Frustration.

OK -- I'm kind of pissed.  Yea ....I am.  And I am not sure how to express it.

I'm pretty certain I am going to sound like a word rhyming with "witch."

I want to know when it happened.

When did I suddenly had to do your job?

OK -- let me give you some background.

A little over a week ago, I taught a bread-baking class.  It is based on ABin5. 


What I try to teach when teaching the ABin5 method, is creativity.  You make this fabulous dough and look at everything you can do with it!!!


So I start the class by passing out a 9 page illustrated (on both sides) handout on how to make the basic dough recipe.  It has websites.  It has blogs.  It has book titles and authors.  It is a complete handout on making the basic dough.


The evening before the class .... I mix up two batches of bread dough.  The morning of the class (around 7 am) I start baking.


Last week, I baked Crusty Sandwich loaf, Olive loaf, two batches of Cinnamon Rolls, Ciabatta and Fougasse stuffed with roasted red pepper.  Then I made another batch of bread dough.  I finish prepping for the class around 4 pm.


We start the class by make a fourth batch of dough. And I shape and bake the classic boule and several pita breads.  


And then .... I get my evaluations.


The evaluations were good.  99% of all people loved the class.  But this one... really has stuck in my craw.


Please give a handout with all the recipes, cooking times and temperatures.  I have worked all day and don't want to have to take notes during class.

Yea.  I'd hate to bother you.


So -- I got over that one. Sort of.  (Can you tell .... maybe....... not so much?)


Then I got a letter from Canada.  

A couple of months ago, Farm Show Magazine did a quick article on Miss Eff's. Since then, I have been contacted by several people about starting their own u-pick flower farm.  


I am glad to help.  I really am.  I have always had the philosophy that sharing information just builds better relationships.  

There are no trade secrets.  I grow flowers.  You cut them.  And when you get down to it, that is it.


But this letter really really bugged me.  What do you grow?  When do you start them?  Send me all the seed catalogs you use.  How much will that cost me? I need all the information you can give me.

And all I can read is give me, give me, give me.


OK -- first ... I don't know what the planting zone is where you live.  I don't know what acreage you have.  I don't know your gardening ability or physical limitations.

And I have worked for ten years building my business .... from the dirt of my knees and the seat of my pants.  I have studied.  I have succeeded.  And I have failed.  


But to start out ...I read.  I read everything I could get my hands on.  And really, that wasn't an awful lot .... which is why I made a bunch of mistakes.  But they were my mistakes.  And you will make your own.


We have become a society that expects all knowledge handed to us.  Silver platter and all.  And as adults, we don't want to work for it ... not one little bit.  We aren't going to open a book.  We aren't going to Google.  It is all at our fingertips ... and that's not good enough.


If we as adults aren't willing to put some effort into learning ......... how can we expect that of our children???


We are in deep deep chicken doo-doo,