Hats Number Two and Three

Sneaky Pete needs someone to look after his gold mine when he's gone.  When I'm not driving the tractor or helping in the Snack Bar, I'm Pete's right hand man (or woman as the case may be).

From the tank above, water cascades down the sluice boxes to a diversion valve that sends it streaming along the long sluice box, complete with gold catching riffles.  If you want to give it a try, you are provided with a big bag of pay dirt and a wooden screen.  Pour your pay dirt in the screen and move it around in the water to expose gold, silver, turquoise and gems of all varieties.  You might even find an Indian arrowhead.  Actually, I guarantee you will.

You have to become pretty animated ... in character so to speak ... if you want the kids to have a good time.  Ooohing and aaaaahing over their finds brings out the excitement.  After all, they are just colored rocks, but the kids love it!!  Most don't even know what an arrowhead is.

Hat number three involves these guys.  Every morning I clean the pens and feed the babies.  I would almost adopt a goat, they are so darn cute.  Probably not the best of house pets but every time I enter the building, they all come running, crying up a storm.  I'm thinking they would be much better gardeners than what I have now!

The two calves ... not so much.  They did put on a show yesterday, playing race horse around the pen with the goats, just like Cooper does around the house.

After feeding everyone, I set up seed planting for 250 school kids, seven classes of second and third graders.  No big deal you might say, unless you have under two hours to teach them all, one class at a time.  My oh my oh my!!  I ran through my spiel as fast as I could, leaving out half of it ... handed out cups which they wrote their names on, then placed small containers of soil on each of six tables.  

They filled their cups half full, all of which I had to check, then demonstrated dropping in two seeds.  Keep it fluffy, but you KNOW they didn't.  Some packed it in so tight I couldn't get it out of the cup.  Now cover it with more soil, place your cups in this container and I will water then.  Finish the spiel and the next group was already waiting.  

I've never worked that fast in my life!!!  Finally done, I breathed a big sigh of relief.  I did get several compliments from the teachers about how organized I was compared to previous years.  Made me feel pretty good since I felt like a complete wreck!!

Occasionally one of the dinosaurs escapes, catching a ride on the Time Travel Tractor.  T-Rex picked up some chips, cookies and a snow cone as he was ushered back on the ride.  You can't say they don't go all out around here.  

It was a slow afternoon, so I tried to keep the workers busy doing something ..... anything .... to keep up their moral.  There's nothing worse than taking a part time job and being bored to death.  We arranged pumpkins and cleaned everything in sight while I talked about smooshing (that's not really a word) the customers.  It makes it so much more fun for them AND you if you talk to them, "did the dinosaurs try to bite you?" rather than being a bump on a log.  

Friday night was their first movie night.  That's right, they play movies on an outdoor screen.  Everyone brings their chairs, buys hotdogs and nachos and gets to watch Goose Bumps or maybe Hocus Pocus.  It was last call for the Hay Ride thank goodness, because it was getting VERY dark and I couldn't see.  I'm sure that tractor has lights somewhere, but I couldn't find the switch.  Thankfully, I didn't lose anyone.  It was a twelve hour day for me!!  YIKES!!

Today I get my first day off.  It's not that I'm tired, but those first few stiff and sore steps in the morning are becoming harder and harder.  I might just turn on my jacuzzi tub for the first time in nine years!!!