It was late afternoon before I could get to work on my latest project for the radio station. There was a patch I had to install after the office closed, and I had to do a systems check and talk with the office manager before she left. Normally, I do patches over a weekend, but that is when the station gets most of its traffic. At the same time, the system has to be functional in the morning for staff to access it.
As if life isn’t hectic enough, Chloe called and asked if it would be okay to bring someone else to the farm. She talked her friend, Benj, into helping her move, and they will leave tomorrow or the next day. Benj sounds like a cool person. Chloe has known Benj since high school, and they have stayed friends even though Chloe has been all over the place. Benj knows a lot about hydroponics and pot farming. Benj is genderqueer and uses ze or they for pronouns. I still struggle with that, even though I had some transgender friends back in Seattle. When I told Chloe that, she said Benj was cool with he and him, too, because he identifies more with male than female. Benj is low drama and easy to get along with. They are really curious about the farm and want to help out when they are here, which is great since I don’t have a lot of free time to entertain them.
I’ve never really been into pot, and almost everyone I’ve known who was involved with it has ended up being a complete imbecile. The exception was a dealer I used to hang out with on campus. He had been going to UW for seven years, I think, and was nowhere near getting a degree. He was dating one of my friends, so I started talking with him during my free period, when he was sitting in the lounge waiting for four o’clock classes to let out so he could catch some last minute sales. I don’t think he smoked much. We talked about philosophy and politics and all sorts of things. It’s too bad he didn’t figure out something better to do with his life. Who knows, maybe he has by now.
June 11, 2013
I talked with Jodie late yesterday about Chloe and Benj coming, but when I told her that Benj was a former pot farmer, she got a bit torqued. She said Idaho was notorious for severe sentencing on drug charges, and she wanted me to make sure he wasn’t carrying any with him. Jodie smoked pot and drank a little in college. She didn’t have any trouble, but one of her friends did a year for possession and had all kinds of fines for a tiny amount of pot.
Chloe called me this morning to let me know they were on the way. They left around 6:00 a.m. and were already halfway through Wyoming (somewhere near Table Rock) by the time she called me around 9:30. They must have been flying. I told her what Jodie said about the drug laws, but she didn’t seem concerned. She didn’t think Benj had brought anything with him.
When I got off the phone with Jodie, I finished up with the baby chicks and went in the house. I had a conference call with the real estate office to do some training on compliance issues.
Chloe and Benj arrived about an hour earlier than Google said they would. Benj sprang out of the truck and bounced over to me, glancing around at the place. He wore the whitest sneakers I’ve ever seen, cargo shorts, a University of Northern Colorado sweatshirt, and the smile of a Disney Channel actor.
“Hi.” With hands in pockets, Benj shifted from foot to foot. “Sorry to bug you, but can I borrow your bathroom? We haven’t stopped once since Utah.”
“Sure, in the back, right side.”
Benj sprinted away as Chloe shut off her phone and climbed out of the truck.
“Hey, girl.” She gave me a hug. “I’ve missed you.” She took in the farm, breathing deeply. “This place is cute! And it smells nice, too.”
“Well, the goats are down wind right now.”
“Ha.” She sauntered over to the main chicken coop and peered in. “So, all these goats and chickens, you have to keep them alive and stuff?”
“Yep, that’s the idea.”
“Aw. That chicken just looked at me.”
“Chloe, you have a low threshold. You better pace yourself, there’s baby chicks in there.” I pointed to the troughs inside the brooder pen. “We can go in, if you want, but you probably want to borrow a pair of my shoes or something. Or I could just bring a couple out.”
“I’ll wait here, if that’s okay. I want to see one, though.”
Benj appeared behind us without having made any sound on the gravel. “I want to go in.” He ran over to the truck and grabbed a pair of heavy flip flops and switched footwear, then took off the sweatshirt and threw it in the van. “Sorry, I have no manners. I’m Benj, good to meet you.” He thrust a hand out, and we shook.
“Good to meet you.” I opened the gate to the run, and Benj and I stepped through. I went over to the brooder, reached down, and grabbed a couple of chicks for my friends to handle.
“Aww. Adorable. How old are they?”
“Just under two weeks.”
“Do any of them have names yet?”
“I’m trying not to give them names, since they’re going to be food fairly soon.” I handed one to Benj, who held it like a favorite toy, all smiles and wonderment. I passed the other one to Chloe, who took it as if it were a cricket, afraid to open her hands, lest the thing escape. “I do call this
