Finally done

I am finally done with this wonderful paper that I have been working on all semester. I finished it up Saturday night, I was so happy to be done. I went to print it off and we were out of paper! I just could not believe it I just wanted to be done with it. I can never catch a break in this old world is what I thought to myself. I went down and asked my mom just maybe she would have some paper that I could use. I was on page four of printing it out. My printer goes backwards so I only had three more pages and a title page. I was so close, but no paper. I went to the basement and there was five pieces. I was so pumped then I went to use them and the printer started over again! I just could not believe it. Late that night my mom found a whole thing of paper. I have her many hugs and then went and finish printing my paper. It is ready to turn in and I cannot wait to do so. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and remember the reason for the season.

Who the semester is almost over!

This past week has been crazy. My Granny was in a wreck Monday morning that caused my Monday to not go as planned. I had a speech due Tuesday that I was going to practice on Monday nope did not get done. Then Monday night I went to class. I ended up getting an A on my speech so God took care of me. Then Thursday I had my presentation to do for English class. Hope I did not bore you all too bad. I got all my information together on Wednesday night and I practiced and it was only like nice minutes then I did it in class for you all and it was thirteen minutes. Sorry class! The end of the semester is here. This week I have to get my sources all put into my paper and get it all moved around. I want to get the paper in order and start cutting and adding. I have them all in one document and have been making little changes but I really need to spend a good amount of time on the sources. I am lacking there. Not good at all. It will all come together I hope.

Bad but good week

My Thanksgiving break has been pretty good except I have been without internet since Friday. That is not good when you are trying to write papers and need to look stuff up on the internet. The libraries were closed too so I could not go there. I could have gone to a friend’s house but I did not have the heart to do that because they all had family in. So I just working on school work that I could do without the internet which is not much anymore. I was not happy with the internet people I called them and told them that it was not working and they said sorry nothing that we can do for you till MONDAY. I was like what! She then said sorry guess it is just a bad weekend for you internet to break. I said yeah it is when you are trying to work on school work that takes the internet and I said thank you and hung up. I was not very happy with my internet people. I was able to go to the library on Wednesday this week and get information about the town of Percy, and history of the mill itself. I was so pumped cannot wait to tell you all about it. It is pretty cool stuff.

Interview

On Thursday my mom was cleaning a house in Percy and the owner of the home was there. So I decided to ask him questions about the mill and in experience with it being in his home town of thirty-five years. That is a long time to live in the little town of Percy. Since he has been there that long the mill has been there the whole time. I asked him if he sees a difference in the traffic during the harvest months and during the spring with fertilizer. The slow tractors! This seems to be every body’s complaint about farmers. :) Tom made a statement that I really liked to hear. “I have used the mill for fertilizer.” He proceeded to tell me that though he was not a farmer they have things that were helpful for him. I think that this shows that the subculture helps out the community. Because if they were a business that only let farmers use their facility or if they made people have a membership to use it they would not be helping the community they would be closed off kind of. So the Percy Elevator helps out the residents of surrounding towns too. I asked Tom about the noise of the mill and the dust if it bothered him. The only thing that he notices about the mill is that during this time of year he can hear the dryers outside of this house, but inside the house he cannot hear anything. I think my visit with Tom shows that the elevator helps that people in the community and also I got to talk with him about some of the information that I had learned during my visit with Diann and Lester.

Fewer Tractors on the Road

Now when you travel on the roads you do not see very many farmers. More farmers are done for the season. That means that Percy Elevators business has slowed down a little till the spring when fertilizer picks up. Now farmers are cleaning up equipment, at least my parents are. I guess I should not say parents because it is only my mom that is working on it. She spent three day washing the combine. The first day I was babysitting then the next day I went to Indiana then the third day I was babysitting again. I usually help her clean up the equipment but she is doing it when I am not home so that makes it hard to help her. She had told me that she really missed my help cleaning up the combine this year. I told her I would have been more then happy to help if she would have waited till I was home. She did not have time to wait because the numbers of nice days are getting harder to come by since we are going into winter. It is crazy that the farming is done already for this year. My parent usually are not done till the end of November and it was the end of October this year and we even had a wedding in my family this year which added to the mess. We are happy to be done and I am sure the other farmers are too.

