Alas - a farmer again

It's mid June 1980, we have moved back to California and living on a 60 acres vineyard in south Madera county abutting the San Joaquin River. Leroy and Betty Hatfield are living on our 40 acre vineyard S.E. of Caruthers, and Katrina, Lynn and family are on the 20 acre vineyard on Cedar Avenue approx. 1/2 mile south of Manning Ave.

I am a farmer but I am getting some smiles and outright laughter at my attire while performing the jobs. All I had was office dress - you know, white dress shirts, dress trousers and of course dress shoes. I couldn't understand what they thought was funny - after all I had taken my tie off!
Enough of that, back to what was going on.

We had a fair crop that year on all three properties. We also got a good price ($1300/ton) and the packers bought all of it (no reserve this year). With a minimum of expenses, because two thirds of the work for the crops had been performed before we took over, all we had left was the picking costs, so financially it was a good year.

Once the harvest is over, you have dead time until the next January when the new crop year begins, so we spent the next few months looking for a vineyard with a home for Margaret's brother Gordon who was retiring from his position in Canada. Gordon and Irene had visited a couple of times and wanted to live here and we agreed to go in with them and own a vineyard jointly. While looking for them, we found one for us - a 9 acre vineyard located a mile east of Selma on Rose Ave. The property got both of our attention - a newish four bedroom home (2400 sq.ft), the entire property very nice and contiguous to the Selma Golf Course. So we bought it and moved in about mid October. Gordon and Irene showed up and we had not found a suitable vineyard for them yet, so they moved into the Madera property as we continued our search.

With both of us looking we found a 20 acre vineyard with a nice small home located 1/2 mile south of Ventura Ave about 8 miles east of Fresno.

About that time our neighbor just east of our Madera property offered to purchase the property with an offer $50,000 more than we paid for it, so we quickly accepted. We had automatic drip systems with timers installed on all our vineyards. This took a lot less work (about 1/2) for the irrigation, but at a cost of approx. $60,000 but it was well worth it.

1981 was a very busy year. We upgraded the Selma house and installed a Jacuzzi. At Caruthers, we remodeled the house and made the garage into a large living room and the living room into a dining room. Built a two car carport and a storage room and equipment shed (Jerry helped with the storage shed).

We worked our properties and played as much golf as we could get in. Gordon only lived for his golfing.

Business wise, we had a reasonably good crop year - good production, fair price, but about a 25% reserve, which meant we only received half price on the free tonnage. It was OK, but weak.

Bill and Frances had started a tradition of a big bash at their Oakhurst home on Labor Day (everyone was invited). This was the second year of this tradition. We left early and decided to look over Yosemite Lakes Park, a foothill housing development. We looked, were impressed and two days later we went back up, looked at some houses and bought one (here we go again!!).

We were able to sell our Selma property for $50,000 more than we paid for it (not all profit as we had put in about $30,000 on the drip system and the other upgrades we had done on the place.

1981 - A year of recovery

By the end of 1981, I was in trouble with my personal life and the country was in trouble with Jimmy Carter's 4 years. 1981 so the start of the recovery for both.

I'm happy to report that mine lasted longer than the country's did - it has seriously fallen off the wagon now! (Just a little politics along the way).

Dick and I bought our first motorhome this year and made one trip back to Florida early in the year, but in May, through the efforts of Dick, our doctor and the Fresno County Alcoholism Council, I ended up at Beacon House in Pacific Grove for three weeks. The three weeks that changed my life - where after about ten days I ended up on my knees giving my life and my will to God. Let Go Let God (AA slogan). Back home in Fresno, it was three to five meetings a week, but slowly but surely the pieces started to fall together, and onion peeled one layer at a time.

Dick and I started going out to breakfast together everyday and we would talk. I would share the program and it started our day off right. Thirty years and we have kept that tradition up consistently until this year, when finances have forced it back some.

I don't know what prompted he and I to move again - maybe just our restless spirits which is very much a part of us - or maybe we both were tempted with the idea of everything in that year being new and different.
But on the way up to the Labor Day weekend get together at Bill and Frances' in Oakhurst, we stopped by Yosemite Lakes Park, just to see what it was all about. This was on a Saturday, Monday we went back up, met with a realtor, looked at houses and bought our house on the hill.