Life

I have not blogged in a little while because I have been trying to figure out some things in my life. Life has definitely shown its good and bad sides to me here lately. My plans for graduation have been changed, which changes my plans for an internship next spring. I still do not know what I am going to do once I graduate.

I understand that I am not the only one who feels this way; especially among the college aged population. But sometimes it feels as though no one can help me. I feel bad asking peers to help me with my problems when I know they have their own to deal with.

However, I believe I have found a way to do what I want when I graduate. I have been working on my great-uncle's farm in Newark a lot since Spring Break. Since my uncle has been put into a nursing home, the sad truth is that we might have to sell the farm in order to pay for his bills. My mom and her two brothers have decided that they want to buy it. Seeing as they all live in Florida, someone in Ohio would have to look after it. That is where I come in. The goal, if we do purchase the land, is to turn it into a Living History Farm. Make it educational and open it to the public and bring in school aged kids to see how agriculture has changed and grown in the past century. I see it as a Cracker Country (FL State Fair) meets Ag Ventures meets Agarama (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton, GA). Maybe not as old-school as Agarama, but the concept is still there.

For those of you who do not know what these places are/do, let me elaborate:
- Cracker Country is located on the Florida State Fair Grounds in Tampa, FL (close to my home). It is the new home of a small "Cracker" Village the same as it would be found in the 1800's. There is a school house, church, blacksmith, general store, train station, houses/homes, smoke houses, community center/courtyard, and much more. All of the buildings were relocated from their original locations through out Florida to the Fair Grounds. It is only open to the public during the state fair in February, and to private tours. The term "Cracker" refers to the first settlers of Florida because they "cracked" their whips to herd the cattle across the state. It is still used today to describe families that have a history in the state relating to beef cattle production and still use whips to move their cattle. (It is not always a derogatory term)
- Ag Ventures is a program put on by the Florida Farm Bureau in conjunction with the Florida State Fair Agribusiness Department, and is assisted by local commodity groups and FFA and 4-H. The program is directed to third grade students in the Tampa Bay Area to come and experience some of the Florida Agriculture. Students might learn how to make butter, where honey comes from, how to grow a strawberry (and take a plant home with them), a brief introduction to the forestry department, and a little bit about all the different industries associated with Florida Agriculture.
- Agarama is just south of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, GA. It is very similar to Cracker Country, except it is open year round. Agarama is a working farm/farming community. The employees/volunteers who work there have extensive knowledge of how people lived in the 1700-1900s. When you enter the village, you are stepping back in time.

I do not think that I can pull off the history to that extent because this farm has only been in my family for 80 years. Many of the original buildings and outhouses have been damaged by age and weather, so those buildings will take a lot of work to redo or use at all.

Now, all of this is still in the works, but with life dealing me a poor hand, I think it is fair to say, you may have a shotty hand, but compared to the others at the table, it might be the best one. So I am thankful for the hand I was dealt with. I may not win the jackpot, but I will be happy with the winnings I do receive.