Is this semester over yet?

This week has been week productive week. I thought that the rough drafts were due Tuesday so I had mine done Monday night but since I was wrong I was able to work on it more and have more time to edit the paper. I still have to edit more though. My glossary needs some help. I am going to talk with my dad because he has been a part of the subculture for forty years. A long time! He has to have some words for me. For my final draft I need to talk with him and add the words to my dictionary. This week I also need to go back to the past drafts and start working on them and getting sources to add to them. I have a fear that it is going to be a challenge for me to get ten scholarly sources. So I think I need to get a move on that so that I am not stressing in the end. Since my day at the mill a week ago or so I guess I have not been back. I need to take a trip to the court house to get history about the building that my group goes to and get that paper wrote. That is my goal for the week. With only having class one day this week I think I can get that done. But I am going out of town Wednesday and Thursday so there is two days but I think I can get it done.

My Day At Gateway F.S.

This week has been a very productive week for me. I have yet to start on paper three, but I did spend all morning Saturday at the mill watching the different ones coming in with grain. Since harvest is over for most farmers there were only three different farmers coming in. One being my family farm but we are all done now. One of the farmers told me I owed him a dollar because he got in one of my pictures. I was scared at first, but he was just joking. Another farmer came in and the office worker told him that I wanted to interview him and he just laughed and then the next load he did not come into the office. The office worker and I found it funny. This gave the office worker and I a lot of time to talk about the different information that I needed and for me to take notes and look around the office to be able to better describe the appearance of the area. I had never gotten the chance to be showed around the facility was just able to come in the front door and look around. Saturday I was able to see the feed mill, the unloading area and the employee room and the office. The office worker gave me a run down of all the different computers and what is done on each one. There is the grain computer which is where the checks and all that business are taken care of. Then there is the computer at the front desk that is for the fertilizer part of the company. There is also another computer and that computer is used to weigh in the farmers when they get on the scale and to keep track of the names and whose grain is being brought in. I was able to walk around the facility and take pictures. I was also told some cool history facts about the company and some things that may be happening in the future. Since it was a slower day the manager of the branch was also there and I got the chance to talk with him and ask different things. Saturday was a very good day. I learned and got a lot of information that will be helpful with writing my paper.

Time to get busy

Ok life is kind of back to normal. During my sister wedding I was doing what I had to for school, but no extra because there was just no time with everything that my mom was having me help with for the wedding. That is over now so it is time for me to get busy with doing the extra papers about Percy Elevator. This next week I plan of working on the paper about the history of the company. I took time to go the mill this past week and talked with the lady in the office. She informed me of different items on the grain ticket that I did not know about. Harvest for my family is over so I will be taking trips over to the mill to just sit and watch and talk to the different people that come in.

Week of the Wedding

The wedding is over and now I my life will be a little more normal.  About two weeks before the wedding I was finding myself spending less time at the mill and more time doing wedding decorations and different wedding stuff.  The week before the week of the wedding I was only taking about a load a day in.  I told the office worker that the mill that I guess I am only going to see you once a day.  She fired back the week of the wedding I will not see you at all.  She was about right.  The week of the wedding I only made one trip to the mill.   That was to take a sample in for my dad.  While I was taking in the sample I talked with the manager of the Percy Branch.  I wanted to make sure that he know what I was doing and not just the office worker know what I was doing when I was there visiting.  I also took time to walk around and see what the inside was like.  I found out that the bathroom is a horrible place that does not get cleaned much.  I talked with mom about it and she said when she uses the restroom there she always takes the toilet brush and gives it a little cleaning.  Like I have said before the mill is a dusty dirty place. 

