most soothing

It's an unjust world. We've done some work at home, in the yard and we've sodded. I suggested they lay the sod each of the last two Tuesdays. First two Wednesday's it didn't rain this summer. Farmer's markets did great. But I gotta say, I don't believe there is anything more therapeutic than watering sod, with a hose. It's right up there with watching a Zamboni go round and round an ice rink. The Zamboni thing is only valid if you're sitting up high enough to appreciate it. At ice level, it doesn't have the same effect. Watering sod, is mindless, like icing layer cakes. Gentle spray of water back and forth, very relaxing.

I'm sure I told you, cake and cookie Arturo is on vacation this week. Yesterday, we had our employee benefits meeting. We're switching our whole payroll/benefits thing to one source. During the meeting yesterday, we closed the store. We stayed closed for about an hour and a half. First time we ever did that. Close in the middle of the day. We put a sign in the door, "closed for meeting", etc. We said we would reopen at 11:15, customers were there waiting. This made for a ridiculous day. Day baker Marc, was off for a funeral. He came in at midnight to make up for his absence. So two guys off on a market Wednesday, plus the meeting, crippling. When the day was done, I was done, as well.


This benefit package is gonna cost the bakery a lot of money, but our crew is worth it. We've arranged for our fulltimers to be insured. Hospitalization, dental, eyes, life, disability, the whole deal. Startin' a 401k plan, as well. Never did this stuff before. Never had a complete crew like this before. This has been an incredible summer. The markets have been very busy, and it has gone very well. Our crew has really done well with assuming responsibility, and it hasn't taken much on my part to get it all done. I put up the market numbers, on Thursday, and on Saturday morning the bread is there. Jeff Hamelman told me once, his theory about employees "it's their job to take care of me and my job to take care of them".


Gotta get upstairs and get to work. Today is the last day, Marc will have a chance to practice anything for his CB practical exam on Saturday. I think he is in pretty good shape. I know, but I can't disclose to him, exactly what products will be required of him. But I can disclose a general term like "cookies". Today he will be making a mix or two of hand bagged butter cookies.


Today, we've reached the painful point of running out of a lot of the items that Arturo had made ahead, filling his void. We need to start producing these items, to get us by until Monday. Next week, Filemon is going for a week. I'll be gald to see September 1st get here.