The Farmer and his Road Sign

I used to buy mulch from a farmer up on rt. 350. He had a sign, of sorts, that advertised his mulch.

Like a good farmer he had used up what was available. Said he mixed together a bunch of half empty paint buckets and got mauve so that was the color he painted the sign.

The farmer had had a stroke and couldn't use his left side so well anymore. By the Spring of 2009, the sign became hard to read, harder to bring in during the winter, and it started rotting on all the edges pretty badly.

I used to be a painter. When I was growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and my grandpa was a painter. I loved my Grandpa. He was an old guy who had seen a lot, told it like it was and kept it real. He was crusty and grouchy and I was his soft spot right along with candy bars. I worked with him for many years before he passed away. We painted houses, businesses, churches, university buildings (Oregon State Univ, to be exact--Go Beavs!) and apartment buildings. That experience opened some doors, and later I also painted rooms in the Ambassador to Russia's mansion in downtown Moscow, USSR as preparations were made for President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachevs' famous summit talks.

I am a gardener and  landscaper and I like Mr. W's mulch and his price. Furthermore, I like Mr. W. He's an old guy who has seen a lot,  tells it like it is and keeps it real. So I suggested a deal. I would paint him a new sign and he could give me free mulch. Neither one of us knew what the deal was worth and we still haven't pinned that down exactly. 

The farmer had a piece of plywood in the barn, and he sent it home with me. He didn't know what color or style he wanted the sign to be, so he let me make the decisions. It was a lot more work than I expected and twice as much fun. It was a lot more sign than he expected and I think he liked it. We both thought it was a decent deal. I got to do something nice for somebody in exchange for mulch, and he got a new sign and $5 more per scoop.

So it's been two years. During the winter I saw that the sign was laying face down in the snow. This Spring when I drove by I noticed it needed some touching up so I called and renewed our arrangement. When I went and got two scoops I discovered just how much the sign needs work and at first I was a little disappointed.

But then I remembered just how much I need mulch and decided that working on that sign every couple of years is probably just about right.