Trip to the City

Last weekend some of my family and I took a trip to Chicago.  It consisted of my mom's little sister and oldest sister along with my mom, sister and little cousin.  As we walked off the train and people everywhere I was ready to get back on the train and head to Southern Illinois.  On the train ride there were cornfields and bean but nothing like what I am use to.  In the city I rode in my first taxi and also my first subway ride.  The taxi ride I was scared at first because I have watch to much CSI.  After the first taxi ride we started going in taxi vans and all of us together and I was good then.  I did not think the one guy stood a chance with seven women, let alone Wilson women.  While in Chicago we went to a show and just spent time together.  From going to the windy city I learned that the country is where I am to be.  When I got back from my trip I took a trip over to the mill and talked with the employer and have them my permission letter and consent form and took a few pictures.  (Which are posted on my page if you would like to check them out.)  While I was taking the pictures I was able to talk with one of the workers.  He was very nice and I look forward to asking him a few more questions.  I talked to him about how dirty it was and he explained by they always either come to the front of the truck and talk to you or run to the back to get out of the dust.  It really just depends on which way the wind is blowing.  I enjoyed my time in the city with the family but I do not care if I ever go back.  I am happy right here being a farmers daughter.    

Pictures

This semi is one of the trucks that haul the grain away as the farmers bring it in.

When they come to take the grain out they have to weigh before they load of and then once they are loaded.

This is the lady at the mill that takes a sample of the grain to see the moister of the grain and tells you what pit to go to and the bin to tell the worker to load it into.

Unloading the grain.

The mill is a dirty place.

Observation

It is crazy this cooler weather.  I love fall!  I believe part of it has to do with harvest.  My parents have been out in the fields pretty much every night.  The farmers are all busy in the fields getting the crops in though it is early still they are all going at it like they are killing snakes.  I have never understood why it is such a rush to get the crops out it is not like they are going to walk away.  I think this is a good question to ask the farmers when I interview them.  I have noticed at the mill that they are all in such a hurry to get unloaded and get back out to the field.  I believe that once farming is over I will see a difference at the mill.  Right now the only time people hang around is when they wait in line.  They do not spend much time in the building talk to the worker.  The only thing they really say to her is who they are and what they want to do with their grain, sell, price later or store.  When you drive through Percy this time of year there is always a cloud of dust coming from the mill.  This is from the different semi’s bringing grain in and the different ones taking the grain to different elevators.  Along with the trucks and tractors bringing the grain in the mill is a crazy place right now.

My Wheels Are Turning

This past week I have been doing some thinking.  From reading the essay Ralph's Sports Bar, I started thinking if my subculture had different groups.  In Ralph's she places her group in three different groups.  For my subculture I am started to think if there are different grounds and if so what would those groups be called.  I have been out of town this past weekend, but for this coming week I plan on taking a day and spending time at the elevator.  I also will be going and dropping off my business letter at this time.  Though I have not been to the site I am still thinking of different things for the paper.  I am working on getting interview questions and writing down different things to keep an eye open for when I go visit this week. I know I said in my last blog that I would be taking my letter, but this week I really will be.  Once I have someone look over it I did not have time to get over there.  The end of my week got very busy.  I will for sure get it in there this coming week.  I will post soon and let you all know how my visit to the site goes. 

Friday Sept. 17th

Friday morning all I wanted to do was to sleep in.  Mom did not think that was a good idea.  She called me and asked me to come help her get the trucks emptied out for dad.  So I got out of bed and headed to the mill.  With doing my research of the mill now when I go to the mill I am paying more attention then when I was just ridding along with mom.  On my trip to the mill on Friday I noticed that the employees at the mill are really nice.  As I was unloading the worker that was unloading me came up and talked to me and we had a good little chat.  Then another waved at me.  I'm not sure if it had anything to do with they finally saw a young girl instead of older men, but still I was surprised to see how nice they were.  Within the next week I will be going and taking my permission letter to the main branch and the Percy one, but I want to have people look over it before I deliver it.  I'm excited to talk with the people when I take my letter in.  I hope they stay happy like they were Friday otherwise this project could turn out ugly. : /

