Day 281 – My green thumb.

Most of this blog will cover what I am sure is most of my audiences least favorite subject but it is what my day was about.

I have a few plants that I have been growing out doors this summer to experiment with and try to understand the cycle under natural conditions. It is good to know when I am growing indoors in an artificial environment  just what it is that I am trying to duplicate. It has been a mostly positive experience as we have had a good summer. Since we are into Fall officially and we have had some rain I have experienced some mold. It seems with the cooler days and the rain that the plant is not able to completely dry out during the day and mold is created. This is generally not a problem indoors as the plants are fed directly to the soil and not over the plant like in nature. Since the outdoor plants are not completely done I have built a shelter for them to allow them to get the light necessary but also will protect them from the rain. I will take on more of a indoor feeding regiment and see how it works out. The outdoor crop has really been more of an experiment and I am not into it a whole lot of money. Regardless, it has been a good experience. I have been able to see hoe the plants react to light and temperature swing and I can understand why farmers love what they do.

It is immensely satisfying to see something planted to grow and reach maturity. Plants become like dependents.   Without the care and attention of the farmer they will simply die. Of course some will survive as most plants do but, I have been able to keep them all alive.

Later tonight I had to go to the warehouse and spend about 5 hours with those plants. I needed to cull the dead vegetation, feed and stake several of them as some of them are almost 6 feet tall!

After I was done i could not help but step back and again enjoy the vision of what I have done. I have learned a lot in the last year. Before then I had never taken care of so much as a house plant nor had any concept of what was needed outside of my vague recollection of Junior High science class.

In any case I am going to bed feeling pretty accomplished!

 

Day 21- Habit Formed!

So they say it takes 21 days to form a habit and here we are. Day 21 0f 365. I would say that it is definitely a habit at this point as I am thinking about my blog several times during the day. What will I write about? What has happened? When will I have to write it based on the days schedule? Well Tuesdays are tough because I have so much to do and it is my night to run the Pub Quiz at my local watering hole The Irishmen.

The last 24 hours have been very stressful. One of my projects has been moved to the front of the line and it has taken a lot of time recently. Last year I was approached by an acquaintance of my accountant. As you may know Initiative 502 passed over a year ago legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Washington state. I was approached by a couple guys asking if I would help them navigate the licensing process, help them secure a location and set up an operations plan. Business is business and this new industry is no different. Its no different from the alcohol business or the food business or the contracting business. There are licenses, corporate documents and vendors to deal with. In return I have been given a 20% share of this company. Now that is a significant part of any business but let me assure you I have earned every point. You see that is my talent. I get things done and make things happen. I use my knowledge as currency and my reputation is my credit score. Never under value what you bring to the table. Especially if its knowledge and experience that you bring.

The guys I am working with are very smart and talented business people. They are not potheads or even casual users. They are like me, they see opportunity and jump. Now their expertise is definitely in starting a business. They understand marketing and food and have great ideas but they needed me to put the rubber to the road. In the last 24 hours I have really had to rely on how much they actually trusted me as we just signed a 3 year lease on a facility that is 6-7 months away from seeing its first dime in revenue. It took a lot of explaining, conference calls and emails. Explaining the basics of a lease, what triple net is and how it is standard on commercial properties, all the while fending off other people that really wanted this property and assuring the landlord that we actually have our shit together. I can tell you it was exhausting. Walking out of the real estate office I felt like I had just gotten married lol. It was a big day in that project and there is a lot of work ahead but it looks like I am in the Marijuana business now too.

Lets see how well I juggle all of this!