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Steven Ables

Peter Beurskens

English 2515

Interview Essay

25 November 2012

Why Breakfast Is Possible Every Morning

It was a cold but interesting morning; after all I couldn’t expect anything less residing in Minnesota. As I begin my journey to Jim’s house, a retired dairy farmer turned cook. It takes me nothing short of twenty minutes on the country roads to arrive to an eighty acre farm with an elegant picture perfect home. Meanwhile, I make my way through the house I notice not one item is out of place or disturbed. It’s everything you expect a wealthy retired dairy farm that once owned two thousand acres and four hundred dairy cattle.
As Jim ____ and I settle into the dining room kitchen, he asks “Would you like a soda or something to drink?” I politely accept, considering I need something to wash down this amazing donut he had awaiting for me to ingest. Jim is a middle aged man standing around five foot two inches, weighing in around one hundred and ninety pounds just seems to not fit your ideal image of what a dairy farmer might resemble. Although, Jim comes from a family a seven, growing up on a dairy farm his whole life. He remembers racing his brother out to the stales, hoping he could get to the first stale. As he states, “it had been modified just right to exceed maximum comfort compared to the other stales that are a lot hard to work around given the set-up of the barn.” He always knew that being a dairy farmer by trade would be his future someday, considering there was only two boys and all of the five girls desired a college education.
Meanwhile, he vividly remember every morning, questions himself, “Do I want to go to college; Is this really what I want?” After all, he no longer has time to think or debate with himself, it was time to make a decision to either sell his portion or to keep it and continue a life of dairy farming. He often wondered if he made the right choice. Did the world have anything else in store for him or what that just it? Although, Jim makes the best of what life has dealt him for cards. He too starts a family and purchases a home right down the road from where he grew up but this time his dairy operation is now twice the size of what his father had given them. Now that Jim and his spouse are starting to settle down, they end up having three boys. Just the right concoction for a dairy farm to thrive by needing all the extra help he can get.
Although, it doesn’t mean that they will all stick around to take over what Jim has started, like he has for his father. “Kids now a day all desire an instant gratification, fast moving and unplanned life styles,” said Jim. None of his kids desired such a life style but was more than willing to participate and put forth there portion of chores. “If I hired help from the beginning and not had to build equity. The farm wouldn’t of built the amount of equity it did and as quick as it did,” said Jim. Jim seems to be very grateful for the life he has had and the life he has gave his children. His family has always been a big part of his life, considering his religion background being a catholic and adhering from a large family.
His children are all grown up and the youngest is a senior in college attending the University of Minnesota. “The legacy of the (last name) will no longer revolve around a dairy farm but instead by tapered off with an medical doctrine, physical therapist and soon to be teacher,” said Jim. Although, that doesn’t always sit well with him, considering this has been passed down from generation to generation for the last five generations.
Finally, he now is at peace knowing all his family can leave their own curve on the (last name) legacy and know they our family can contribute to this thriving world in multiple ways, considering he has now sold off all his farming equipment and leases his last eighty acres to his brother for planting crops. From all his years of building up equity he no longer worries about if he can stop working and be able to foot the bills for the years to come has had an overwhelming tranquil life of not having to worry if the milk is suitable for pick-up, maintenance on tractors or if he had a calf die. He is at peace with his family, legacy and lifestyle of everyone involved.
He now has pursued his own passion of being a cook for a local assisted living. Jim not only shows up for work but provided a better quality of life for those individuals that reside there. “I feel I can finally pursue my own passion and interest in life,” said Jim.