Rough Draft of Paper One

Danielle Eggemeyer

Bradford P. Nadziejko

English 102

September 23, 2010

To the Mill To the Mill To the Mill We Go

            As the showers move out and the leaves begin to change the farmers know their work is about to begin.  Fall is a time when people know that they have to keep an eye out for the farming equipment on the roads, if they live anywhere near the country.  New trucks, trucks passed from generation to generation, and even semis; Percy elevator is a location in which those farmers maybe traveling to.  As a child I would travel with my mom to Percy elevator to sell our grain.  As we traveled down the road with the windows down and the wind blowing through our hair we would sing the famous “mill” song.  The “mill” song is nothing special, it goes: “to the mill to the mill to the mill we go” very simple, but special between my mom and me.  Percy Elevator is simply a building with grain bins, but the people that are associated with the mill give the building its character.

            The door is always swinging at Percy Elevator with different farmers coming in and out.  Some come to Percy Elevator for animal feed, fertilizer, and to sell their grain.  During the spring months the fertilizing business is more active.  As we go into the fall months, fertilizer is still a part of the business of the mill, but the selling of grain is rapid.  Their business of feed is year round.  For my fieldwork I am going to be looking at the people that keep the doors swinging along with the people that assist them with their needs.  I am even going to talk to people within the community and paint a picture for my reader of the town Percy to give the research a more personal feeling.  With being a farmer’s daughter I share similarities of the people that keep the door swinging at Percy Elevator, but I have my differences too.  I am nineteen and the only nineteen year old that travels to Percy Elevator.  My parents have worked hard the past forty years on the family farm, but I have only been a prospector of their work.  Throughout my childhood my mom sheltered my sister and me from the farm work.  This makes me different from the people at the mill, because they are all like my parents: farmers from many generations.  The farmers that come to Percy are all different ages, but have farmed their whole life.  Experience is written all over their faces. 

            As I prepare to observe at Percy Elevator I fear that their experience is going to come between us.  I am a young individual which they are not going to take the time to talk to, because they have corn or soybeans in their fields waiting to be harvest.  My concern is that they will not take the time to talk to me.  If this is the case I do have a plan.  Since my parents are farmers and have been traveling to Percy Elevator for years I feel that they will be able to provide me with the opportunity to talk to different farmers outside of the mill setting; this opportunity maybe going to the field and talking to the grain hauler while they wait for a load.  I will get the information that I need no matter what.

            Through my research I am searching to see how the Elevator affects the community of Percy, the history of the different farmers that keep the doors swinging at Percy, and the experience the employees have received while working at Percy Elevator.  When I say the effects of the mill on the community I mean what exactly the mill does for the town of Percy.  I want to find out why the farmers sell their grain to Percy and not the surrounding Elevators.  Through the employees I hope to hear about the different types of individuals that come through the mill each and every day and the impact these different people have on their lives.   

            I am eager to see the mill from the other side of the spectrum, not just as a driver driving through with a load of grain.  There is more to the mill than just hauling a load of grain, which I am interested to see what happens throughout the course of a day at the mill as well as what takes place within the walls of the facility itself.  Through doing this work I think I will get an understanding of the different moods and looks of the people I come in contact with when I take a load of grain to the mill.  If I understand the individuals that come to the mill I will know how to treat them. 

            As I start on this journey I look forward to learning more about the town of Percy more then knowing the fact that it is where the mill is located.

MORE TO COME…but I hit a dead end anyone know more I can add to it?

