I wouldn’t say I have an extensive teaching career. I wouldn’t even begin to judge what kind of teacher I am. I just like the act of sharing what I know and love with people. I instructed my first class in the Navy in 1997 – Team skills and concepts. It was a module in a course to introduce quality management to the U.S. Navy. All I remember was feeling lucky because that class had “toys” to play with to facilitate learning. I don’t remember how I did, but I do remember being told “Practice this, teach more, and you’ll be good.”. I’ve had over 12 years of experience teaching in the Navy, and even a stint teaching at a local community college. Two things have never changed; The thought that I have no business standing in front of a group of people acting like I know something, and the absolute thrill and rush that comes from the moment when a student “gets it”.
My Mom has always told me that if we wanted something, that “we should pray to heaven for it, then work like hell to make it happen”. Katie and I have a dream that we are determined to see come true… The praying’s done, now the working like hell part is in our hands, and this week, we worked like hell.
This weekend, we hosted our second “practice weekend.” What better way to find out if you have what it takes to be an inn keeper, a cook, a manager, a teacher, and an entertainer, than to solicit honest friends to be guinea pigs for your crazy mad hatted plans? The first weekend, we invited two couples and just entertained them for the weekend. We had a good time and got some good feedback. It honestly wasn’t difficult because we had a friendship established with them. More than anything, it was a way for us to see how they interacted with our home, how much work it would be to prepare meals, and how much prep work would be needed to make them feel comfortable. This time, we added a third couple, and threw in a full day long class on making wind chimes just to make it interesting.
Our home has five bedrooms, four downstairs, and one upstairs. The two largest of the downstairs bedrooms have queen size beds, one of the smaller rooms has a twin, and the other has been converted to Katie’s office. I don’t know of any couple that would willingly try and share a twin size bed, so that meant that the upstairs bedroom (the main bedroom – our bedroom), would have to be converted to guest space. This was accomplished with a new mattress, box spring and bedding, as well as a table with a new coffee machine. That left Katie and I either fighting for space on the twin bed, or often our favorite fallback – the she shed.
A previous owner at one time had a pool in the back yard where our vegetable garden sits, and built next to it, a hexagonal building fully finished as what we assume was a pool house. It’s large enough to fit a queen size bed with room to walk around, but not much more. It’s been a constant topic of conversation as to the ultimate end use of the building would be. I wanted to make it into a brewshack for brewing beer. Katie wanted her own space for reading and relaxing – the she shed. Guess who won out? Neither of us… Time showed us that there was another use for the building as a spare bedroom. Katie sometimes refers to it as “the love shack”, but I think that moniker may not only be a bit presumptive, but off-putting to some guests… like my mother, so the she shed it remains. We moved our old queen bed out to the she shed to make room in the house for the new bed, and just like that, lodging was set.
We had a full week of cleaning and preparing the shop for class. As usual, my poor time management bit me and I was scrambling to get things done at the last minute. By last minute I mean our guests were enjoying appetizers and a beverage in the house with Katie while I was still setting up the classroom.
Afterwards, I joined Katie and our guests for some catching up and surprisingly early, our guests turned in for the evening as Katie and I grabbed the dogs from the shop and made our way to the she shed for some sleep. Before turning in, I explained to our guests that my hope was that they would be aware, and provide us with an honest critique of our performance. I wanted to know how they would feel if they had paid good money for the weekend, and where we would have fallen short in their expectations. We don’t just want to do this… we want to excel at it.
One of the areas I am proud to say we (or rather Katie) excelled, was in her cooking. From the spread of smoked cheeses, to the artfully bacon wrapped dates, Friday’s appetizers were a hit. The next morning, coffee consumption joined hands with Katie’s French Toast bake, sausage, and fresh cut fruit with a lemon curd topping… If ever a reason to be late for class, Katie’s breakfast would have been forgivable, but none the less, class kicked off on time.
With our very first students gathered in the classroom, I began to discuss different types of wind chimes. I guess in retrospect I should have covered a few ground rules in an attempt to avoid chaos or unneeded stress. First value really learned for the weekend right away. In the future, I’ll let them know the intended schedule, what to do in case of emergency, and a rough outline of what will be covered. It’s funny, I’ve done that at the beginning of countless classes over the decades, and for some reason I skipped right over it. I’ll chalk it up to my excitement to finally be teaching in my own school.
The morning progressed as one might expect. I laid out planning, demonstrated a few steps, and before I knew it, the lunch bell was ringing, as I took in the mornings progress. I have to admit a little pride in how well it went. Under normal circumstances, lunch would not be provided for students, so we give an ample break for people to head to town for a bite. On this occasion we chose to provide full food service for the weekend, and Katie laid out a great lunch. Kalua pulled pork sandwiches, pasta salad, veggies and dip, and of course, my favorite… Waldorf salad.
