Good morning. I would like to welcome everyone back to Miz Judi’s Kitchen, and I hope this finds all happy and healthy. As for me, I am doing just fine.
We went and met with the surgeon this morning, and they have scheduled my surgery for next Wed. morning at 9:00 am. They’ll be doing a mastectomy, and also removing a lymph node from under my arm, both on my left side. We’re going to get started so we can start kicking some butt!
I would like to just thank all of you for your prayers, and support for me and my family. I cannot thank you enough, and keep them coming.
Now, on the lighter side…
When we went to the chicken farm this weekend, it brought back some funny memories. As you might already know, Dub and I used to run the farm for his Dad. Josh and Mark helped out just as much as two grown men at many different times.
It was hard to find help back then, so once you got a crew you wanted to keep them. I had gone through a lot of people before I found a really good crew. After I finally got a good, hard working group of ladies that worked well together, things ran very smooth. I’m telling you, they were all just the best people I’ve ever worked around, and we got the job done.
The plant processed between 200 and 210 cases per hour, and we, the women cased the eggs as they came from the packer to us. The eggs were already in cartons or flats, and these rode a conveyor belt from the packers to our packing stations.
We’d take the cartooned or flatted eggs, put them into the cases, and sent them down another conveyor belt into the cooler where the cases were put onto pallets to be shipped. We worked hard, and this crew took particular pride in getting the job done, and doing it to the best of their ability.
Back then ole Dub would take him a drink or two… or three. Oh, okay, let’s be honest about this whole thing… he might take him nine or ten in the afternoons! The man could put it away. But you know what? He never left the place. When he drank, it was at home.
Dub hasn’t touched a drink in over 16-17 years. He was always the kind of man, that when he made a decision, he just stuck by it.
You would have to be at the farm at 6:00am every day. The chicken’s you see, don’t know what time it is, they just laid the eggs, and we had to get them.
One day ole Dub had himself one good hangover. That morning it seemed as if nothing I did was just right for him. The man had been a bear all morning.
So about 11:00, he was running the machine, and one of the belts backed up and stared mashing the eggs. Well, you know who’s fault that was… mine.
He stood up on that belt and started raising h… and told me you’re fired! Well, I said fine, and I went home. But prior to going, I told him that I won’t be back, and he said, “Good!” So off to the house I went.
When I got home I just sat around and did nothing, because I was just thinking to myself about what Mr. Dub was going to catch when he got home! It wasn’t going to be a pretty sight, I can tell you that!
Around 2: 30 here comes Dub. I tell you, butter would have melted in his mouth he was so nice. He wanted to know if I would like to go out to dinner, or basically anything I wanted to do was just fine with him, and would I please come back to work the next day?
After giving Mr. Dub a good piece of my mind, and a few choice words, I told him no, I wasn’t interested in going back to work…period! He just said that’s o.k. , and said I’ll be back later, kissed me goodbye and left.
Well, around 4:30 the truth came out! My crew came pulling up to the house, and asked if they could talk to me, and I said sure.
They asked me are you coming back to work tomorrow, and I told them no, that I wouldn’t be back. They then told me that they’d already told Dub, if Deb don’t come back, we won’t be back either.
So ole Dub thought he was going to be slick, and not tell me that the ladies had already given him this message.
I told them to all be at work in the morning, and that I’ll be there as well, but whatever you do, don’t tell Dub that I’ll be there! Don’t even tell him that ya’ll are coming in, we’ll surprise him! We all laughed and the plan was on.
Dub came home from work, and asked me again if I wanted to go out, and I said, no I don’t want to go anywhere with you! Me, and the boys are going to town, so you can fix your own dinner tonight, buster! He said ok, ya’ll have a good time.
I knew he was worried about having a crew the next day, but I didn’t say one word to him about it!
I got back home, and him still just so sweet. I asked him, “What are going to do tomorrow,” and he said go to work, just like I always do. I looked at him and asked, “Are you going to run it by yourself,” and he knew, that I knew about the crew.
I told him the crew came and by and had seen me this afternoon, and they told me they won’t be back. It looks to me like you got a mess on your hands, and I went to bed.
He left the next morning, and I got up, got dressed and met the crew out in front of the plant. When we came through the door to go to work that was one happy man to see us! He didn’t know what to say. I tell you one thing though, he never uttered those two little words to me again!
We still laugh about it to this day. Of course if he was to tell you this story, I’m sure it would be quite different than I told it!
So the moral to this story is simply…stand your ground ladies, they’ll fold in the long run!! LOL!!
Remember keep your checkups as scheduled, and if you notice anything different, don’t wait! Go get it checked out right away.
Till next time, keep a smile on your face and one in your heart.
May God bless each and every one of you!
Deb