Over the last few weeks, many changes have been taking place here on the farm.
Starting with the vacation to Lake Wateree, SC. Since then we have been tackling several unfinished projects.
The biggest change that has affected us here on the farm…..is that The Captain has been laid-off from his job.
I cannot complain because his company has made many changes within, trying to stay in business and keep the employees employed.
There has been voluntary lay-offs, budget cuts, pay cuts, starting with the president of the company, salaried and hourly employees.
He and the other employees have not lost their jobs completely. The lay-offs consist of lay-off for four weeks and work one week. Allowing them to keep all benefits. But maintaining that the company is still operational.
So The Captain’s four week lay-off started in July. He will return to work Monday for one week, then begin another four week lay-off. Along with our son-in-law, who works for the same company, whose lay-off began one week after The Captain.
It began at the beginning of this financial crisis that our country is in. With voluntary lay-offs, at stage one.
At stage two, pay and budget cuts began with salaried employees, and a one week rotational lay-off for hourly employees.
Stage three began in August with more budget cuts, more paycuts for salaried employees, pay cuts for hourly employees, mandatory rotational four week lay-off for all employees and from a 40 hour guarantee pay to a 24 hour guarantee pay for those working. Still maintaining that the employees keep their insurance and other benefits.
I don’t know if there is a stage four, but if there is, it doesn’t look promising.
The followers of Twisted Fencepost may remember that I was laid-off from my job in the automotive industry in January. Finances were already tight here on the farm, but we were maintaining. They just got a whole lot tighter.
But we will see it through. We will survive this crisis and others that we face in the future.
How?
We’ll tighten our belts and our spending, clip coupons, cut corners and squeeze everything we can out of every dime. Whatever it takes to make it through.
Things are tough in this great country we call home.
I still would not want to live any other place.
So, say a prayer for our country, our economy and each and every family that is struggling to make ends meet.
God can make the changes we need, if only we’ll ask him.
Twisted Fencepost 