Well, as you all know it is not been your typical Northern Minnesota winter, and the last 3 weeks have been unusually warm weather we have seen 80 degrees and no temps below 32 at night.

Which means all the snow is gone and now the ice on Coffee Lake will be totally gone by the end of today..March 24th. It is really weird seeing the ice gone this early, the grass is greening up and the Llamas and Bucky are hardly looking at their hay bale anymore as they pick the fresh grass coming up.

This last week we have had some rainy and dreary weather with lots of fog and drizzle, but it is much needed moisture and has helped green things up even more. When we get some sunshine the grass will start growing faster.

Being it is Saturday, the plan is to put out the bale I have for the animals, and clean up around the yard some more, along with doing some work on my taxes for 2011.

Week 3 of the new job started with more training, which included a road trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

I got up early last Sunday morning and left home by 5:30 am and headed to Lakeville, MN on the south side of the twin cities. To meet another salesperson named Randy, and carpool with him and another salesperson named Roger whom we picked up near Westby, WI which is about 35 minutes east of LaCrosse, WI.

Randy drove his vehicle has I only have two seats in the van I have, and his suv had lots of room. The drive to Grand Rapids, MI is an 11 hour drive that took us through Chicago. We arrived in Grand Rapids, MI about 8 pm their time (1 hour ahead of ours) and met up with 5 other sales people of Carlson Systems at the hotel. It was about 9 pm when we ate supper, and then off to our rooms in a Holiday Inn Express for some much needed sleep.

We were the guests of a company called Highlight Industries, that specializes in manufacturing stretch film machines. Which is a product that we sell a lot of in our packaging side of our business. So we were all there to learn about the equipment and the stretch film, which they do not manufacture but they build the only machine that tests the stretch film which costs about $130,000.

An explanation on stretch film simply put is it is like a big roll of cling film you would find in your kitchen but it has a property of not only clinging to things but also when you pull it has some elasticity so it shapes it self around things and then acts like a rubber band holding it together. But it does not resume it previous shape like a rubberband. When it is stretched the some of the elasticity is maximized and therefore it won't return to size.

So we learned about the machinery they build from scratch, actually watched many of them work, and learned of their various features and benefits to the customer. They have machines that have the capability to pre-stretch the film before it is applied to a pallet of material or item that is to be contained.

We also saw some of the their box assembly machines and how those worked along with the automated taping of the seams of those boxes being constructed. Our teachers were the President of the company who started the company 31 years ago in his basement, along with our sales support person and a couple of their engineers.

Here is there website link     http://www.highlightindustries.com/

Check it out you will be amazed, and here is a link to a video I shot of a Robot machine applying stretch film. http://qik.ly/DHEtbEp8R25hZNt2gQYfZ34  this is pretty crazy.

After about 13 hours of training Monday and Tuesday, we left Grand Rapids about 1:30 on Tuesday and headed back to Minnesota, and we arrived about midnight back in Minneapolis. Where I checked into a hotel for the night.

Wednesday I headed up to St Cloud, and worked in the office and also met a couple of new customers and prepared for a busy day of making sales calls on Thursday and Friday. All in all it was a long week but I learned lots and it felt good to be making sales calls on Thursday and Friday and meeting more of my customer base.

Well, I want to thank all the well wishers on the new job I have and also give you all an update on it.

I spent the last 5 days in Eagan, MN for training at our store located close to Pilot Knob road. It was a busy 5 days, and included lots of information.

Day one was spent going through a ream and 1/2 of paper forms and information about Carlson Systems. All the things they need to review with a new employee and lots of things requiring signatures.  And of course introduction to all the employees located in Eagan, 4 other sales people, 3 service technicians, 3 supervisors of various departments including my new boss, and also 2 sales support staff, and also 2 warehouse people. I also got the first glimpse of the computer system we use for all facets of our business. Which is a DOS based system. After a long day, I stayed in a local Microtel close to the office.

Day 2 was spent, actually reviewing product information of our major fastener lines, and also more about the companies who manufacturer them. So I now know lots about nails, staples and screws of all kinds. I also had to complete a physical at an occupational clinic in Edina. I enjoyed supper that night at The Blue Door Pub, where my daughter Misty was working one of her weekly shifts. Met her employers and enjoyed a great comboy blucey! Also got to drive the new company Ram cargo van, that I have now to drive all over for work...pretty sweet, and also nothing to fancy but it is new!

Day 3 was more product information, about the tools used to drive the nails, staples and screws. We played with all the different brands we handle which is 4 main lines, this was hands on training, we actually were shooting nails and staples into a pallet frame. It was a good way to see how each tool worked, and felt in your hands. The afternoon, I sat down with one of  our vendor reps who is our packaging strap provider, we reviewed all the types of strap and and the tools used. This was pretty cool, and interesting to see the differences in the tools and products. That night I had supper with Misty, Chris and Addy and Livia at a Bonfires Rest., this was to allow them to take my pickup as I had to drive my company vehicle back up north at the end of the week.

Day 4, was a complete review of our dealer program and how we set those up with tools and fasteners all morning long. After lunch I sat down with one of the other salesman who sells a lot of packaging supplies and machinery, this is some pretty cool stuff and I will have to gets some pictures of things as I work with them. But by the end of the afternoon, I was reaching mental overload.

Day 5, a review of computer systems with my boss and various reports and how to get to them, and I also got a review of how those reports can be used for customers. After the morning was pretty well gone, I loaded up my 3 storage bins of information and supplies and headed up to my new work home, the St Cloud store that I will be based out of. I got there about 1:30 and took a look around with our new location, which is bright and pretty clean and still undergoing the process of getting organized, but it looks great! I visited with the two people there my Store Operations Manager Ken, and Lyle his support and parts, and service person. These two guys are very friendly, and looking forward to a new working relationship with me. I had a good visit with Ken on some plans for the next week!

Each evening, I of course checked in with Crystalie, to see how things were going back at Coffee Lake Farm, and it was good to get home Friday late afternoon!

As you can see it was a very busy 5 days and I have lots of information to digest and to also read, at least I am blessed with a good memory and a lot of what I saw and read sticks with me pretty well, plus I have a vast resource of people who are anxious to share and help, all I have to do is ask!

Thanks to all my well wishers, and I wanted to provide an update for you!

Well you know how once and a while you here a weird sound from something and you don't think much about it. Well yesterday morning while we were having coffee in the living room, our fridge makes this weird clunk sound.

We didn't think much about it till about 5 o'clock when Crystalie noticed things in the freezer were thawing out...yep the compressor on the old fridge died, that was the weird clunk!