With ample time left of the break after eating, our guests taught me another valuable lesson; You don’t have to plan everything out. When I built a set of chimes to display as a teaching aid for the class, I used a soup can for my sail. The sail is the ornament that hangs below the chimes, catches the wind, and causes the striker to hit the chimes. I used a soup can, not for it’s looks, but to demonstrate a shape that would catch the wind from any direction. I explained to the class that just about anything could be used as a sail as long as it would catch the wind and drive the striker into the chimes. I laid out the difference in sails needed for different wind conditions, as well as the amount of volume produced by different sizes and weights. After lunch, one of the women inquired to Katie about the antique chest turned wine service that sat in our sunroom. Katie told them she found it at a little antique / thrift shop just up the road. Before I knew it, a carload of people headed off in search of rare finds in our little town. The lesson came when they returned. As each entered the classroom, they showed off the items they found in the thrift store that they intended to use as their sail. Not only did I now not have to be concerned with that portion of the class, but they would be able to add a unique personal touch to their wind chime.
Another valuable lesson came later that day as we were assembling our chimes. I had chosen 65 pound test fiber style fishing line to use for hanging our chimes. Did I mention every guy in the room was a retired Sailor? You would think knots would not be an issue, but my material choice proved otherwise. It was actually pretty difficult to work with, even for someone with good fine motor skills. But after some trial and error, and maybe a little Sailor cussing, the bells were ringing! I’ll give some extra thought to the usability of materials, regardless of their benefits.
They all carried their creations out to the porch and hung them side by side under the eaves. We were instantly rewarded with our own symphony of bells as the wind blew. Success! They sounded great!
Katie asked for assistance in rounding up our flock of chickens before nightfall. As I watched a bunch of friends enjoy attempting to be first time chicken wranglers, I thought “what a nice added touch… I wonder if I could get them to clean out the coop too?” As our students made their way into the house to grab a cocktail and prepare for another feast from Katie, I couldn’t help but be thankful that things went as well as they did.
A savory dinner of spatchcock chicken (not one of ours), chipotle macaroni & cheese, and a spinach salad complete with candied pecans and uncured bacon was served. Conversation and laughter could be heard throughout the house. These are the moments that light the fire under Katie and I. We love to entertain. We don’t have to be in the middle of it. Just knowing we arranged a space and time conducive to creating long lasting memories makes us smile. After dinner, I lit a bonfire for people to gather around and enjoy a little outdoor fun. The fire was warm, and it was a good thing too, the weather had been rainy and cool all day. I suppose in some way that was a blessing too. After being cooped up all winter, it might have been a tough sell to expect people to sit in class on a sunny Saturday afternoon. As the fire wound down, some made their way to bed, some lingered by the fire, and a couple made their way for a dip in the hot tub. It really was a great evening. As Katie and I laid down for the evening, we talked for a very short time about how exhausted we were. Exhausted, but in a good way. It was kind of sad people would leave in the morning.
After a good nights rest, a breakfast of ham and cheese quiche, cheesy potatoes, and cinnamon bread was served. Following food and conversation, I passed out a survey to everyone and asked them to be as critical as they could be. Once I collected the survey, I was served up one last lesson for the weekend. The previous evening, I made mention of hooking the hay wagon up to the tractor for a quick ride before dinner. Unfortunately, the sun was setting fast and there wouldn’t be enough light for a town tour. As I thought everyone was preparing to make their exit, someone said “what about our hay ride”. I guess I was the one mentioned it the day before, so I owed it to them. It was a chilly day, misting a little, but still kind of beautiful out. As I fired up my old ’56 ford 860, they climbed aboard and we were off! Putting down the road towards town. I drove them passed the birthplace of Richard Windmark on the way to the park by the Sunrise river. We passed the ballpark, the old bank (now a tubing rental business for floating the Sunrise), and crossed the Sunrise once again, headed back to the house.
Once back, hugs were exchanged, good-byes said, and our guests headed back home and we were once again alone. We absolutely loved having everyone for the weekend, and for a few minutes we sat and reflected on what we learned. Most of all, I learned that I still have a lot to learn. One step at a time.
Speaking of a lot to learn, we didn’t sit long, because we had to hit the road ourselves. We had a date to meet (and name) the newest member of our family. “Buttercup” is a two week old Nigerian dwarf goat who is coming home with us as soon as she’s grown enough to be weened from her Dam. She’ll be joining Rosy Rue, another Nigerian dwarf as half of our newly forming herd. They will be providing us with fresh milk for cheese, soap, and lotions. Oh you betcha, Katie is fired up to teach her first cheese making class! The soaps and lotions will be amenities for guests, and hopefully for sale to support a good cause.
While we were in Wisconsin meeting Buttercup, I spotted this little furry black and brown buck bouncing around the barn. The breeder said he was the only one left without a home. I picked him up and he curled right up in my arms. That was about all it took. When he’s big enough, the same time as his litter mate Buttercup, he’ll be coming home too. He doesn’t have a name yet, maybe you can help us pick one! Comment below with your suggestion. And for my Navy Brethren, “Goatie McGoatface” is off the table!
What’s coming next? Tomorrow the flooring contractors will be on scene to begin installing the new slate tile floor in the bar room! I guess I better get my bar construction started. We also have much goat fencing to run. So stay tuned for more updates!
Thanks for sticking with us. Remember, the truth is valuable, good memories are worth more than gold, and baby goats will get you every time.
-J&K