it." And he suffered no ill health, bad luck, etc... by living in Cottage 13.
But, does Farm 69 fly just as easily? Weirdly, I'm sitting in my screened porch with my dog at my side in Milford PA and there have been a bunch of squirrels zipping up and down the big pine tree about 60' away, making a bit of a racket with their zippy clawed ascents and descents. My eyes aren't the best anymore, but I looked up and what do I see but 2 squirrels humping 100' off the ground - very appropriate to set the tone of the post.
I mean, if i didn't have a 13 year old, I never would have thought twice about it, but rarely a day goes by that some innocent signage - exit sign, license plate, football jersey, year a movie was made - that the number doesn't come up and I don't hear some snickering from the gallery. The thing is at this age, they don't seem to have put a visual or understanding as to what they are laughing at, they just know it's about sex so that's all they need to know to react to it.
I think those of us who have more maturity use this number without 2nd thought, live in houses numbered 69, stay in hotels on this floor without remarking, take Exit 69 with no hesitation. But, as someone who has succeeded because there isn't a detail I don't sweat, I'm considering this one.
We have a lot of houses we are finishing up shortly. 2 Ranches in Saugerties, 2 farmhouses in Saugerties, 1 Farmhouse in Narrowsburg, 1 Barn in Cochecton. While you read daily about the scream for help in terms of employees and subcontractors and vendors, we are fully staffed here at Catskill Farms, and have been able to add members to both our employee list, and as importantly, teamed up with 2 small construction teams who come with 3-5 people per team, self-manage, and are learning our system quickly. That's been a real help. A god send. A life saver. More than that, these guys are here to stay - they love the work, they love our culture, how organized we are, how quick I pay, how little interaction with 'the public' is needed,
So, as we enter the real final leg of the first slew of homes we sold back in July 2020, I look back with pride and astonishment of how we kept it together, how we grew, and how we improved.