July 09, 2004

Eating the Seed

A family sits inside their thatched roof home in the middle of what had been a verdant valley but is now a dusty dry waste land, no rain has come in two years. The crops planted two years ago shriveled up and blew away in the hot wind...The crops planted this past year never came up...

They sit and look at each other. Too weary to cry or struggle, or even pray any more... The mother goes to the back of the hut and drags out a sack of seed... The seed for this years planting...As darkness falls and lighting signals yet another dry storm across the cracked and parched landscape, these people eat the last hope of their survival, the precious seed that could renew their lives once the rains come...

If they come...

By all that is holy it hasn't come to this, but it could in a manner of speaking. I am so grateful for what God has done in sustaining us through this time. "The rain" so to speak, does come in trickles...Woody's job, as difficult as it is, and as consuming does keep the lights on and phone up and car insurance (the police have random checks for it here and you have your license confiscated on the spot now if you don't have the card or a phone number of an agent that will vouch for you...)...The store has put food on the table and gas in my car and a roof over our heads...Much more than this baby business should have to do... But this past two months, more is going to our household than is going back into the inventory and tonight we had words about it...

Woody sold one of the crown jewels of our inventory. You can see it on our website at azureseasjewelry.com, made by Steven Lee Designs The Plumeria Splendor neckpeice was a wondrous confection of gold, diamonds, crystal and one of the most beautiful tahitian pearls I have ever seen. A signature piece that is in all of our literature and on our website, Its one of only 100 made and if I can get another one I will. IM proud of how he got this deal done with a hard bargaining New Yorker who has seen 1 million pieces of jewelry and was pretty impressed with this one but wanted it for nothing. He got a great deal and he did get a gold omega chain for nearly nothing but that is another story and to keep the deal together I relented.

Where was I in all of this? Don't ask... I went to lunch a bit early and when I finished eating at the canoe launch, I turned the key and the blessed car just whirred and wouldn't start. I hiked off the beach and down Kamehameha HWY in midday thank you Lord, it was a gorgeous day and not pouring rain, to a gas station where I had seen tow rigs park. "No they didn't tow but they would call someone." I call Woody and he is in the middle of this thing with the crystal flower..." He says..."Boy, I'm glad that you called can we sell PART of the neckpeice...(its a clasp and a beaded strand necklace, they wanted only the clasp with the pearl...) I said "no, it's all one thing...and buy the way has it occurred to you that I am calling you from someplace?" (I have no cell phone) "Like I'm in trouble and I just want you to know that I am ok and that your car is dead but thank God its here and daylight and not on the High Road to Kona at 3 am, I will get it jumped and see how it goes." Woody says "O.K." and hangs up the phone on me...

Its two hours before I get back to the shop. Car is fine. Sale has been made. Its the biggest single sale in the brief history of the store. He had to give a huge discount and practically throw in a 500.00 gold Omega chain, but its cash in the till. Truth be told had I been there I'd have never allowed it as I cannot replace those pieces for the money made.

God knew that too. That's why I wasn't there and was impressed all afternoon while I was waiting for the tow truck to pray over and over that Woody would do the right thing. This is what I was speaking of in the previous post, I have to pray hard and work with this mans failings and his abilities cause when Woody's good, he's good...

This is one of those sales that MUST be used to restock, preferably with a similar item or the same item if you can get it. Last months percentage for inventory was put aside in a joint account that has both of our names on it but is not a business account. (Due to the way we are set up legally, the business cannot get a credit or an ATM card. I need one for purchasing inventory by phone or email, where I don't have an open account. I use this one and Woody insisted on his having a ATM card just because...grrr) but I found out tonight that Woody has been using it via the ATM card to pay his way. "there was nothing in the house account so I used that." Well, I also used it to pay for my gas, all of our food, and the tow truck adventure. I doubt that there is anything left in that account and I wont place anything more there as its not secure, I warned Woody of this and he wasn't happy.

When you farm, the first crop that you harvest, you must save as much as you can of the best for seed for the next year. You take half of that saved seed and plant it. Yes its tough to eat the tiny bit you didn't have to save but you do it. You harvest that second crop and save 25% of that and the saved seed which you plan that third spring...You always have seed for two or three harvests for as we saw in my opening story, we dont know what the seasons bring

Woody and I are "eating the seed" He eats the seed when he doesn't plan for his hotel stays or his meals in Kona...He cant sleep in his car, and hes got to eat. I eat the seed when I get the priorities out of whack at the store. I have been commended for my inventory balance, I have maintained approx. The same wholesale value of inventory on a consistent month to month basis, and if you divide my sales, by my purchases you get a percentage that equals my markup, something I'm told is hard to learn and the mark of a solid jewelry store....with that in mind, yes some of the seed can be eaten, but its risky, and there is the thin line you can cross and I think I am there. I am low on many of my "staple" items and own my vendors money. Its time to plant again.

Woody will be getting more hours in the next two months. That has got to help, but it means more expenses too, and he's loathe to look for another job... I would in a heartbeat.

I do have to pay the mortgage, and the rent, then reload my cases, then comes the other stuff. I need to quit submitting to the tyranny of the urgent, and do what I know is the right thing.

Most of all I need to pray...Speaking of prayer, a situation has come up that is so new that I cant share it, but its good news, in a way, and would mean a lot of changes. Pray for me and Woody as this is a matter requiring wisdom and careful planning. We were perhaps not as careful when this sort of thing happened to us before and this is a second chance. We don't always get a second chance at anything in this life... Once you eat the seed its hard to plant it and grow a good crop...