Taking Stock
After nearly four great years here at Spudman and Great American Publishing I am leaving to tend my bonsai potato (www.bonsaipotato.com).
Have you seen these things? They are great. You patiently tend the sprout of the tuber crafting it into some sort of bonsai tree. The product pitch goes something like this: if you long for the patience and tranquility in your life but do not have time, with the bonsai potato kit you can quickly and efficiently reach an inner peace that can take monks an entire lifetime to achieve.”
Sign me up!
While I am joking about the bonsai potato, I am serious about my new career. I am leaving my work here to be a teacher. Over the course of the next year, I will be helping and teaching in a seventh grade classroom much of the daytime and in college classes at night.
I have learned so much from the potato industry in the last few years. Your stories of trial and success will stick with me, as will many of your names and faces.
Having grown up on a grain, pig and cattle farm, I have always felt some kinship for what you do. At the same time, I acknowledged the separation between my life in the office and yours on the tractor.
My office hours are limited, while yours are endless. I had a quitting time, you do not. I mow Kentucky bluegrass, while you mow Timothy and alfalfa.
For these and other reasons this job has been an educational experience. It has presented me with opportunities to grow.
I have come to appreciate the politics of the fry, international trade issues and the increasingly complex and competitive world of agribusiness. Making a life in agriculture work is an honorable thing. I respect the work that you do and appreciate that you are willing to do it.
I thank you for sharing your time with me and for sharing your time with the magazine. You can trust that the magazine will be transferred to caring hands that will continue to serve your interests.
You can rest assured that when I do get a teaching job, which may be tough in today’s economy, one of the first writing prompts for Mr. Brown’s middle school students will be: “Where do french fries come from?”
Kimberly Warren will be taking over as editor of Spudman. She can be reached by phone at (616) 887-9008, ext. 110 or by e-mail at [email protected].
