Be the fox

By BECKY NELSON
Bramblings
“Run, run, run as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!” This is my favorite line from one of my favorite stories read to me as a kid. I don’t know if it was the rhyme or the rhythm or the expression in my mom’s voice when she read it to me, but it made a lasting impression. The whole story made a lasting impression. I was always a little afraid of the sneaky fox who tricked the gingerbread man into riding across the river on the fox’s nose and I clearly remember the end of the story with the “snip…snap…snip” as the fox ate the gingerbread man “because after all, a gingerbread man IS just a cookie, and cookies are meant to be eaten.”

I haven’t seen the beautiful gray fox that I spied on my lawn and on a son’s lawn just a couple of weeks ago. I am sure, in his crafty fox way, he was tracking down squirrels and mice and other rodent fare that let their guard down for the split second that it would take for them to become prey. I have noticed a definite lack of squirrels and chipmunks over the last few days around our house, and have not seen the chipmunk who was plaguing our blueberry bushes, either, so I think our little fox friend is still around. His cookies are of the wild kind. I haven’t seen our big hawk lately, either, so perhaps the two predators have thinned out the rodent population to a reasonable number.

It has been a busy week here at the farm with the pick-your-own raspberry operation in full swing and vegetables needing attention for weeding, supplies needing to be picked up and the store needing constant monitor and staffing. We always amaze ourselves at how much work we need to pack into just a couple of months to be able to make it through the rest of the year financially. Both Ben and I are feeling the effects of the seemingly non-stop workdays, as are all of my farming friends this time of year. It would be nice to think we could slow down a little and enjoy the summer sunshine instead of constantly battling the clock and the weather, but it just doesn’t seem to be in the cards as things take time and time takes money, neither of which we seem to have much of on most days so hiring more help is not a feasible option. Because of these and other pressures, some of our farming friends have made the decision to retire, sell the farm and enjoy, while others of this aging population have turned the reins over to younger folk or headed back to the mainstream workforce to make ends meet. It may be time for change, but we have always been very slow to make the big decisions, and I don’t see us making any changes anytime soon.

Instead, we are opting to refocus, rebrand and refine our business plan. Things as simple as advertising and promotion are taking a few subtle turns and things as big as how much and how we plant are being tweaked. We are shuffling staff and working to utilize their particular strengths and goals and are working toward being a little more cautious with our funds and our decisions. Less expanding of plantings and services and more focus on consumer requests and prudent planning. We are also seeking to protect our farmland by entering into a conservation easement which will keep the land open and together and free from development in the future and give us a little financial bumper to keep solvent and relieve some of the heavy financial burdens we farmers are facing. We don’t want that fox sneaking up on us.

I am seeing change in lots of small businesses. While big box stores are still coming to town and the internet is gaining a lot of footholds in many markets, we little retail folks are finding it harder and harder to “refocus,” “rebrand,” and “refine” our business plans and keep our retail presences viable. Several business owners that I know have opted to fold up their tents and retire, downsize their businesses or close them completely. As I have written, we are exploring our own options in the business, as well. We are feeling the effects of late middle age, and are looking at our personal futures as well as those of the business and knowing that we cannot keep up by run, run, running as fast as we can. Too many bases to cover with too few people, and we are vulnerable to falter or make costly mistakes.

I can clearly hear my father’s advice to slow down as I head into another busy day today. I talk a big talk, but it’ still going to be hectic and crazy. “You’re chasing too many rabbits,” he would say. Knowing I could never catch a running rabbit, I know I really need to slow down before I fall down. My son is always urging me to “work smarter, not harder.” I think it’s time to heed the call and not be a gingerbread man, running as fast as he can but still being caught when he let down his guard. Maybe I’ll make a batch of gingerbread cookies. After all, cookies are for eating, and I haven’t taken the time to enjoy a cookie in a long time. If you are in the same situation this day or this week, maybe you should think more like a fox and less like a cookie, too.