What I'm doing and what my plan is

I have not done too much research on the site yet, but I did take a trip to the mill with my mom and just sat back and watched the people. I’ve done some research on the computer and I have found sites that say that their employment is one to four and that is true when I went to the elevator with my mom there was only four employees. Through researching on the internet I found out that it is a branch off the main branch in Red Bud. I always knew that it was a part of Gateway FS, but I did not know that it was a branch. With it being in the little town of Percy I assumed that it was not a main branch, but something I did not know till I researched. My plan for this week is to take a few loads to the mill with my mom and just sit back and observe the workers and the people coming and going. I do not plan on going and spending time at the site till I give them my permission letter and see what they say. Even though they have given me verbal permission I want to wait till I approached this with a professional aspect. So for now I will be doing research on elevators and learning about them and taking a few trips to the mill.

Convertation with employee

On Wednesday I call over to Percy mill to ask if they minded me hanging around and observing the  people that come to the mill.  They did not have a problem with me being around, but asked that I did not hold farmers up or make them mad.  At first they seemed confused on what I was asking, but they said that they are willing to work with me.  When they said that they were willing to work with me I know that they are going to work with me to get the project done.  I also know some farmers in the area and I do not think they will have a problem with me calling them to ask questions or even meeting with them to ask different questions.  My plan for this week is to go to city hall in Percy and maybe the main branch and get some information from them.

Request Letter

     New trucks, trucks passed from generation to generation, and even semis; Percy elevator is a place where different styles of people come together with one common interest.  In the local region there are several elevators farmers can take their grain to; however, the local farmer chooses Percy.  The Percy elevator is one of many branches which branch off of the main facility in Red Bud.  
     Fellow classmates and Mr. Nadziejko I am asking your permission to complete my ethnographic study on the Percy elevator.  I feel that farmers who bring their grain to the elevators could be classified as a subculture.  I am eager to see the mill from the other side of the spectrum not just as a drive driving through with a load of grain.  There is more to the mill than just hauling a load of grain, which I am interested to see what happens throughout the course of a day at the mill as well as what takes place within the walls of the facility itself.  I am also going to visit people in the community of Percy to ask their feelings on the mill in Percy and what it has done for the community.
     The Elevator is open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and during harvest they stay open later and even on some Sunday’s.   I think this site is going to be easy for me to access throughout the course of the semester.  To insure my conviction of accessibility I contacted the facility to make sure they did not have a problem with me observing, interviewing, and researching the elevator.  One request I was asked is that if the farmers acted as if I was bothering them to leave the farmers alone and move on to a different person who seemed willing to participate.  
     As far as my safety I will only be observing the people that come and go and I will be in a public facility so I feel no threat.  To find out the history of the elevator I will contact the city hall of Percy and I may even go to the main branch to see if they can give me information as to why they placed a branch in Percy Illinois.
     Growing up on the farm I have road a many of trips to the mill with my mom and just in the past couple of years I have started hauling to the mill for my parents.  There is a lot more to the mill than just hauling grain and I feel with the little knowledge I have there should be no reason why I cannot fulfill the requirements.   

Just A Little About Myself

People would probably describe me as loud, loving, caring and energetic.  I am the youngest of two, but many people at first think that I am the oldest.  Sometimes I like that, but my sister who is five years older does not at all.  She just smiles at people and says, "nope I'm five years older then her."  My mom always said I would out grow my sister and I certainly have.  I live on a grain farm of 800 acres, but we only own 80.  In the Fall you will find me taking many trips to the mill.  I am the hauler.  Though I enjoy doing it the pay is not big.  Mom and Dad get the check and I just get a pat on the back.  They do give me a roof over my head and many other things so I am good with this.  It is a way that I can help them out and mom always says, "We are family, we work together and get the job finished, pay or no pay."  Some other things that I enjoy doing are walking, jogging, playing catch, playing with children and helping out at my church wherever I can. 

Right now in life I do not know what career path I am going to take.  I am seeking out God and waiting for him to inform me of the plan that he already has for me.  I do know that I will be working with children, but I do not know what I will be doing.  I love children so I could end up working in a Day Care or something along that line. 

As far as what I would like to do for my paper I'm not sure.  I think it would be neat to go to a head start facility or I even thought about going the total opposite direction and doing something with a senior citizen facility. Either topic I have contacts with both groups.